James Trombo, an eighth grader at Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School, won the annual God Off at the school, where students take on the role of Greek gods in order to make a pitch to their fellow students as to why they should be the patron god of a new Greek city-state.

The competition is part of the study of ancient Greek mythology, rhetoric and culture, students in the 8th Grade Honors English classes. Classes each chose a winner to represent them in the grade level competition.

There were five competitors this year, including Hyperion (Tessa Boneau), Demeter (Ashley Zigler), 2nd Demeter (Andrea Valderrama), Dionysus (Trombo) and Hephaestus (Evan Lankford). In addition to the patronage of the city, Trombo won a brand new Caduceus and a Constantinian coin dating from the mid 300s.