The Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl, initiated by Helen Ruffin in 1985, is a competitive reading event for students in Georgia that has grown to involve over 640 schools annually. The competition includes teams of five members answering questions based on selected book lists, with awards for participation and achievement. The event aims to foster a love of reading among students from 4th to 12th grade through an engaging and competitive format.

1. HELEN RUFFIN
READING BOWL

2. PRESENTERS:
DR. WENDY SMITH
STATE STEERING COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN
DR. MARY ETTA THOMAS,
RETIRED, FORMER STATE STEERING COMMITTEE CO-
CHAIRMAN
MRS. BARBARA HALLSTROM,
RETIRED, FORMER STATE STEERING COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN

3. Who was Helen Ruffin?
▪ Helen Ruffin was a Media Specialist in the DeKalb County School System for many years.
▪ She served on the selection committee for the Georgia Children’s Book Award Nominees 1984 - 1985
▪ In 1985, Mrs. Ruffin created a competitive game for students in her school to promote enthusiasm for
reading quality literature. She encouraged different schools each year to participate and compete.
▪ She had a greater vision to have more teams comprised of students from different schools compete to
test their knowledge of selected books. She shared this vision with her colleagues. They embraced her
idea and pressed forward.
▪ In 1999 we held the first countywide competition with 9 schools.
▪ In 2000 the first Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl was held with just 16 teams. 20 years later, it has grown to
an annual contest with more than 640 participating schools from all over the state of Georgia!

4. Helen’ s Intent was to:
1. Feed on the competitive nature of
students;
2. Give them an exciting way to show what
they remember about what they read; and
3. Reward them for being a voracious reader.

5. Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl Rules
▪ Each team will consist of five members and up to five alternates.
▪ Each school will participate in six (6) rounds.
▪ Each round will consist of ten (10) questions.
▪ Alternates may be substituted between rounds.
▪ Teams will receive ten (10) points for each right answer.
▪ There will be no penalties for wrong answers.
▪ At the end of six rounds, scores will be tallied for all schools.

6. The Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl
Who can enter?
▪ The Reading Bowl is open to all Public/Private/Charter schools in the state of
Georgia with 4th – 12th Grade students.
▪ Public libraries are eligible to sponsor teams comprised of 4th – 12th Grade Home
Schooled students.
What books do we read?
▪ The Georgia Book Award Nominees are the Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl’s official
reading lists for Elementary and Middle School.
▪ The Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers Nominees are the Helen Ruffin
Reading Bowl’s official reading list for High School.

7. 2019 – 2020 Elementary HRRB Book List

8. 2019 – 2020 Middle School HRRB Book List

9. 2019 – 2020 High School HRRB Book List

10. Highlights of Reading Success
Beginning
• 1999 - Test run DeKalb Countywide Bowl
9 teams
Every team competed against each other
• 2000 – First Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl 16 teams
• 2003-Road Trips Begin
• Superintendent gives permission to use professional days to answer invitations
from other school systems to spread the GaHRRB
2003 HRRB website is developed

11. South Georgia Teams Compete in
HRRB
• 2003 Camden County Travels to Columbia
• 2004 15 school Systems competed in the HRRB

12. High Schools Join Reading Bowl Fun
2005 50+ schools compete

13. 2004-2005 UGA Hosts the State
championship
2004 Meeting with Joel Taxel
2005 First state competition at
Children’s Literature Conference

14. 2006
HRRB has to be split into More
Regions (6) to accommodate
all the registered teams

15. HRRB Grows once again
2005 AASL invites GAHRRB to Pittsburgh Pa. to present
2007 Regions grow to 6 and Match GLMA
2007 GAHRRB Presents at AASL at Reno, Nevada
2008 Third Level of Competition – Divisional
2009 GAHRRB presents at AASL in Charlotte, NC.
2009 GAHRRB Framework is Developed and Published

16. We are celebrating 20 years of competing
and 33 years of a Great Idea!

17. Helen wanted to find a way to reward the
students for reading books for pleasure.
She came up with a game format that
ended with a celebration and prizes and
certificates and trophies and rewards.
For the first time Reading became a
sport!

18. And They came . . .

19. Benefits of HRRB
• GCBA Nominees
• Simple Rules
• Questions for your Local Competition
• Tips for Coaches
• Volunteer Trainings
• Levels of Competitions
• Trophies / Certificates
• Vendors and Sponsor Support
• Public Library Support
• Academic Library Support

20. 3/23/19
Committee of
Teachers,
School Media
Specialists,
and Public
Librarians
from all over
Georgia

21. Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl Rules
▪ Each team will consist of five members and up to five alternates.
▪ Each school will participate in six (6) rounds.
▪ Each round will consist of ten (10) questions.
▪ Alternates may be substituted between rounds.
▪ Teams will receive ten (10) points for each right answer.
▪ There will be no penalties for wrong answers.
▪ At the end of six rounds, scores will be tallied for all schools.

22. Questions
Sample
Local
Unique

23. Coaching
Tips
• Presentations
• Website
• To Do Lists
I WANT TO
COORDINATE A BOWL
What Must I Do?
Tips For Coaching Your Next
Georgia Helen Ruffin Reading
Bowl
Barbara Hallstrom,
Chair Ga. Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl DeKalb County Schools
Dr. Mary Etta Thomas,
Retired Teacher-Librarian DeKalb County Schools
Lummie Harris,
DeKalb County Co-Chair HRRB, Teacher-Librarian DeKalb
County Schools
Dr. Wendy Smith
DeKalb County Co-Chair HRRB Teacher-Librarian DeKalb
County Schools

24. Volunteer Training
Video
Presentations
Face to Face
Online
YouTube
Website
CD

25. Local School Reading Bowls
Regional Reading Bowls
Divisional Reading Bowl
STATE READING BOWL
Order of Progression

26. Organized
Competitions
• Regional
• Divisional
• State
• Trophies

27. HRRB DIVISION 1 – North, West, and Metro Regions
Bartow County
Calhoun City
Cartersville City
Catoosa County
Chatooga County
Cherokee County
Chickamauga City
Dade County
Dalton City
Dawson County
Fannin County
Forsyth County
Gainesville City
Gilmer County
Habersham
County
Hall County
Lumpkin County
Murray County
Pickens County
North
Region
Bremen City
Butts County
Carroll City
Carroll County
Chattahoochee
County
Cobb County
Coweta County
Douglas County
Floyd County
Haralson County
Harris County
Heard County
Lamar County
Marietta City
Marion County
Merriwether
County
Muscogee County
Paulding County
West
Region
Atlanta City
Buford City
Clayton County
Decatur City
DeKalb County
Fulton County
Gwinnett County
Henry County
Newton County
Rockdale County
Metro
Region
Coordinators:
Meredith Gulledge
Karen Gurty
Susan Wooten
Coordinator:
Jean Cook
Rabun County
Towns County
Trion City
Union County
Walker County
White County
Whitfield County
Pike County
Polk County
Rome City
Spalding County
Talbot County
Taylor County
Thomaston-Upton
Troup County
Coordinator:
Sue Ann Prigge

28. HRRB DIVISION 2 – East, South, and Middle Regions
Banks County
Barrow County
Bulloch County
Burke County
Candler County
Clarke County
Columbia County
Commerce City
Effingham County
Elbert County
Emanuel County
Franklin County
Glascock County
Greene County
Hancock County
Hart County
Jackson County
Jefferson County
Jefferson City
Jenkins County
East
Region
Appling County
County
Atkinson County
Bacon County
Baker County
Ben Hill County
Berrien County
Brantley County
Brooks County
Bryan County
Bryan County
Calhoun County
Camden County
Charlton County
Chatham County
Clay County
Clinch County
Coffee County
Colquitt County
Cook County
Crisp County
Decatur County
Dodge County
South
Region
Baldwin County
Bibb County
Bleckley County
Crawford County
Dublin City
Fayette County
Houston County
Jasper County
Johnson County
Jones County
Laurens County
Macon County
Monroe County
Montgomery County
Morgan County
Peach County
Putnam County
Schley County
Twiggs County
Washington County
Wilkinson County
Middle
Region
Coordinator:
Jason Stark
Coordinators:
Christina Dover
Kristi Craven
Mary Peacock
Margaret Hall
Lincoln County
Madison County
McDuffie County
Oconee County
Oglethorpe
County
Richmond County
Screven County
Social Circle City
Stephens County
Taliaferro County
Treutien County
Walton County
Warren County
Wilkes County
Dooly County
Dougherty County
Early County
Echols County
Evans County
Glynn County
Irwin County
Lanier County
Jeff Daivis County
Lee County
Liberty County
Lowndes County
McIntosh County
Miller County
Mitchell County
Pelham City
Pierce County
Pulaski County
Quitman County
Randolph County
Seminole County
Stewart County
Coordinator:
Becky Nipper
Linda Walker
Rita Thomas
Tattnall County
Telfair County
Terrell County
Thomas County
Thomasville City
Tift County
Toombs County
Turner County
Valdosta City
Vidalia City
Ware County
Wayne County
Webster County
Wheeler County
Wilcox County
Worth County

29. Vendors and Sponsors of the
Children’ s Literature Conference

30. Public Librarians• Provided Practice Space
• Provided Competition Space
• Provided Volunteers
• Ordered multiple copies of the books in print, audio and
electronic format on the Georgia Children Book Award
Nominees and Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen
Readers Nominees lists.
Increase in circulation
Coach Public Library Teams
Publicize the local teams
Increase in support and foot traffic

31. Academic Libraries
Hoasted Bowls

32. It has never
been about
Helen, It’s
always been
about Students
Reading for
Pleasure

33. So In this twentieth Year of Celebration Are we taking pause or do we have plans for moving
forward?
Of Course, we are moving forward!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Year 21
New Website
Stronger State Steering Committee
Smoother Registration Process
Templates
More Formalized Meetings
More Cross Curricular Connections
Year 22
Sustainability Study
Long Term Sponsors Adoptions
Expansion in the North and South
And Beyond . . . .

34. NEW FOR 2020 HRRB
Some things we hope will make it for you to participate!

35. Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl
• Oct 7, 2019 – HRRB website opens for school
districts to register.
• Nov 2019 – HRRB registration ends on the
Friday before Thanksgiving.
• Jan 2020 – Local school Reading Bowls held.
• Feb 2020 – Regional and Divisional Reading
Bowls held.
• Mar 2020 – STATE HRRB
Estimated Calendar of Events

36. Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl
New!
The State Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl Committee will be moving from the
DeKalb County school website to its own website this soon.
Our new web address for the state HRRB will be:
www.gahrrb.org
On this site you will find the following:
• General information about the HRRB
• Official book lists
• Dates and locations
• Rules and formats
• Registration info

37. Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl
New!
CHANGES TO REGISTRATION
• Only school districts will be allowed to register on the STATE HRRB website
(www.gahrrb.org). This change will help us keep track of all schools and make
sure they are registering and competing in the correct location.
• Public schools will register with their respective school districts.
• Private/Charter schools will coordinate and register with the school district that
they are located in.
• Public Libraries will coordinate and register with the school district that they are
located in. NOTE: Public Libraries can only have home schooled students.

38. Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl
New!
THE STATE HRRB COMMITTEE IS WORKING TO PROVIDE:
• Reading Bowl questions for your local district Bowl.
• Parent letter for coaches to send home explaining the policy about the
books on the HRRB reading lists.
• Marketing materials to attract prospective team members and publicize
your local Reading Bowl.

39. Any
Questions?