Lawton Public Schools have Battle of the Books

The Freedom Elementary School auditorium was filled with competitors, classes and families on March 15 for Lawton Public School’s (LPS) annual Battle of the Books.

Battle of the Books highlights several books the students have read throughout the year. All 15 LPS elementary schools brought teams of three students each. Contest coordinator and Freedom Elementary teacher Brooke Rooney said passages are taken from the books and students have to identify what book the excerpts come from.

“Essentially, it extends a little further than comprehension itself, as Battle of the Books focuses on quotations from every book,” Rooney said. “So while a lot of the quotations provide backstories or details about the plot or characters, a lot of times, it’s dialogue that’s excerpted. That forces the kids as readers to not only understand what’s going on in the book, but to understand well enough to be able to identify what each character is saying and which book they belong to.”

After a competitive four-team tiebreaker round, Alex LaSorsa, Isabella LaSorsa and Charlie Price of Pat Henry Elementary’s Nature Wolves Team earned their first place finish.

“I read every book for this three times,” Charlie said. “I’ve also wanted to win this, and I love to win! And I wanted to prove that girls can do everything 10 times better.”

In second place was Hugh Bish Elementary School’s Mighty Knights Team, consisting of Gabriella Gomez, Ethan Razo and Angel Garcia. Melanie Oquendo, Samantha Vazquez and Jake Mansel of Carriage Hills Elementary School’s Fiction Addiction Team took third place.