News

Foundation Students Compete in Archdiocesan Battle of the Books

Marist School participated for the first time in the Archdiocesan Battle of the Books reading competition on Thursday, May 9. The seventh grade championship team of Ruby Little ’24, Grace Maloney ’24, Sophia Pappadakis ’24, and Mariana Thomas ’24 represented Marist well competing against 10 other schools. 
Grace Maloney and Mariana Thomas are previous school champions from Notre Dame Academy and Our Lady of the Assumption, respectively, with Grace qualifying for the Archdiocesan championship four times and Mariana twice. The team is eager to compete next year to defend their school championship and try one last time for the Archdiocesan title before they move on to high school. Grace Maloney characterized her experience by saying, “We were excited to be the first team to represent Marist in the competition and look forward to the success of Marist teams in the years to come.”
 
Managed and coached by Marist School librarians and billed as a “team sport for book lovers,” Battle of the Books is a reading competition for the third through eighth grades open to all area Catholic schools, with over 300 students qualifying for the championship competition every year. At the beginning of the school year, seventh and eighth grade students form grade level teams of three or four students and read from a carefully selected list of books over the course of the school year. Marist School librarian Angela Williams explains, “By reading a combination of classic and modern works of fiction, nonfiction, biographies, historical novels, science fiction, and fantasy, students develop a deeper understanding of the human condition while expanding their understanding of the world around them.”
 
In April, Marist School’s library hosted a competition to determine which team would attend the Archdiocesan championship in early May. Two seventh grade teams competed for the school championship after school on April 24. The school champions won their title by one point in a heated battle with the team of Lulya Afeworki ’24, Claire Markwalter ’24, and Sarah Schmid ’24. With two weeks of final preparation before them, Ruby, Grace, Sophia, and Mariana continued to study their books in order to get ready for the Archdiocesan championship, where they would battle against seasoned veterans and returning champion teams like St. John the Evangelist of Hapeville and St. Catherine of Siena of Kennesaw. Queen of Angels in Roswell hosted the championship, and the 11 seventh grade teams packed the school cafeteria for their morning semi-final round of competition. Marist School’s team fought hard, but did not qualify for the afternoon championship. In the end, St. Thomas More of Decatur would defeat Queen of Angels 15-6 for the coveted seventh grade championship crown.
 
Foundations students interested in participating in Battle of the Books should visit the Marist School Battle of the Books Google site for more program information and the official reading list to start reading “BOB books” today!
 

Marist School

3790 Ashford Dunwoody Road, NE
Atlanta, GA 30319-1899
(770) 457-7201
An Independent Catholic School of the Marist Fathers and Brothers