The 23rd annual Newbery Quiz Bowl took place recently in the William Charles Lunalilo Facility on the Kamehameha Schools campus. Sixty students in grades 4-6 from 12 schools participated in the reading contest. The top four winners were: Holualoa (first place), Kahakai and Kealakehe Elementary (tied for second place), Konawaena Elementary (third place) and Waiakea Intermediate (fourth place.)
The 23rd annual Newbery Quiz Bowl took place recently in the William Charles Lunalilo Facility on the Kamehameha Schools campus. Sixty students in grades 4-6 from 12 schools participated in the reading contest. The top four winners were: Holualoa (first place), Kahakai and Kealakehe Elementary (tied for second place), Konawaena Elementary (third place) and Waiakea Intermediate (fourth place.)
Other schools that participated are: H.I.C.H.E. (Hawaii Island Christian Home Educators, Hilo Union Kalanianaole, Kamehameha, Kaumana, St. Joseph, and Waiakea Elementary.
The Newbery Quiz Bowl is the only reading contest of its kind in the state. According to Paula Kamiya and Julia Tao, the co-chairs of this event, the purpose of this quiz bowl is threefold: promoting the reading of Newbery Medal books, celebrating the joy of reading and providing a day of fun and games for all participants.
Kealakehe High School senior Brittany Denzer has many fond and happy memories of this reading contest in which she participated in fourth, fifth and sixth grades. As her senior project, she made a video documentary to publicize the contest.
In the introduction of her written proposal for the senior project, she wrote, “My love for reading truly blossomed when I participated in the Newbery Quiz Bowl. I believe my experience had a positive and significant effect on my academic, personal, and recreational life.”
A fifth-grader from Holualoa Elementary School, Hayley Emmons, said, “I will transfer to another school next year, and I am so worried that this school will not participate.”
Then, she cheered up and said, “I am going to try to convince the teacher and the librarian so that they will bring a team.”
Melinda Miquno, mother of Siena, a fifth-grader at Kaumana School, said, “This quiz bowl not only gives a great incentive to read the Newbery books but also builds character and the spirit of team work.” Paula Kamiya stated that year after year, the most quoted comment has always been, “Without this quiz bowl, my children or my students would not have read these quality books.”
Students who have been part of this quiz bowl enjoy the excitement of the competition but also like the cheers, the lucky numbers drawings, and the carnival games to win prizes. Each year, Big Island businesses make donations to the winners and lucky number drawings. It is a fun day for all people who come together to celebrate the joy and importance of reading the Newbery Medal Winners. The Newbery Medal is the most prestigious award given to an author of children’s literature each year since 1922 by the Association for Library Service to Children, a committee in the American Library Association.