For the third year in a row, students from Grassland Middle are the winners of the Battle of the Books.
Grassland Middle’s team once again earned a perfect score during the virtual competition May 11, which included 10 Williamson County middle schools. Students were quizzed about several books, including New Kid by Jerry Craft and Door to the Lost by Jaleigh Johnson. Teams of up to eight students worked together to answer questions.
“For the past three years, Battle of the Books has been an integral part of my life,” said GMS student Rinaz Jamal. “I really enjoyed bonding with so many amazing people, and I’m thrilled to have this year culminate in a victory. We’re extremely grateful to our coaches and couldn’t have done this without them.”
Page, Sunset and Woodland middle schools all tied for second place. Mill Creek Middle placed third. Brentwood, Fairview, Heritage, Legacy and Spring Station middle schools also participated.
“In a difficult school year when some students are languishing due to things not being normal, students in Williamson County are finding ways to flourish,” said GMS teacher Sandy Williams. “Battle of the Books is one such avenue. More than 60 students took hold of an opportunity to read and build relationships with their peers. Being able to compete virtually showed each school that they are not alone. Their commitment to excellence will serve them well into the future.”
The event was supported and moderated by the Brentwood Public Library. The students who participated in this year’s competition are listed below.
Brentwood Middle
- Andy Gan
- Cole Hawkins
- Todd Glenn
- Gracelyn Bohrer
- Wylie Donald
- Carolyn Fetherling
- Audrey Yu
- Katelyn Verni
Fairview Middle
- Jack Rood
- Landon Davis
- Evan Cockrell
- Riley Hicks
- Miles Jones
- Chesney Rhodes
Grassland Middle
- Bhavesh Bhavanam
- Madeline Carrico
- Rinaz Jamal
- Emeline Lasseter
- Andrew Murphy
- Gavin Murphy
- Lydia Smith
- Dora Taheri
- Elizabeth Sessions (alternate)
- Brighton Veale (alternate)
Heritage Middle
- Catalina Martinez
- Edwin Chen
- Mazz Payne
Legacy Middle
- Quinn Kirby
- Chloe Hollis
- Ella Seymour
- Kate Seymour
- Maddox Sharpe
- Sydney Rivers
Mill Creek Middle
- Avery Rhea Montpool
- Jacob Gray
- Lily Shroeder
- Tina Manoj
- Josh Naylor
Page Middle
- Gautham Giri
- Abby Karp
- Ellie Kimble
- Charlene Koilraja
- Regan Lanigan
- Aryan Pokal
- Pooja Potharaju
- Olivia Reese
- Sophia DeBoer (alternate)
Spring Station Middle
- Missy Hoggard
- Nate Hoggard
- Madeleine Russ
- Austin Russ
- Aidan Russ
- Lilly Miller
- Asher Brown
- Evan Schmid
Sunset Middle
- Sam Baldwin
- Shruti Chakraborty
- Mary Mueller
- Ishitha Nakka
- Jonathan Okokhere
- Caroline Renegar
- Victor Superi
- Rebecca Fenlon (alternate)
- Jack Presegaard (alternate)
Woodland Middle
- Auburn Hill
- Katie Fei
- Varun Kilaru
- Akhila Chinta
- Anika Pandey
- Aarush Tiyyagura
- Prithvi Patel
- Varishini Mohan
