.png)
The 2024 Barrow County School System Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl was held January 26, 2024 at the Center for Innovative Teaching with the following participating teams: Haymon-Morris Middle School, Bear Creek Middle School, Westside Middle School, Arts and Innovation Magnet School, Barrow Arts and Sciences Academy, and Winder-Barrow High School.
The competition consisted of six rounds of ten questions about the content of 10 Georgia Book Award Nominees for elementary & middle school students, while high school students were quizzed on the 20 Georgia Peach Teen Book Award Nominees. Points were tallied from each round and the teams below were recognized for their achievements.
Elementary Division
Champion: Austin Road Elementary School
Coaches: Crystal Thornton, Kimberly Kasama
Students: Porter Rockwell, Grace Gomez Saenz, Trey Reed, Ben Ellis, Leilan Rucker, Melanie Moreno, Matthew Gooch, Lane Henderson, Alex Willis, Addison Kitchens, Will Maynard, Navi Stone
Middle School Division
Champion: Haymon Morris Middle School
Coaches: Stephanie Conley, Christy Wilson, Brandi Pelphrey
Students: Jackie Jimenez, Akwasi Opoku, Brett Burch, Caleb Gajda, Asare Opoku, Claire Ellis, Mason Williams, Zelda Groeninger
2nd Place: Arts Innovation Magnet School
Coaches: Jenny Stockwell, Jonathan Berry
Students: Lily Wagner, Sarah Kate Gardner, Cady Libby, Brianna Dominguez, Abby Welborn, Ethan Jackson, Ava Austin, Samantha Couch, Ben Stockwell, Will Stockwell
3rd Place: Bear Creek Middle School
Coach: Kimberlee Zuber
Students: Rayn Mercado, Hailey Whorton, Liam McDade, Miranda Caudillo-Farias, Ulin Yane, Annabelle McDaniel, Marley Porter
4th Place: Westside Middle School
Coach: Megan Ryall
Student: Kailyn Myles, Leo Glenn, Makayla Doling, Parley Randall , Aster Casto, Emily Cruz, Paige Carreiro
High School Division
Champion: Barrow Arts and Science Academy
Coach: Amber Chandler
Students: Remy Leyva, Courtney Kimelman, Helena Cadavid, Soli Nebyou, Ariel Brooks, Kamdyn Aguilar, Sean Williams, Lizzy Buckingham, Kayden Padmore, Mckenzie Smith, Sydney Shadrick, Kathryn Leff
2nd Place: Winder Barrow High School
Coach: Maegan Holt
Students: Molly Huff, Natalie Mays, Harper Allen, Anslee Grzesik, Finley Krill
The top two teams from each division will compete at the Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl East Regional Competition on Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024 from 8:30 a.m. to Noon at Loganville High School. Should teams advance from the East Regional Competition, the State Competition will be held Saturday, March 3, 2024 during the Children’s Literature Conference virtually.
About the Reading Bowl
The Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl is a state competition that quizzes students on books from the current list of Georgia Children's Book Award nominees.