Every year, a reading competition takes place at Seton Hill, and Greater Latrobe has been participating in it for years. Around 30 schools in the area, including Kiski, Southmoreland, and Norwin, gather to compete and share a likeness for reading.
Every school that participates in this competition gets a list of 30 books chosen by librarians in the county. Between everyone on the student team, all 30 books have to be read. Each student must read at least five books, anto pick ones that the others haven’t read to ensure that they cover everything. Every March, a competition is held at Seton Hill University. Every high school participating will group off into two teams. There are four rounds and in each round a judge asks 30 questions, alternating between the two teams. The team captain, this year is Sarah Balega, is the only one allowed to answer the questions. At the end of the four rounds, they recognize the highest-scoring teams. The number one team then takes a plaque.
Some titles stick around for a couple of years, but most are changed yearly to ensure the currency of the novels and make sure they’re entertaining for teens. “The titles on the books are mostly fiction but there are a good number of non-fiction books as well,” says team leader, Mrs. Mamaril.
As far as preparing for the competition, each team member is required to come up with five practice questions based on the book that they read.
The reading competition is a good opportunity because of the reading benefits, like growing as a reader and strengthening comprehension and vocabulary. “They’re also going to learn something about whatever subject is in the book, even if it’s fiction,” says Ms. Mamaril. “There’s also the less obvious element of the collaboration and teamwork.”
So far Greater Latrobe has always placed in the top five but never won a competition. This year, they placed first in all four rounds in the one-on-one team rounds and earned 5th place overall.
