Published: 03/05/2020
Gannon University is hosting its fifth annual Battle of the Books
More than 500 middle school and high school students will be competing in Gannon University’s fifth annual Battle of the Books at 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Friday, March 6 at the university’s Palumbo Academic Center, 824 Peach St.
Students will compete on teams representing 26 high schools and 19 middle schools from the Erie, Crawford and Warren counties.
The Battle of the Books is a reading incentive program for students in the fifth through 12th grades. Students read a selection of books throughout the academic year before coming together to demonstrate their knowledge by answering questions in a tournament-style competition. An awards ceremony will be held at the end of the competition with the highest scoring teams receiving special recognition.
North East High School librarian Nicole Fitch designed and organized the competition to promote reading outside of the classroom. The books she suggests every year range widely in genre from young adult fiction to fantasy and mystery. Some are drawn from the Pennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice Awards program list.
Fitch said students experience the joy of reading no matter the outcome of the competition. “When people say students don’t read, that’s false. I think they’re reading more than ever. If you get things into their hands, they’ll read,” Fitch said.
The event is hosted by Gannon’s School of Education with faculty, secretaries and students in the school assisting as judge, scorekeepers and monitors.
For more information, contact Janice Whiteman at 814-871-7497 or at whiteman002@gannon.edu