Hanover County Public Schools had its annual countywide Reading Olympians competition on February 27 at Liberty Middle School. A total of 124 students on 12 teams representing all four middle schools competed for the gold. The teams represented the top three winners from each of the previous middle school competitions.
Team “The Massive Pile of Books Fell Off My Nightstand and Crushed Me” from Chickahominy Middle School won the competition. 
Rounding out the top four spots were “ROnly Hope” from Chickahominy Middle School (second place), “Athenians” from Chickahominy Middle School (third place), and “Book 'Em” from Liberty Middle School (fourth place).
Reading Olympians is an academic competition that requires teams to read and be able to recall facts from thirty different books the school librarians choose. Team coaches receive the book titles prior to summer break. 
Participants read and re-read the selections for six to ten months to prepare for the competitions.
The Hanover Education Foundation (HEF) sponsors the event and provides Hanover County middle schools with copies of each book for the teams. 
The HEF also sponsors Reading Olympics teams at the elementary level. The goal of the competition is to help students showcase their comprehension skills and celebrate their love of reading.