County Schools Shine Again in Reading Bowl Competition

Students in Pickens County once again love to read and compete!

Teams of exemplary readers from Harmony Elementary, Tate Elementary, Jasper Middle, Pickens County Middle, and Pickens High participated on March 3, 2007, in the highly competitive North Georgia Regional Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl in Carrollton, Georgia. There were many teams representing both large and small public and private schools from north Georgia participated.

Our students in the elementary and middle school divisions raced other teams in their divisions to answer very specific details about the 20 chapter books nominated for this year’s Georgia Book Award. The team from Pickens High School competed against other high school teams to correctly answer questions based on the 20 chapter books on the Georgia Peach Award list (high school titles). Students read all year long in preparation for this competition.

Congratulations goes to Jasper Middle School as they placed third in the middle school competition. Pickens High School placed third in the high school competition. Harmony Elementary placed 4th in the elementary division in their first visit to the competition.

An academic bowl of this magnitude that involves so many schools also required hundreds of adult volunteers to serve as moderators, timers, and score keepers. Pickens County Reading Council (PCRC) did its part to support this regional competition. PCRC members who are media specialists and teachers in our school system served as the coaches of our county teams.

This annual competition is sponsored by the Georgia Library Media Association, the Georgia Associations of Educators, the University of Georgia, and many book companies to promote the love of reading.

Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl