Local Students Ace National Mythology Exam

Local kids know Homer, The Odyssey and Ajax, and they don't mean Simpson, a minivan, and a cleaning product. In fact, 11 St. Rose of Lima Academy students from South Orange and Maplewood took home medals on the National Mythology Exam, including sixth graders who won gold for their perfect scores on the exam.

The Athena Gold Medal winners were Clare Baumeister of Summit and Laurel Doyle of  Maplewood.

The National Mythology Exam, sponsored annually by the American Classical League, covers Greek and Roman mythology. There are 30 questions each year on all aspects of mythology, plus 10 more questions on a specific theme each year. This year the theme was “Ancient Beginnings.” Finally, the students answer another 10 questions on a specific category within mythology. They can choose questions about the Iliad, the Odyssey, the Aeneid, Native American tales, African tales, or Norse mythology.

“The material covered in the National Mythology Exam is so wide ranging that we could never review all of it in class,” said Jane Katz, St. Rose of Lima Academy’s Latin teacher. “Each one of these students has taken on the responsibility of studying the required materials independently, often reading difficult translations of ancient texts.

“They all worked extraordinarily hard to achieve their success,” Katz said. “We are all very proud of them and their accomplishments.”

This year 11 of the 14 St. Rose students taking the exam earned medals. In addition to the gold medals winners, four students scored between 95 and 99 to win silver – eighth grader William Faughnan of South Orange, seventh graders Caleigh Wozniak of Maplewood and Alicia Furlan of Springfield, and sixth grader Xavier Warganz of Maplewood.

Five students scored between 90 and 94 to capture bronze medals – seventh graders Daniel Duggan of Maplewood and Zachary Pocchia of Maplewood, and sixth graders Rachel Furlan of Springfield, Jane Hearden of Summit and Charlotte Hilker of Maplewood.