Merrimac Hosts Battle of the Books

Merrimac Elementary School hosted the Battle of the Books program last week.

The program has been in existence for over 70 years in other school districts and has proven to be very popular amongst students because it makes reading fun, challenging, and engaging and also gets parents and families involved in the reading and learning process.

The school sent a letter home with students listing 15 books that have were selected with regard to different reading levels and many were Newbery Award winners.  Students did not have to read all of the books, but the more they read, the better they did with the battles. Participation in the final battle was at the discretion of the classroom teachers.  

“The enthusiasm and excitement could be felt by all,” said building Principal Veronica DeCicco. “The aim of the Battle of the Books program is to support students in their love and discovery of reading by introducing them to quality literature, to offer books that build upon historical values and life experiences, and to develop friendships between students based on socialization, mutual respect and competition.”

For several weeks students geared up for the big day.

“Since the announcement of the battle, not a school day has gone by that a fifth grader didn’t come to the library to either return a battle book or check a new one out,” said Lisa Kolakowski, Merrimac’s school media specialist, who ran the program. “This program definitely increased readership and I was glad to see even the most reluctant readers make it so far in the competition. 

One grandmother, who is a retired reading teacher, in the audience said she thought this was an excellent way to get kids to read and that she wished they had this back when she was teaching.

Donna Greve, a teacher at Merrimac, said her students in the audience were actively engaged because they knew some of the books being discussed and could answer the questions themselves.