Winning Battle of the Books — It was bound to happen
Book Club Wins Battle of the Books for the first time in seven years
Grinning, senior Addie Gleason and the president of Battle of the Books team, senior Elle Rotter holds up the trophy after winning. Rotter also competed last year, one of three returning members. “When I was holding the trophy, I saw it as a moment of reflection. We won for the first time, but it also gave me a moment to reflect on the friendships that I’ve made through this club. There’s a lot of people I don’t think I would have ever become friends with if I didn’t meet them through book club,” Rotter said.
Sitting around tables in the library, the Battle of the Books (BOTB) teams from all four Parkway schools and Rockwood Summit compete for a two-foot-tall trophy and the title of that year’s Battle of the Books Champion.
Seven years ago, the district librarians decided to have a Battle of the Books. The librarians choose 10 books from the Gateway Award winners and add some nonfiction books. Teams have all school year to read the 10 books and get ready to compete in April, where they will be asked 80 questions about the books. This is the first year West has ever won or hosted.
“I was so happy for them. I know they’ve worked so hard, put a lot of time and effort into it and were excited to have it at West for the first time. I also knew how much they’d work towards it, and it was just nice to see them accomplish their goal,” Librarian and West Battle of the Books sponsor Lauren Reush said.
Seniors Elle Rotter, Allie Toombs, Jackson Larson, Addie Gleason, juniors Emily Early, Cecile Wolters, sophomores Rose Loethen, Zoe Gleason, Izza Naig and freshman Ella Early were members of this year’s team. The team bonding experience was one of the best things to come of BOTB, Naig believes.
“I joined because I like reading, and reading has brought me closer to the people in Book Club. [My favorite parts of BOTB were] enjoying the experience with everyone. We related to the book[s] and just had a conversation with each other,” Naig said.
Ella Early believes that, despite being the only freshman and youngest one on the team, she wasn’t left out. Because she joined the club late, Ella Early contributed to the team by specializing in “The Inheritance Games” by Jennifer Lynn Barnes.
“It was more helpful to have quality [than] quantity. I learned a lot about one book, which made the answers easier [for me] than some people who read a little bit about each [book] and didn’t know all the answers [for one book]. And, I learned how to read a book in four days,” Ella Early said.
The group prepared for the competition by individually reading, making Quizlets, and having team meetings. They reviewed for a month before the competition.
“You can’t really win on your own. You have to rely on others [and] trust the people around you, and they can help you. I guess you always have people you can rely on and people that you can help,” Larson said.
Your donation will support the student journalists of Parkway West High School. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.
Pronouns: she/her
Grade: 10
Years on staff: 2
What was your favorite childhood TV show? Oomi Zoomi
What is your favorite book? I like...
Pronouns: she/her
Grade: 11
Years on staff: 3
What was your favorite childhood TV show? I was a big fan of Tom and Jerry and Word World.
What...
![DECA students (left) stand shoulder to shoulder, wearing their blazers. Meanwhile, band students (center) pose before “The Bean”and journalism students (right) show off an award from their conference in San Francisco. “It was a lot of fun because we were a small group, which meant we had a lot of say in decisions of where we eat and go to do stuff,” junior and DECA competitor Suraiya Saroar said. (graphic made by Claire Creely, photo by Kelly Kennedy [left], photo by Lacy Roberts [middle], and photo by Debra Klevens [right])](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-08-at-11.20.05-AM-240x150.png)
![Seniors Grace Fotheringham, Kelsea Wilson, Luisa DAquino Lazarini and Ibrahim Hacking pose together after attending Parkway’s Educators’ Signing Night. Students were encouraged to invite family, friends and teachers to watch. “Signing days are cute, and I never committed to a sport, so I never really thought I would have the opportunity. I’m excited that I [got] to be a part of a signing day for education. On signing night, it was wholesome to see everyone’s future plans and invite my family and teachers. It made me realize how important teaching is and how we need more teachers,” Wilson said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/image1-2-240x150.jpg)
![DECA students (left) stand shoulder to shoulder, wearing their blazers. Meanwhile, band students (center) pose before “The Bean”and journalism students (right) show off an award from their conference in San Francisco. “It was a lot of fun because we were a small group, which meant we had a lot of say in decisions of where we eat and go to do stuff,” junior and DECA competitor Suraiya Saroar said. (graphic made by Claire Creely, photo by Kelly Kennedy [left], photo by Lacy Roberts [middle], and photo by Debra Klevens [right])](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-08-at-11.20.05-AM-475x263.png)
![Seniors Grace Fotheringham, Kelsea Wilson, Luisa DAquino Lazarini and Ibrahim Hacking pose together after attending Parkway’s Educators’ Signing Night. Students were encouraged to invite family, friends and teachers to watch. “Signing days are cute, and I never committed to a sport, so I never really thought I would have the opportunity. I’m excited that I [got] to be a part of a signing day for education. On signing night, it was wholesome to see everyone’s future plans and invite my family and teachers. It made me realize how important teaching is and how we need more teachers,” Wilson said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/image1-2-475x317.jpg)
![Applying epoxy to a broken car bumper, freshman Ruthvi Tadakamalla assists a Southern Technical (South Tech) student in the Auto Collision Repair program. Forty freshmen registered to tour the campus and participate in hands-on experiences to give them a taste of South Tech programs. “I learned that there [are] other careers I could do besides pre-med. Before I went, I wasnt thinking that I might like them, but I did like doing a lot of the things that we did,” Tadakamalla said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Untitled-design-2-475x317.jpg)
![Parkway West Orchestra Students pose for a group picture outside the Grand Ole Opry. The Grand Ole Opry is an American country music stage that originally opened as a one-hour radio “barn dance” on WSM in 1925, and is the longest-running radio broadcast in U.S. history. “[Country music] is kind of a hit or miss for me,” junior Chloe Kallaos said, “I don’t like the beer, trucks, girls in tight jeans kind. But the woman destroy man country, I like that kind.”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/1000002867-475x356.jpg)
Emily Early • May 3, 2023 at 9:46 am
Great story, Grace!
Sally Steininger • May 3, 2023 at 9:42 am
Good Job, Guys!