After an intense competition, Glenkirk Elementary School emerged victorious, taking the top spot at this year’s Battle of the Books competition. The event at the Hylton Performing Arts Center featured fourth and fifth-grade students from Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) demonstrating their literary knowledge and teamwork. Belmont Elementary School achieved second place, while Ashland Elementary School attained third place.

The Battle of the Books is a dynamic program designed to ignite a passion for reading and enhance literacy skills among young students. By engaging in friendly competition, the program encourages students to explore various genres and authors, fostering a lifelong love of literature.

Participating schools form teams of fourth and fifth grade students who discuss and answer questions about an assigned list of books they have all read. This not only improves comprehension and critical thinking but also builds teamwork and communication skills. The journey to the final round of the competition is rigorous and exciting. Participating elementary schools kick off the competition with a series of semi-final rounds organized into clusters.

This year, four semi-final cluster rounds were held, each with up to 12 schools. The top three teams from each cluster advanced to the final round, where 12 schools competed in the championship.

After 10 rounds, three teams tied and went into tiebreakers. Glenkirk Elementary School won after seven rounds. Congratulations to all participants for their hard work.