Texas Border Business
PHARR, Texas – Aware of the importance of literacy and dual language development, Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD (PSJA ISD) made district and state history by hosting the first-ever PSJA Battle of the Books competitions in Spanish for more than 120 elementary, middle school, and high school students.
The Battle of the Books is an annual competition hosted by the PSJA Library Services where students get to demonstrate their reading comprehension skills by being tested on books they read. This year the PSJA Library Services and PSJA Dual Language Departments teamed up to also host the first-ever Batalla de los Libros where dual language students also got to compete with books they read in Spanish.
“Partnering with the PSJA Dual Language Department afforded students who are also Spanish speakers to play an important role in literacy and take reading challenges,” said PSJA Library Services Director Nora Galvan. “Speaking more than one language is marketable in the real world.”
As part of PSJA ISD’s continuing commitment to support dual language education districtwide, the PSJA School Board unanimously passed a Dual Language Program Policy in 2020 to ensure the program has the necessary support to continue developing students who achieve high academic standards in both languages. As part of the policy, PSJA ISD committed to continue hiring and retaining quality staff, funding appropriate professional development, and providing program facilities and instructional resources.
“For many years, PSJA has participated in the Battle of the Books, which is only in English. As a dual language district, we felt that providing our dual language students, at all levels, with the opportunity to participate in La Batalla de Libros, it would include them in a district level event where they can show off their literacy skills in Spanish,” said PSJA Dual Language Enrichment Director Olivia Martinez. “This was an excellent way to show our community that we value literacy, especially biliteracy. This truly was a historic event and our students definitely got to shine.”
The following were the results for the first PSJA Batalla de Los Libros:
Elementary:
- 1st place – Carmen Anaya Elementary
- 2nd – Berta Palacios Elementary
- 3rd – Garza Pena Elementary
Middle School:
- 1st place – Raul Yzaguirre Middle School
- 2nd – Kennedy Middle School
- 3rd – Alamo Middle School
High School:
- 1st place – PSJA Southwest Early College High School
- 2nd – PSJA Collegiate High School Program
- 3rd – PSJA Memorial Early College High School
In addition to hosting the Batalla de los Libros, PSJA ISD also recently hosted the first ever Torneo de Ortografia (Spelling Bee) for students.
“We commend our departments for collaborating to provide these opportunities for our students,” said PSJA Superintendent Dr. Jorge L. Arredondo. “Instilling a love of reading and biliteracy is important for life-long learning and success.”
