Students in grades kindergarten through fifth grade shared their love of reading during the 8th annual Battle of the Bluebonnets Competition & Bash Feb. 24 at the Technology Services Center.
Students representing every feeder area in the Socorro Independent School District competed in the annual event, where they were treated to author readings, participated in activities, such as exchanging handmade keepsakes based on the books they read, and eventually battled it out in the highly anticipated Bluebonnets contest.
The winner of this year’s Battle of the Bluebonnets was the John Drugan School team.
Each student on the team had to read five of 20 books from the 2022-2023 Texas Bluebonnet list in order to participate. The Bluebonnet list is 20 books nominated for the annual Texas Bluebonnet Award. Students across Texas vote for their favorite title and the book with the most votes wins the coveted award.
In addition, students across the state are selected to help with the Bluebonnet award presentation. Escontrias STEAM Academy fifth-grade student Elker Saldana, who participated in this year’s SISD Battle of the Bluebonnets, will represent SISD at the Texas Library Association annual conference in April. He will be one of ten students from across Texas to present the Texas Bluebonnet Award to the winning author.
Marcy Sparks, SISD Library Services coordinator, said every year SISD students enjoy the competition, learning, and fun at the SISD Bluebonnet activities. She said the Battle of the Bluebonnets and Bash is a daylong celebration of reading.
“One of the things we love about Bluebonnets, and reading in general, is how it creates a community because we all have something in common, which is these 20 books that we read for Bluebonnets,” Sparks said. “Here we get some super shy kids and some really outgoing kids, but when we merge them together, they are making connections through the books, and it goes far beyond the books.”
Brooklyn Olivas, a fifth-grade student at Purple Heart Elementary School, said she enjoyed the books they were assigned to read from the Bluebonnets list.
“I like reading because you can use your imagination,” Olivas said. “This event is exciting because you have a chance to read books written by different authors and meet kids from other schools who have read the same books as you.”
Mason Olvera, a fourth-grade student at Sierra Vista Elementary, said he usually gets very nervous meeting new people but attending Bluebonnets has helped him overcome that fear.
“I love reading because it is inspiring to me,” Olvera said. “I enjoy this event and hope to attend every year.”
2023 Battle of the Bluebonnets Winner – John Drugan School
Yessica Añoveros – 4th Grade student
Daniella Chavez – 5th Grade student
Sophia Corral – 5th Grade student
Joy Franco – 5th Grade student
Kindahl Thompson – 4th Grade student
Loni Dixon – School Librarian
8th annual Battle of the Bluebonnets Competition & Bash event photos
Published April 5, 2023
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