Legends of the Library: Monsignor Leo Cleary CES students take bronze at Battle of the Books competition

Apr. 11, 2025

It was a well-earned third place finish for Monsignor Leo Cleary Catholic Elementary School at the annual Battle of the Books competition.

The team of six intermediate students took on other schools across the region in the book-based trivia event.

“Battle of the Books was a fun, interactive, competitive and overall amazing experience,” said Samuel Bentley, Grade 7 student. “The team said that they hoped our school would do it next year, since it was such a welcome and exciting experience. This was, of course, thanks to our amazing coaches Mrs. Chase and Mrs. Shalapata who created a nurturing and electric environment.”

“It was very exciting to see our team participate in the Battle of the Books Competition this year. It is the first year that our school participated in this event,” said Ian Kruis, Principal. “Mrs. Shalapata was a guest Learning Commons Specialist for the first part of the year and we are grateful that she initiated the idea. Our friends at the Clarington Public Library commended the MLC team for their efforts for finishing third overall.”

Battle of the Books features teams competing in Junior level (Grades 4 to 6) and Intermediate level (Grades 7 and 8) testing their knowledge of a set reading list.

The trivia questions came from books from a set list of titles under several genres including contemporary, family, fantasy, favourites, and historical.

“We are all very proud of the students for their commitment to reading and challenging each other,” Kruis said. “GREAT Teamwork – Congratulations!”