RMMS takes third, shows big improvement

The Rocky Mountain Middle School Challenge of the Books team returned from its second competition ever with an impressive third-place trophy.

Assistant librarian Macy Jones said the experience highlighted both skill and teamwork.

“I enjoyed watching the middle school students put their reading skills to the test,” Jones said. “They did such a great job competing as a team and representing our school. It gives students who love to read the opportunity to showcase their smarts in a fun, competitive setting.”

This marks Rocky’s second year participating in the program, which has been around for about 20 years. After a long hiatus from competition, the district returned last year and finished sixth out of seven teams while learning the ropes.

This year showed significant growth.

Head coach Kelli Orr took over the program following the retirement of librarian Emily Simmons. Orr implemented two lunch practices per week and encouraged students to begin reading over the summer and early fall.

“It seemed to pay off,” Orr said. “We took third this year and beat out Lovell, Greybull and Burlington. We were calm, poised and confident.”

Students prepare by dividing up 12 selected books from the Indian Paintbrush and Soaring Eagle lists. Each student reads two to three titles, and the school library purchases multiple copies to ensure access.

Practices focus on detailed notes, plot summaries, character analysis and theme work. During competition, two teams face off and take turns identifying the book and author based on quoted material. Sometimes the clue is a full sentence. Other times it is a single word or even a sound, such as “Whoopa, whoopa, whoopa” or “schmew.” This year included two WWII-themed novels, requiring students to know the subtle differences between similar storylines.

This year’s team included captain Jasper Tippetts (8th), Kaylie Watts (8th), Brooklin Heron (8th), Stacia Tippetts (7th), Clair Mumford (7th), Gabe Walker (7th) and Canyon Weinand (6th). Veterans Jasper and Stacia Tippetts, Watts and Mumford competed last year.

Rocky scored 72 points in a strong opening round and finished with 274 total points.

Final standings were:

1st – Cody, 313 pts

2nd – Powell, 308 pts

3rd – Rocky, 274 pts

4th – Burlington, 251 pts

5th – Lovell, 226 pts

6th – Greybull, 195 pts

With a third-place finish in just its second year back in competition, Rocky’s Challenge of the Books team appears to be building strong momentum.