Battle of the Books Won By Saints

It was Bulldogs versus Saints in a battle for the ages that featured the first tie in recent history, an epic dance break, and a nailbiter of an overtime session.

The Battle of the Books, a famed tradition in the Lower School which transforms summer reading into a fun competition, presents students with the opportunity to flex their knowledge in a competition for the prize of bragging rights (and some candy). Lower School Librarian Mrs. Brostoff served as the planning extraordinaire and referee for the event.

Students from Form C through Form A packed the seats inside Trapier Theater and were rowdy from the start. Chants of “We’ve got Brockway” and “Let’s go, Bulldogs” reverberated through the aisles. The energy was palpable as the first question — a description of a book — was read.

The Saints, coached by Mr. Brockway (who donned angel wings and a halo), took the early lead following a stumble by Mr. Miller’s Bulldogs. From that point on, it was correct answer after correct answer. It seemed as if dozens of hands shot up for each question on both teams, and each successful answer was met with roaring applause and a sea of high-fives.

Following a dance break DJ’ed by Mr. Miller, both teams returned to their respective hot streaks until finally the Saints cracked when they could only name a partial title of a book. The Bulldogs successfully pounced on the opportunity, evening up the score as time expired.

As Mr. Brockway, Mr. Miller, and Mrs. Brostoff conferred, both teams waited with baited breath for their resolution. It was ultimately determined that a rapid fire final round would break the tie. Mr. Miller noted that it was the first tie in his years of competition.

Questions were flying from the podiums and correct answers were being returned with the same speed, as the battle began to threaten the probability of an on-time dismissal. With the prize on the line, students did not seem to be bothered. It was the Bulldogs who finally fumbled as the Saints held strong to take home the title.