Students in city of Philadelphia to gear up for Reading Olympics

Published: 2006-01-13

PHILADELPHIA (CNS) -- Not every Olympic-size competition needs a stadium. This year students in the city of Philadelphia will be able to participate in a such a contest without leaving the comforts of home. They'll compete in the Reading Olympics, a student reading program that will take place citywide for the first time in 2006. The program is a partnership of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, the Free Library of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Reads project and the School District of Philadelphia. Children in grades four through six form teams at their school (public, parochial or private), public library, after-school program or youth group. They agree to read several books from a list of 20 titles compiled by local educators and librarians. The first 100 teams to register will participate in the competition, which will take place at various locations throughout the city in May. During the competition, the teams must answer three rounds of 20 questions about the books posed by volunteer teachers and librarians. The teams win points for each correct answer.

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