HRA’s Middle School Battle of the Books team at the 2026 Regional Championship (left to right): Coach Nichole Patrick, Noah Williams ’30, Alex Nguyen ’32, Leila Mygas ’32, Grace Freeman ’31, Liam Quinlan ’32, and Daniel Williams ’31 (not present: Bella Nguyen ’30)
In what Interim Director of Middle School Karen Gillespie described as a “nail-biter” finish, Hampton Roads Academy’s Battle of the Books team secured second place at the 2026 Regional Championship, held at the Williamsburg Regional Library (WRL) on Saturday, March 21. The annual Jeopardy!-style trivia competition, challenging students in Grades 6 through 8 to showcase their knowledge of a dozen outstanding age-appropriate novels selected by WRL librarians, pitted HRA against the top city finalists from Williamsburg, York County, Poquoson, and Hampton.
Congratulations to Middle School English teacher and team coach Nichole Patrick and all the members of HRA’s Battle of the Books squad—sixth graders Leila Mygas ’32, Alex Nguyen ’32, and Liam Quinlan ’32, seventh graders Grace Freeman ’31 and Daniel Williams ’31, and eighth graders Bella Nguyen ’30 and Noah Williams ’30—on an impressive performance this year!
The team previously took home the top prize in the Newport News City Finals at the Main Street Library on March 3, where HRA bested Ella Fitzgerald Middle School and Passage Middle School.
The two competitions this spring represented the culmination of months of preparation. Late last school year, the WRL released the list of books for the 2026 Middle School Battle of the Books, and school librarian Amanda MacDonnell procured copies for the team. The students began working their way through the list over the summer, rereading the books as often as possible in the months that followed. Tackling practice trivia questions supplied by Patrick and, closer to the city finals, by Newport News librarians, the students gathered for weekly practices throughout the school year to discuss the twelve titles, test their knowledge, and grow comfortable with the competition format.
The team poses with their first-place trophy after the Newport News City Finals on March 3
Battle of the Books is designed to reinforce reading comprehension skills, but, according to Patrick, “our priority is to have fun with it” and encourage students’ “love and passion for reading and books.” Moreover, because the squad, much like an athletic team, includes students from multiple grade levels, members have had the opportunity to form new friendships and build a sense of community with peers who share their zeal for literature.
Over the years, the Middle Schoolers’ passion has fueled a tradition of excellence in Battle of the Books. HRA earned Regional Championship titles in 2015 and 2016, and since Patrick came to the Academy in 2021 and took the helm of the team, the school has won the Newport News City Finals for five consecutive years.
The team’s strong showing this year marks a proud continuation of this history of success. More importantly, it is a testament to the students’ hard work and enthusiasm for enriching their minds by picking up a good book.
“The dedication they have to reading and re-reading the books is amazing,” Patrick said. “In a world where fewer and fewer teens are reading, it is so refreshing to see my students excited about reading.”
