Competing against seventh and eighth graders in the Eighth Annual Monmouth-Roseville Classics Bee didn't phase two area students.

Caroline Vellenga-Buban, a sixth grader of Mrs. Kucharz at Lincoln School in Monmouth took home first place, while Drew Perry, a student of Mrs. Cunningham at Immaculate Conception School took second. Carter Neal, an eighth grader of Mrs. Heaton at Monmouth-Roseville Junior High School took home third place. Thirty-one contestants from Roseville Elementary, Lincoln School, Monmouth-Roseville JHS and Immaculate Conception School participated in the event.

The event is sponsored by the Monmouth-Roseville High School Latin Club. Latin students from the high school assisted with writing questions, setting up the event, and reading questions to the students about ancient history, word roots, mythology, and culture. Monmouth-Roseville High School Latin teacher Brian Tibbets, Classics Professor Tom Sienkewicz, and Classics Professor Vicki Wine, both of Monmouth College, served as judges for the event.

The format of the Classics Bee follows that of a spelling or geography bee. Round 1 had a possibility of two multiple-choice answers, round two had a possibility of three answers, and round three had a possibility of four answers. Rounds four and five consisted of "free-response" questions that provided no multiple-choice answers. Once the three contestants remained, the event moved to a "Final Jeopardy" format. Each of the three contestants wrote down answers to ten questions. The judges then tallied those results and the winners were announced.

The winners each received a trophy, a book translated into Latin, and a $50 savings bond. The 1st place book prize this year was the newly released Harrius Potter et Camera Secretorum, a Latin translation of the popular Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets book. The savings bonds are sponsored by the Gamma Omicron Chapter of Eta Sigma Phi at Monmouth College, by the Ayers Family of Monmouth, and the Myers Family of Monmouth.