DAVIDSON COUNTY – Hasty Elementary students and faculty members Wednesday continued celebrating the school’s title of 2010 Battle of the Books champions for Davidson County elementary schools.

Competing against 17 elementary schools in the Davidson County Schools system, Hasty Elementary won the title Tuesday at Denton Elementary School. It was the first time the school had ever won the competition since Battle of the Books started four years ago on the elementary level. Thomasville area schools did well in the competition, with Pilot finishing a close second, Fair Grove placing third and Friendship fourth. “I’m so proud of them,” Rhonda Florence, Hasty Elementary’s media coordinator, said of her team. “They worked really hard. They deserve all the credit.”

For the competition, students were told to read 12 books, which many at Hasty Elementary read three or four times, according to Florence. Several students on the Hasty Elementary team also started reading the books last summer.

After capturing the title Tuesday, Toni Embler, Hasty Elementary’s data manager, congratulated her school’s team by singing “We Are The Champions.” The celebration continued Wednesday, with the school being presented a traveling plaque during morning video announcements.

Stacy Wooten, the team’s assistant coach and substitute teacher at Hasty Elementary, had her daughter on the school’s team. A total of 90 students had expressed interest on being on the team.

“I had never been so excited,” Wooten said. “I was more nervous and excited for them than if I would have been up there. All of those kids, I feel like they are all now my babies, too. I was so thrilled.”

Hasty Elementary’s team consisted of Santana Bailey, Sevanah Jacoby, Morgan Miller, Jackson Mishoe, Cheyenne Rogers, Caleb Smith and Katie Wooten.

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