By Christina Leslie | Correspondent

Three Catholic schools took home the top three prizes in the Monsignor Donovan Scholastic Olympic competition for the first time in its twenty year history. Seventh grade teams from St. Joseph School, Toms River; All Saints Regional Catholic School, Manahawkin, and St. Dominic School, Brick, placed first, second and third respectively in the academic contest held March 12 in the Toms River high school.

Seventeen Catholic, public and private schools from Ocean and Monmouth counties competed in the competition designed to stimulate educational interest and highlight academic achievement at the seventh grade level.

Schools teams were placed in three different divisions depending upon their seventh grade enrollment; each division-winning school received a trophy and was ranked for top overall honors. Individual student medalists in each of seven subject areas received financial scholarships for future enrollment in Monsignor Donovan High School.

Team members were tested in their prowess in the fields of art, English, history, mathematics, science, spelling and technology. The students took written exams, performed computer projects, sketched still-life pictures and competed in a spelling bee as they attempted to add their names to the two-decades-long list of fellow scholars.

Monsignor Donovan High School technology assistant Danielle Boyd coordinated the annual event; principal Dr. Edward Gere and vice principal Kathleen D’Andrea awarded medals and trophies to winning students while their parents beamed with pride. “The energy in the cafeteria was tremendous,” D’Andrea remembered, calling the contest a “golden opportunity for seventh graders to experience the excitement of academic competition before they get to high school.”

Overall contest winner St. Joseph School also placed first among Division Two schools. The Toms River seventh graders took home a total of nine medals in six subject areas.

Team members and their individual honors included John Knudsen, gold medal in science; Gabiella Ignacio, gold medal, and Ken Anzano, bronze medal, both in mathematics; and Reilly Fitzgerald, gold medal in history.

Cameron O’Connor and Eric Knudsen earned gold and silver medals respectively in English; Dylan Wintrode took home a bronze medal in spelling; Sean Finnegan earned a gold medal in technology, and classmate Isabella Villanueva was one of three students who tied for the silver medal in that category.

Second-place team champion All Saints Regional Catholic School topped the Division One schools and earned seven medals in five subject areas. Medal winners included Julia Kelly (silver in science), Cassandra Meltsch and Kieran Ryan (gold and silver in math), James Barbaccia (silver in history), Anthony Durkin and Karly Allen (gold and bronze in technology), and Gabrielle Etzel (gold in spelling).

St. Dominic School students, ranked third overall, won six medals in six subject areas. Individual medals went to Bryan Romanow (silver, science), Amaya Escandon (silver, history), Jack Coleman (bronze, English), Peter Jurlina (gold, art), Javier Jimenez (tied for silver, technology), and Dierdre Cahill (silver, spelling).

Five additional diocesan schools competed in either division one and two of the contest. These scholars and their medal awards included:
St. Veronica School, Howell – Joseph Russo (bronze, science); Shannon Tierney (silver, English); Ariana Janus and Maria Cavallaro (gold and silver, art); and Aidan Scully (bronze, spelling);
St. Paul School, Princeton – Daniel Poland and Kara Zutko (gold and bronze, history);
St. Denis School, Manasquan – Brendan Gilman (silver, techology);
St. Aloysius School, Jackson – Joseph Yates (bronze, science); Samuel Shapiro (bronze, history); Dillan Ventura (bronze, art); Lauren Taylor (gold, spelling);
Holy Family School, Lakewood - Robert DeLeo (bronze, technology).