“I love the team and I look forward to the competitions every year,” said Hannah Whipple, our WIRC (Westmoreland Interscholastic Reading Competition) club captain. Run by Mrs. Owens, the WIRC club will travel to Seton Hill for their reading competitions where they compete, one-on-one, against thirty-five other furious teams. They are asked a series of questions based around a list of books that they are to have read. 

WIRC is not all about reading, but it also creates new friendships and bonds, over their love for reading. Club captain, Hannah Whipple, states “WIRC has allowed me to meet some of my close

st friends and new people in general.” Hannah explains that her title of being captain “means a lot to me, because I love the team and I look forward to the competition every year.” 

This year, the Hempfield club accumulated ten members who they will travel to Seton Hill and compete against thirty-five other schools! Their first competition in March 4th. During the competition, each school will compete in a series of rounds. During each round, schools are given a name, either Team A or Team B. Team A will be asked a question first related to one of the WIRC books that were listed for the year. If that team gets it correct, the round continues, and Team B gets the next question. If Team A answers incorrectly, Team B has a chance to steal the point for 1⁄4 of a point. By the end of the round, whichever team has the most points advances.

According to club sponsor Mrs. Owens, WIRC is a great opportunity for everyone involved.  “It gets students to read books that they wouldn’t normally pick up, and it allows them to talk and socialize with other people who love to read.”