In The News: Team poised to take Oregon Battle of the Books title

Written by: Gary Allen, Newberg Graphic 

Dundee Elementary School team Awesome Doritos will compete Saturday in the finals of the statewide contest

Students at Dundee Elementary School enjoy reading, so much so in fact that they have attracted attention for their acumen at a statewide level.

A four-member team of fourth grade students from the school, named the Awesome Doritos, won the 37-team regional Oregon Battle of the Books competition in mid-March and will progress on to state competition Saturday at Chemeketa Community College in Salem. They were among 12 teams of third- through fifth-grade students who competed to represent Dundee Elementary in the third year of the competition at the school.

The team of Josef Moisan, Ben Clodfelter, Donovan Milstead and Kota Yamamoto, coached by parent Stephanie Miller, were among the 37 teams from Yamhill, Benton, Lincoln and Polk counties to compete March 10 at McMinnville High School. The foursome's detailed book knowledge and teamwork earned them a spot in the state tournament, where they will compete against 23 teams from elementary schools across the state.

Fourth-grade teacher Rick Crocker organized the Battle of the Books competition at Dundee Elementary with the help of librarian Jill Johnson. Awesome Doritos won the school competition as third grade students in 2017 and earned 17th place in round robin competition at the regional meet that year (the top 16 teams advanced to the state finals.

"The goal coming back this year was to make the 'Sweet 16'," Crocker said. "I think many of them read most of the books twice and there are 16 books. And some of the questions are very detailed to a pretty silly level."

The Sweet 16 involves head-to-head competition to winnow the field to two teams, both advancing to state.

The competitive process is fairly simple: Teams of four (with one alternate) square off directly, answering two types of questions in reference to a 16-book reading list. Each battle consists of 16 questions, the first eight requiring players to name the book and author in which a certain circumstance takes place, followed by eight content questions.

Each correct answer earns a team points and if an incorrect answer is given, the opposing team has a chance to steal those points by answering correctly.

The Awesome Doritos were ranked sixth following the round robin competition in March, with the team from Joan Austin Elementary earning first-place honors. In fact, teams from Joan Austin, Edwards, Crater and Dundee competed in the Sweet 16, although only Dundee and Joan Austin advanced to the next round, called the Great 8.

"They actually got stronger as they went on," Corker said of the Dundee team. "The semifinal match they won by a very wide margin."

Awesome Doritos faced a team from Corvallis in the finals of the regional competition.

"They were very good, too, and it was closer (than previous contests), but it wasn't in doubt," Corker said. "Once they got to the final, it was relaxed because both teams had already earned their place at state."

Buerkle has in the past organized practice competitions, open to all schools, at the Newberg library, which has proven to be a boon to new and veteran teams alike.

"I think that has helped the local teams quite a bit," Corker said.

The proud coach praised the ethic of the Dundee team and its determination to represent Newberg well in the state finals.

"They did a great job," he said. "They were really determined to do it. They just buckled down and practiced with extra practice sessions at home. As soon as the regional competition was over, after school they've been getting together Mondays and Fridays to keep practicing."