St. Margaret’s teams of grade 4 and grade 5 students took part in the 8th annual South Orange County Battle of the Books Tournament, with one of the Tartan teams placing third overall. 

 

Battles of the Books, or BOB, is a competition featuring head-to-head matchups with teams answering questions regarding details from books on a 20-title reading list, adding a competitive aspect to reading. Teams received points for answering with the correct title and the correct author.  

 

St. Margaret’s hosted the tournament in the Darcy Rice Center for the Arts. There were 23 Lower School students divided into three St. Margaret’s teams for the event. Joining St. Margaret’s were teams from TVT Community, Mission Basilica School, St. Edward the Confessor Parish School, St. Junipero Serra Catholic School, Olivewood Elementary School and Mission Vejo Chrisitan.

 

The students showcased their exemplary passion for reading books leading up to the tournament. “We’ve met every Tuesday after school to discuss the books and prepare for the competition. Our readers are a dedicated bunch with most of the students reading at least 10 books!” said Library teacher Darla Magana, who coaches the teams along with Lower School teachers Colleen Beshk and Lauren Johnson. Upper School student Ciara Robertson ‘24, who participated in the tournament years ago as a Lower School student, has been providing ongoing mentorship throughout her Upper School years.

 

Students in grades 4 and 5 have been reading and preparing for the Battle of the Books tournament since last summer, reading books on the list and reviewing key details from the books at BOB Club meetings throughout the school year.