Local middle school gears up for literacy battle

WELDON — The scene inside the Weldon Middle School library called to mind a recent series of now-famous MasterCard commercials: Black Beauty: $1.99. Romeo and Juliet: $2.50. Learning to read: Priceless.

Tables spilling over with books of every description filled the spaces between library shelves yesterday as the school kicked off the third day of its annual Scholastic Book Fair. The event, which continues through 3 p.m. today, provides a variety of books specifically selected to appeal to middle school students. This year, the school is offering students a special buy one, get one free deal on all available titles.

Beyond the tables in a far corner of the library, a group of students huddled around a table, pouring over books and going over questions with Librarian Pamela Perry. This year, Perry is doing double duty as the coach for the school’s Battle of the Books team, which will be competing against other Halifax County middle schools on Tuesday, May 5, at the Halifax County Library.

Seventh-grader Breanna Campbell explained that students chosen for the team were required to read 27 books, ranging from history to classic literature, which they will be questioned on during the Battle of the Books. The teams are also required to come up with their own questions, which will be submitted to the judges for inclusion in the competition.

Campbell, who said her favorite books are “mysteries and funny books that make me laugh,” listed several titles, including “Deeper” and “Black is the New Color” as among books the group recently read for the contest, while teammate Ihsaana Brown said she especially enjoyed “Romeo and Juliet. A lot of the books we read are kind of sad; a lot of them involve death,” she stated.

Tara Everett said she’s confident her team will represent the school with honor this year. “We’re going to come in first,” she said to her teammates. When the prospect of a post-battle dinner was mentioned, Everett laughed, adding, “If we don’t bring home the trophy, at least we’ll bring home some pizza.”

“This is a lot of fun,” stated Cambell. “We were all chosen for this. We have a good time in the meetings and we get to compete against one another.”

“Plus,” said Brown, “this will look good on my college resume.”

Librarian Perry beamed as she listened to the students discussing their preparation. With illiteracy rates in Halifax County hovering around the 27 percent mark, Perry understands the key to her student’s future success lies in education, with reading skills playing an increasingly crucial role. “This is very important. It really helps them to get involved with reading. It also prepares them for later in life; this is a competitive world.”

As she gathered the students for another round of study, Perry summed up the spirit of the school’s drive toward literacy. “We offered the buy one, get one free deal because of the state of the economy. You can’t put a price on reading.”