Battle of books won by all

Celebrating the 20th anniversary of Battle of the Books, 400 students, parents and librarians gathered at Pioneer Peak Elementary to determine who would become the Mat-Su School District reading champions and go on to represent the district at the statewide battle.

"It is wonderful to see our parking lot overflowing with vehicles on a Saturday morning," said Pioneer Peak principal Patrick Mayer. "Parents, students and librarians should be commended for their efforts in joining together to highlight the importance of reading."

Midnight Sun won the 3/4 battle, but a strong Pioneer Peak team forced them to dig deep and answer six tiebreaker questions before leaving with the first place ribbons. When asked what their secret was, Midnight Sun coach Jeanne Troshynski said, "we play a lot of games, eat food and just have fun looking at the events and characters of the stories we read. These kids learn to look and understand books in a fun and enjoyable way."

As a special treat this year the Mat-Su school librarians banded together to bring noted author Ben Mikaelsen up from Bozeman, Mont., for a five day visit of area schools. Mikaelsen's books "Countdown" and "Touching Spirit Bear" are two books featured in the battle this year. He inspired hundreds of Mat-Su students to enjoy reading, writing and life.

"I thought he was going to be old and boring, but he was really hilarious," said Meadow Lakes fifth-grader Emily Hammond.

Battle of the Books is a statewide Alaska reading motivation and comprehension program. The original idea came from a radio program sponsored by Chicago Public Library in the early 1940s, and was brought to Kodiak by a Chicago librarian. At present nearly every Alaska school district and many from out of state participate in the annual event.

"Our goal is to encourage and recognize students who enjoy reading, broaden reading interests, increase reading comprehension, and promote academic excellence," said Mat-Su librarian and state coordinator Shelly Logsdon. "We believe that reading should be fun and the Battle of the Books program is one way librarians and teachers have committed to share their love of reading with all of our students."

District winners include:

High School: First: Su-Valley High School -- Willow Grosz, Melissa Ostermick, Geneva Randles and Evia Arsenaut; Second: Wasilla High School -- Jessa Joehnk, Lisa Hampton, Sara Rosevear and Tyler Watts; Third: Colony High School -- Brittany Maresh, Brianna Akens and Cody Sherman.

7/8: First: Midnight Sun -- Rohn Buser, Kevin Kramer and Jimmy Cogan; Second: Teeland Middle School -- Jenna Wright, Cindy York, Moniqueka Fuller and Kenna Bushey.

5/6: First: Palmer Junior Middle School -- Kimberly Del Frate, Heather Ferreira, Austin Mahan and Dani Gifford; Second: Goose Bay Elementary -- Nathan Schnider, Amber Curry, Chad Cawan and Briggham Perez; Third: Midnight Sun -- Robyn Hall, Sara Cannon, Megan Kramer and Jacob Weinstein.

3/4: First: Midnight Sun -- Tyler Larimer, Claire Gillespie, Paige Wagner and Seth Keller; Second: Pioneer Peak -- Casey Branch, Eva Colberg, Audrey Michaelson and Taylor Cottingharn; Third: Butte Elementary -- Kaden Weaver, Brittni Rutledge, Lily Cullers and Taryn Davis; Fourth: Willow Elementary -- Ben Minturn, Jordan Hermann, James Davenport and Lane Putas.