Students at Columbia Vista Intermediate and McNary Heights Elementary recently participated in their school Oregon Battle of the Books (OBOB) competitions after months of reading and preparation with their teams.
Oregon Battle of the Books is a statewide reading program that encourages students to read a variety of books and work collaboratively as a team. Students form teams of up to four members, choose a team name, and may also select an alternate. Teams read from an official list of titles and decide how they want to approach the reading–some divide the books among teammates while others choose to read them all.
Schools then hold quiz style battles where teams compete against each other by answering questions about the books. Battles are run in a double-elimination format, meaning a team is eliminated after losing two matches. Teams continue competing until one final team remains and they advance to regionals to represent the school.
At Columbia Vista Intermediate, students competed in two divisions, a 3rd-5th grade division and a 6th grade division. The following teams were the top three in each division.
3rd-5th Grade Division:
Champions: Kitty Club
2nd Place: The Novelists
3rd Place: Pipi Kiwi
6th Grade Division:
Champions: Rainbow Mambas
2nd Place: Los Primos
3rd Place: The Shark Employees
The following teams placed in the top three for McNary Heights Elementary:
Champions: Team Ice Cream
2nd Place: Team Wolves
3rd Place: Soda Pop
The 6th grade team, Rainbow Mambas, from Columbia Vista Intermediate, along with Clara Brownell Middle School’s team, The Bookworms, advanced to the regional competition on March 7 in Baker City. The champions in the 3rd–5th grade division from McNary Heights Elementary and Columbia Vista Intermediate—Kitty Club and Team Ice Cream—will compete at regionals on March 14 in Baker City.