Westerville South High School’s (WSHS) Battle of the Books team on April 15, 2020, competed as one of 14 teams for the Ohio Captial Conference area of central Ohio. Held annually, the competition asks students on each school team to read 25 books and then compete against other teams in fast-paced, question/answer-style rounds that give them an opportunity to display their knowledge about the books they have read. It is always an intense, but friendly, competition.
This year, due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, schools had already transitioned to online instruction. Organizers of the Battle of the Books competition did not want to disappoint anyone, including the seniors. The organizers worked hard to develop a virtual competition, and though this new approach brought with it new challenges (including 6 ½ hours of competition), WSHS rose to the task and came out on top.
The members of the WSHS 2020 Battle of the Books Team are: Syndey Laluzerne (captain), Molly Bobel, Sam Davenport, Simone Gorman, Dahlia Mahmoud, Daniel Murry, Alia O’Brien, and Kaitlin Reynolds.