Thirteen-year-old Philomont resident Lindsay Woods, a student at The Hill School in Middleburg, has earned first place in one of several nationwide contests sponsored by the Ancient Coins for Education (ACE) Organization.

Her score was the highest in the country (Junior Division: 13 and under) for one of three ACE Image Competitions. Image Contests require students to answer a challenging series of questions about the history of the ancient world based on pictures of coins, buildings, and artifacts.

The Ancient Coins for Education Organization was founded in 2001 by a group of Classical numismatists (those who study or collect coins) to help teachers of the classics bring ancient history to life. ACE puts tangible pieces of the past into the hands of children, including actual ancient Roman coins for students to measure and identify, and offers authenticated Roman coins to its top prize winners to keep.

Lindsay was presented with four coins at the Hill School's Annual Awards Assembly held June 5th. Among the academic awards Lindsay earned was a Certificate of Outstanding Achievement from the American Classical League/National Junior Classical League for exceptional results on the 2012 Introduction to Latin National Latin Exam.

The Hill School, where Lindsay Woods is a rising 8th grader, is one of about 120 schools to participate in the annual Ancient Coins for Education competitions. Lindsay entered in all four competitions.

In recognition of Lindsay's exceptional achievements, Hill School Latin Teacher Christie Roberts presented her with a large framed display of her prizes: the Ancient Coins for Education Junior Division First-Place Certificate; the four authentic, ACE-bestowed ancient Roman coins; as well as three School Winner Certificates.

"We at Hill School are all very proud of the hard work and initiative Lindsay showed in completing all four contests, and we are especially pleased to congratulate her for the exceptional achievement of winning national recognition from the ACE program," Roberts said.

Lindsay lives in Philomont with her parents, Lisa and Dennis Woods, and her three older siblings, all of whom graduated from The Hill School (Melissa '04, Evan '07, and Anthony, '10). In addition to her studies, Lindsay enjoys field hockey, riding and pony club, and serving as an elected 8th Grade Sports Captain.

Exceptional results on the 2012 National Latin Exam testify to the strength of the Hill School's Latin program. Of the thirty-three seventh and eighth grade Hill School students who took the exam, a remarkable 76% earned national recognition.

The independent K-8 school offers an introduction to Latin class in sixth grade followed by high school Latin in seventh and eighth grades. The following students earned American Classical League/National Junior Classical League Awards for 2012 National Latin Exam:

SEVENTH GRADE CERTIFICATES OF ACHIEVEMENT presented to: Cassidy Bolden, Anna Calloway-Jones, Tully Kennedy, Guadalupe Sandoval, Andrew Simon, Nicole Stetson, Finley Stewart, Sofia Tate, George Williams

SEVENTH GRADE CERTIFICATES OF OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT presented to: Leland Burke, Jacob Daum, Devin Keeler, Crishon Washington, Kathryn Whitehead, Lindsay Woods

EIGHTH GRADE CERTIFICATES "CUM LAUDE" presented to: Philip Bein and Ben Weed

EIGHTH GRADE CERTIFICATES "MAXIMA CUM LAUDE" AND SILVER MEDALS presented to: Savannah Birchall Clayton, Lizzy Catherwood, Madison Johnson, Marina Shallcross

EIGHTH GRADE CERTIFICATES "SUMMA CUM LAUDE" AND GOLD MEDALS presented to: Rooney deButts, Carley Eldredge, Boo Graham, Charlotte Scharfenberg