On Wednesday, February 28, Hobbton Middle students won the Sampson County Schools’ Middle School District Battle of the Books competition. The team will now head to the Regional competition on Tuesday, April 9 at the Sampson County Expo Center in Clinton.
“All the coaches and their students are to be commended for their hard work, and for representing their schools so well,” states Jamie King, SCS Superintendent. “We wish the Hobbton team the very best as they advance to the regional competition.”
Sponsored by the North Carolina School Library Media Association, Battle of the Books is a quiz-bowl type competition, specifically designed for students in grades 6 through 8. Students at participating schools read books from a list established by the state Battle of the Books committee and then compete to test their knowledge of the books. This year’s book list consisted of 20 titles. It is worth noting that of all the students competing, two from the HMS winning team read all 20 books on the list; Johnathan Allen and Caroline Hollin.
The Hobbton Middle 2023-2024 team consists of Allison Aguilar, Johnathan Allen, Paige Britt, Brady Daughtry, Allie Evans, Ayden Fowler, Caroline Hollin, Analee Olivia Montes, Faylynn Simmons, Sophie Trujillo, and Oliver Beltran Zuniga. The team was coached by Sallie Warren (Head Coach) and Robin Baker (Assistant Coach).
This year, Union High School hosted the Battle of the Books competition with four teams and more than 40 students from area districts competing.
The other schools that participated in the competition include: Union Middle coming in 2nd place, Midway Middle coming in 3rd place, and Roseboro-Salemburg Middle coming in 4th place.
Union Middle’s team consisted of Alexander Alviar-Flores, Emily Brandt, Maya Brooks, Malani Burton, Jessi Escobar Reyes, Kaitlin Faison, Troy Greenway, Kayden McLaurin, Breionna Naylor, Jesus Ramirez Torres, and Emily Rivera. The team was coached by Debbie Malahias.
Midway Middle’s team consisted of Dani Boney, Isabella Bullard, Brenna Faircloth, Abby Jackson, Dylan Jackson, Sophie McQueen, Maria Mondragon, Ivey Kate Peterson, and Nathan Pope. The team was coached by Karen Kinlaw. 
Roseboro-Salemburg Middle’s team consisted of Ella Bartley, Ryder Faircloth, Tyson Faircloth, Ariel Faison, Delanie Fernandez, Alayna Gatlin, Olivia McDuffie, Elizabeth McLamb, Neli Rico, Burroughs Strickland, and Wallace Strickland. The team was coached by Catina Iverson (Head Coach) and Latoya Francis (Assistant Coach). 