Mayor Linda Johnson paid a visit to two Suffolk elementary schools March 7 to offer congratulations on their recent win at the Suffolk Public Library and Chesapeake Public Library’s Battle of the Books Final Battle, which took place on Feb. 25 at the Chesapeake Central Library.

The Northern Shores Elementary School team, “The Killer Bees,” took second place at the competition, followed closely by the team from Driver Elementary School, which took third place.

Semifinals were held in the morning on Feb. 25, with the intense final battle rounds in the afternoon. The battle for first place was not an easy win, going into three overtimes, and ultimately Great Bridge Intermediate won the spot. Chittum Elementary came in fourth place, and Butts Road Intermediate came in fifth. Approximately 150 people attended to cheer on the teams.

The Suffolk Public Library and Chesapeake Public Library partnered up to bring this game-show style reading competition to fifth-grade students in the two cities. Registration began in the fall of 2016, and the preliminary competitions took place throughout the month of February, leading up to the final battle. Competitions were facilitated by library and school staff.

Overall, students were excited and used their teamwork skills to compete and answer questions. Chesapeake had participation from 15 schools. Suffolk had participation from nine out of the 11 elementary schools. Twenty-four teams moved on to the Southside Battle of the Books final competition for a chance to win prizes, including bragging rights and a trophy for their school.

To learn more about Battle of the Books and the list of books selected for 2017, visit southsidebob.com.