BROOKHAVEN—Students at St. John the Evangelist School were the top winners at the Archdiocesan Battle of the Books competition.  

The Marist School hosted the contest on Thursday, March 20.   

The Hapeville school earned four awards— including three blue ribbons.  

The Battle of the Books engages students across grade levels in a dynamic atmosphere centered around reading. Each grade reads a set list of books, from 24 titles for younger students to 16 for older ones. Teams of three to four students face off in a literary version of Jeopardy! Teams have 30 seconds for the captain to provide the exact book title, while opposing teams have the chance to “steal” if an answer is incorrect.  

Angela Williams, the librarian and textbook coordinator at Marist School, said 284 students from 16 schools competed. All winning teams received medals and books, while the championship team earned an engraved plaque to display at their school.  

For grade three, the winner was St. Jude the Apostle School, with St. Joseph School, Marietta, taking second place. In grade four, St. Jude the Apostle School emerged victorious, followed by St. John the Evangelist School in second place. The grade five competition saw St. John the Evangelist School as the winner, with Our Lady of the Assumption School coming in second. St. John the Evangelist School won the grade six category, with St. Catherine of Siena School securing second place. For grade seven, St. John the Evangelist School claimed first place, while St. Thomas More School finished in second. In grade eight, Holy Redeemer School took the top spot, with St. John Neumann Regional School as the runner-up.