A team of students from the Bear Creek School showcased their literary prowess at the 2024 Reading Olympics sponsored by the Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13. The team, composed of 12 students in grades four and five, had a score of 78 points, the most of any team, marking an achievement in its academic journey.

Engaging in three rounds of competition against other schools, the quiz bowl-style event tested the students' knowledge across a spectrum of literary themes, characters and narratives drawn from the 25 selected novels. In preparation for the Reading Olympics, the students read the identified books starting from October 2023, leading up to the competition date.

The roster of students representing Bear Creek included fourth-graders Jacob Hirst, Timothy Leaman, Marley Leggett, Parker Will, Calvin Witman and Bryce Zimmerman, and fifth-graders Reed Bridgman, Adalyn Hoffman, Katie Moore, Grace Quickel, Marci Steele and Emme Templin. The team is coached by gifted education teachers Eric Balak and Patti Jo Schan-Bigler.

Teams were evaluated based on their performance, with scoring criteria ranging from Blue Ribbon for 50 points and above to Yellow Ribbon for 29 points and below.