Iredell-Statesville Schools School & Family Magazine May 2018 | Page 8

Battle of the Books
Hard Work and Perseverance Pays Off
Elementary students in Iredell-Statesville Schools
competed in the Battle of the Books Competition on
Thursday, March 15, 2018, at the Unity Center in
Statesville, North Carolina. Students prepare for this
competition throughout the year by reading 15 books
and then answering questions concerning the title,
author, the characters, and other minor details. If
you have never witnessed this competition, it is truly
something extraordinary. The way these students can
comprehend the smallest of details about a book is
astonishing.
For four 5th grade students at Celeste Henkel
Elementary School, this year’s competition was unlike
any others. These students lost the competition last
year but were determined to return for a different
outcome. Being a fifth-grade student, that would
mean this was their last year to compete in the
elementary competition.
“I felt like I wanted to make memories of my last
year here,” explained Lily Furry, 5th grader at Celeste
Henkel Elementary School.
Lilly’s teammate, Wyatt Weddington added, “I
6 Iredell-Statesville School & Family
wanted to come back to win.”
Students spent many hours preparing for the
competition which caused the anticipation to build
after each round as the competition advanced.
“After studying, we were just waiting for the results
and to see what was going to happen. We put a lot
of work into preparing,” stated Kelton Brahan, also a
member of the Celeste Henkel team.
Willow Evans added, “We spent hours at home
reading and I have constantly been reading a book a
day.”
After 15 rounds, where each school battled one
another, the competition was complete. Celeste
Henkel Elementary School had reached their goal.
They were named the Iredell-Statesville Schools
Champions! The team was so excited they jumped up
and down. They had put in the hard work but was just
not sure it was enough to win the tough competition.
Celeste Henkel’s Coach Jill Inscore spoke about the
challenges that their team encountered this season.