The seventh annual Classics Bee was conducted at Monmouth-Roseville Junior High School in Roseville Thursday, March 2. The Bee was open to fifth through eighth graders who did well on a written exam created by the Monmouth-Roseville High School Latin Club and given by their teachers.

According to the Brian Tibbets, advisor of the Monmouth-Roseville Latin Club, the Classics Bee was "sponsored by the Latin Club at Monmouth-Roseville High School in order to give students in grades 5 through 8 an opportunity to demonstrate their general knowledge of ancient Greece and Rome."

Tibbets also took time to thank Don Daily; superintendent of the Monmouth-Roseville Public Schools; Richard Kucharz, principal of Monmouth-Roseville High School; Don Farr, principal of Monmouth-Roseville Junior High; Doug O'Riley, principal at Lincoln Intermediate School; Kathryn Bennett, principal at Immmaculate Conception School; and administrators, teachers, and staff at MRJHS, Lincoln, Roseville, and ICS. He also thanked the members of the Latin Club at MRHS for their time and effort in organizing and running the Classics Bee. "The Classics Bee is an entirely student-run event," he said.

Thirty-three students were chosen from Monmouth-Roseville Junior High School, Immaculate Conception School, and Lincoln Intermediate School. They sat in random order in chairs marked by Roman numerals. The judges were Mrs. Jackie Urban, former MRHS Latin teacher; Dr. James Betts, Professor of Music at Monmouth College; and Dr. Tom Sienkewicz, Professor of Classics at Monmouth College. The presiding officer was HaNa Yu, president of the MRHS Latin Club, and questioners were HaNa Yu and Seth Richardson, vice president of the MRHS Latin Club.

Round one consisted of simple questions with two choices of answers. Round two had increasingly difficult questions with three choices of answers. Round three had very difficult questions with four choices of answers. Round four was a free response round with no choices of answers given. The final round, with three students remaining, consisted of answers written on an answer sheet and graded by the judges.

During the final round, the three students remaining were Elizabeth Myers, an eighth grader in Mrs. Heaton's class at MRJHS; Travis Martin, a seventh grader in Mrs. Thomas' class at MRJHS, and Patrick Fasano, a sixth grader in Mrs. Mahoney's class at ICS.

Taking home the first place trophy, a book translated into Latin and a $25 savings bond was Elizabeth Myers. The second place trophy and a book translated into Latin were presented to Patrick Fasano. Travis Martin received the third place trophy and a book translated into Latin.