General News
24 June, 2026
Young readers shine at Cup
AFTER some fierce literary competition, St Stephen’s Catholic College placed second among 24 teams at the Readers Cup competition, which the school hosted earlier this month.
Teams from St Stephen’s, Mareeba State High, Atherton State High, St Monica’s College (Cairns), St Andrew’s Catholic College (Cairns), Freshwater Christian College (Cairns), students from Thursday Island, as well as students from the Cairns School of Distance Education who joined via online, contested the recent Year 7/8 Readers Cup.
The competition, coordinated by the Children’s Book Council of Australia Queensland Branch, is a quiz-style literary challenge where teams of four students from Years 7 and 8 read a curated list of five books and then compete by answering detailed questions, testing not only memory and comprehension, but also interpretation and teamwork.
After a tightly contested series of rounds, it was St Monica’s who emerged victorious, with St Stephen’s securing a close second after being tied with the winners throughout the day, and St Andrew’s rounded out the competition in third.
“The atmosphere on the day was electric,” St Stephen’s teacher-librarian and event organiser Simone Gillies said.
“Students arrived with enthusiasm and a clear passion for reading. The depth of knowledge displayed during the competition was impressive, with many teams demonstrating an understanding of character development, plot twists, and thematic elements.
“Events like the Readers Cup remind us of the transformative power of reading. They build confidence, spark curiosity, and create lifelong readers. Congratulations to all the students, teachers, and volunteers who made the day such a success. The future of literature is in good hands.”
