BATTLE ON

MAT-SU — It wasn’t the Super Bowl, but hundreds of Mat-Su School District students felt the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat last weekend during the annual Battle of the Books tournament at Machetanz Elementary. Teams from as far away as Trapper Creek and Glacier View made the early morning drive to determine who would become the district’s reading champions and go on to compete at the statewide battle competition.

“It was great to see our gym packed with students to celebrate reading,” said Machetanz principal Tom Lytle. “Parents, students and librarians should be commended for their efforts in joining together to highlight the importance of reading.”

Throughout the year, school librarians work with thousands of students training them to be better readers.

“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 battle coordinator Shelly Logsdon. “We believe that reading should be fun and the Battle of the Books program is one way librarians have committed to share their love of reading with all of our students.”

During the opening ceremonies, Superintendant Kenneth Burnley described how he was once challenged by a student to read 21 books over the summer.

“I fell a little short that summer, I was only able to read 20 books,” Burnley said. “But it is important to have challenges in our lives.”

For the youngest competitor, second-grader Wyatt Hrneir, just making it to the tournament was challenging enough. Suffering from a severe cold and having to travel from Glacier View, Hrneir also had to face many four-person teams all by himself.

“My son had a great time and can’t wait until next year,” said his mother, Dorothy Hrneir. “He is going to try to get maybe just one friend to read the books too so they can at least have a two-person team.”

Midnight Sun won the 3/4 battle, but a strong Cottonwood team forced Midnight Sun to dig deep before leaving with first-place ribbons. When asked what their secret is, 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.”

Battle of the Books is a statewide 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.

Battle of the Books Winners

High School: 1st Colony – Alyssa Harrison, Amy Roy, Kevin Williams; 2nd Career and Technical – Brianna Burgess, Molly Matlock, Megan Thistle, Sophie Harris; 3rd Su-Valley – Hannah Starbuck, Jason Ellis, Joey Mularkey, B.Z. Watkins.

7th/8th grade: 1st Academy – Senia Walton, Rebekah Watkins, Kharissa Chasse, Kailie Ivacic; 2nd Teeland – Ariel Hasse, Kali McCafferty, Jamie Schwantes; 3rd Midnight Sun - Delaney Wells, Jonah Koonce, Tommy Edwards.

5th/6th grade: 1st Palmer Junior Middle – Reese Qualls, Quintin Hansen, Kayla Torgeson, Kimber McDowell; 2nd Colony Middle – Lunia Oriol, Jessica Rentz, Cathelyne Powers, Morgan Swihart; 3rd Academy Charter – Mary Wright, Lily Wolfmeier, Caitlin Prichett, Eva Venema.

3rd/4th grade: 1st Midnight Sun – Thane Peterson, Lexi Burris, Lacey Hayes, Audrey Gillespie; 2nd Cottonwood – Thomas Haase, Zachery Worden, Hudson Spillers, Nikolas Nygard; 3rd Pioneer Peak – Sullivan Menard, Shannon Powers, Cameron McKnight, Hailee Mouch.