For Immediate Release
PR2223-Battle of the Books
May 22, 2023

Glassboro Students Compete in Brainy, Book Battle!

Three Thomas E. Bowe Middle School teams faced off in the school’s first Battle of the Books for sixth-eighth graders. The in-person competition followed a quiz show format that challenged students to electronically submit answers to comprehension questions about the following books: Artemis Fowl, The Devil’s Arithmetic, The Time Machine, Touching Spirit Bear, and Uglies.

The Word Nerds (Sofia Dungca, Abigail Johns, Sophia Villone, Ellie Whitaker, and faculty advisor Lisa Rencher) placed first. Other teams included The Fast and Furious Readers (Alice Dinzeo, Anna Gredzinski, Alana Killelea, Olutumi Osinowo, and faculty advisor Vanessa Poggioli), and The Reading Warriors (Charles Grubaugh and faculty advisor Jordan Hess). Teacher Andrea LoCastro hosted the competition, which was attended by parents and Principal Craig Stephenson.

Students will now play a role in selecting their prizes!

The school hopes to expand the contest next year to include teams from other middle schools. While this was the first year that the school ran the competition as a middle school, Thomas E. Bowe School held the competition in prior years when it was a school for fourth-sixth graders. The school gained acclaim for a television broadcast of the program by Classroom Close-up, NJ in 2017.

Winning Team: The Word Nerds

The Fast and Furious Readers

The Reading Warriors