Students showcase reading teams at Battle of the Books before district board

Students from across the district presented their Battle of the Books teams and reading experiences to the Albany County School District #1 Board of Trustees at the boards May 6 work session.

Madam chair introduced several grade-band teams before librarians and student speakers described the program. The district librarian explained the format: teams read a set list of eight books and answer detailed questions by title and author. "There's a lot of paying attention to detail," the librarian said, citing questions that ask, for example, "which book, who was wearing a red shirt on a Thursday."

Students thanked coaches and staff and named favorite books. "I was the speaker for the Battle of the Books team this year, and I just really wanna thank Miss Hirschkopf so much because this has been a really awesome season," said Paisley Witkoff, a student representative. Other students described how the competition expanded their reading: "Because of Battle of Books, I actually went on to read the entire series," one student said.

Coaches and librarians described the selection process: one coach said the school started with about 45 students and narrowed the group to five competitors and an alternate, praising students for their commitment to reading and practice outside of school. The board and staff applauded the students and their shirts; librarians noted they used a student-friendly design created this year.

The presentations were part of the boards scheduled public engagement items. The board moved on to a budget overview after congratulating the students.