Students compete in Phila. Reading Olympics

The children were ready for the questions. They had spent weeks plowing through 20 books, and now it was time to show off what they knew.

In the children's book Bluish, by Virginia Hamilton, what does the main character, Natalie, make as a present for her friends?

Mimi Gentile, 11, leaned over her desk and whispered the answer to her classmate Janae Isaacs.

Besides being fifth graders at Stella Maris Elementary School, in the 800 block of Bigler Street, the girls had this in common: They were teammates with six others in the fifth annual Philadelphia Reading Olympics.

The citywide event, held during the last two weeks and ending Friday, involved more than 2,000 students on 154 teams from elementary and middle schools. Teams are awarded a ribbon based on the number of points they accumulate - blue, red, or green, respectively.

"In Bluish, Natalie makes hats as gifts for her classmates," said Janae, her team's captain, earning her team, the Stella Stars, a point closer to a red ribbon.

On Wednesday, 21 teams set up in classrooms in Community College of Philadelphia's Winnet Student Life Building. The teams were made up of fourth to sixth graders from public, parochial, and charter schools, and they were being quizzed on the same questions.

The Reading Olympics was coordinated by Philadelphia Reads, the Free Library of Philadelphia, the School District of Philadelphia, and the city.

The mission was to foster a love for reading in fourth to eighth graders, said Bonnie Stone, director of Philadelphia Reads.

"The Reading Olympics is about getting kids hooked on reading and bringing the community together to celebrate our students' accomplishments," Stone said. "We so often only hear the bad things about our schools - about how testing levels are dropping - how about we focus on the great things these kids are doing."

Stone is among the committee members who read and select the 40 books: 20 for grades four to six and 20 for seventh and eighth graders.

She said the students learned other skills by participating in the Reading Olympics, including teamwork, comprehension, and knowledge about the world.

"We choose the books based on their genre and plot," she said. "We look for multicultural books to represent Philadelphia kids."

The book titles vary from The Warriors, a realistic work of fiction, to Shakespeare's Secret, a mystery, Stone said.

Kareema Waliyud-Din, 10, a fourth grader at McDaniel School, in the 1800 block of South 22d Street, said she was never concerned about whether her team was winning or losing. She especially enjoyed making friends and playing the game.

"We would practice for the event during lunchtime and after school with our coach," she said.

The coaches are school employees such as teachers and librarians. Many of the students also read at home and went over sample comprehension questions with their parents.

Charlie McKenna, 9, a fourth grader at the Christopher Columbus Charter School in the 1200 block of South 13th Street, said he read all the time.

"Sometimes at home, sometime at school, whenever I had a minute," Charlie said.

He said he would not stop reading after the competition.

"I'll be back next year," he said.

Stone said there were no losers in the Reading Olympics.

"Getting here makes them a winner in itself," she said. "They read the books."

Stella Maris team coach Paula Zuzulock, a teacher, said her team's red ribbon represented the students' eagerness and determination.

"It was all fueled by the kids," she said. "They worked hard for it."

Zuzulock said Stella Maris was closing at the end of this school year because of low enrollment, and that this event was a proud way to say goodbye.

"We went out with a bang," she said.