National English Honor Society hosted its 11th annual Battle of the Books competition on Nov. 3 from 3:30-5 p.m. Freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors all gathered around in the T-building multipurpose room to support their classes and anticipate this year’s victor.  

Advisor of NEHS, Ms. Tonatzin Rodriguez, shares her memorable moments with Battle of the Books.

“Seeing all the classes come together and seeing what they’re capable of outside the classroom is something I enjoy the most,” said Rodriguez. “This is 100 percent them” and “it’s truly a student ran activity,”.

Students from each grade shared one laptop as they prepared to play team Kahoot, where the questions streamed live in the room. The senior class was represented by Derrick Han, Phoung Ho, Johnny Su, Katelyn Lu, and advisor Mr. Paul Gordon. The junior class was represented by Mili Patel, Jillian Lam, Isabella Sanchez, Maya Reyes, and advisor Dr. Charles Park. The sophomore class was represented by Danielle Alvarez, Alyssa Ing, Zoe Brink, Kristina Fuentes, and advisor Ms. Caroline Gonzalez-Boix. The freshman class was represented by Melinda Lim, Katelyn Zhou, Hannah Troung, Lily Zhuang, and advisor Ms. Cecelia Lopez.

Senior advisor Gordon described his experience alongside the senior team as full of energy.

“I feel as excited with them, I definitely feel like a student because they read more than I do, so I’m looking at them for answers, so it’s kind of like a role reversal,” Gordon said.

The categories were as follows: the first round consisted of banned books, crime/horror, children’s books, Greek mythology, and best sellers of 2022. The second round covered book-tok, books turned into movies, famous lines, poems, and a final jeopardy question that determined the final winner.

During the first round of 55 questions, which counted as regular points, seniors ended with a total of 33,435 points, juniors with 32,340 points, sophomores with 30,055 points, and freshmen with 23,406 points. Seniors ultimately won round one scoring the most points. 

The tension continued as the event commenced its second round with double jeopardy. With doubled points and stakes, anticipation for answers for each question skyrocketed among the teams and audience.

The second round, which included 55 questions, concluded with the results of juniors in first place with 74,780 points, seniors in second place with 72,187 points, sophomores in third place with 68,946 points, and freshmen in fourth place with 59,905 points. 

However, these results were not finalized as classes and audiences awaited the final jeopardy question. This would determine which teams could bet to win or lose the maximum amount of points they had. The final question asked “In what novel does Oscar Wilde tell the tale of a “perfect” man’s moral corruption and downfall?” to which only seniors and sophomores answered correctly. 

The class of 2023 seniors, who bet and won back doubled all their points, won the 11th annual Battle of the Books with the prize of 500 spirit points for the second year in a row. The sophomores placed second, the freshman placed third, and the juniors placed fourth. 

Member of the senior team, Derrick Han, shares advice for future classes participating in Battle of the Books. 

“The best advice that I could give is to go with your gut, do not second guess yourself cause in the end you’ll know the answer, just go with it. Be confident,” Han said.

All classes presented their full effort and spirit in each and every question. Cheers for each class overflowed the room, heard from the entire T-building, concluding another unforgettable Battle of the Books.