Philipstown and Beacon libraries organizing for middle- and high school
Students are invited to join Battle of the Books teams organized by the Howland Public Library in Beacon and the Butterfield and Desmond-Fish libraries in Philipstown.
Butterfield/Desmond-Fish will have one team for students in grades 5 to 8 and another for students in grades 9 to 12. The Butterfield Library has had a middle-school team for 12 years and has won first place twice. The high school team has been competing for two years.
There are also two Beacon teams. One is open to students entering grades 6 to 9 in the fall and the other for students currently in grades 9 to 12.
Team members will read eight books throughout the spring and summer and meet weekly to practice and prepare to compete against other Mid-Hudson library teams and in the 13th annual regional battle.
For the Philipstown team, an informational meeting for grades 5 to 8 will be held on Feb. 15; a meeting for high school students is scheduled for March 15. Both start at 5 p.m. at Butterfield. Email Maureen McGrath at [email protected] for information.
Starting in June, the Beacon middle-school team will meet on Thursdays and the high school team on Tuesdays. Two All-Star teams will compete in the regional competition. (The Beacon Bees middle-school team was the regional champion in 2010, 2013 and 2015.) Middle-school students may sign up by emailing Ginny Figlia at [email protected] or calling 845-831-1134, ext. 103. High school students should email Michelle Rivas at [email protected] or call her at extension 101.
