Ruffin Reading Bowl on its way

Valdosta State University will host the Southern Regional Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl at the Education Center on Saturday, March 19, from 10 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. The public is welcome to attend.

This is the university's first time hosting the competition. More than 150 students from fourth to 12th grade will be representing nine counties, including Berrien, Calhoun, Camden, Coffee, Chatham, Grady, Jones, Kingsland, and Richmond.

The quiz bowl is based on the Georgia Children's Book Award nominees. Winners of this competition will advance to the finals to be held during the Georgia Children's Literature Conference in Athens on April 30.

The event is sponsored by the Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl Committee, Department of Early Childhood and Reading, and Student Council of the International Reading Association.

"The faculty of the Early Childhood and Reading Department are excited about the event," said Dr. Sheryl Dasinger, Early Childhood and Reading Education Associate Professor. "The bowl is a really wonderful way to motivate children and young adults to read high quality literature. Not only do these students develop higher-level thinking skills, but they also advance on the road to becoming life-long readers and learners."

The Georgia Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl is open to students in grades four through 12 across the state. According to the bowl website, www.dekalb.k12.ga.us/hrrb/, Ruffin's vision for the competition was to have teams comprised of students from different schools compete to test their knowledge of the selected books.