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Latin Club Helps Weather Channel Name Winter Storms

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

One high school Latin club in Montana has an unusual assignment - helping the Weather Channel name winter storms. It all started four years ago when a Latin student from Bozeman High wrote to the Weather Channel. He suggested it turn to classical Greek and Roman mythology for storm names, and the Weather Channel agreed. So every year, the students send a list of names, one for each letter of the alphabet. Here's the beginning of this season's list.

COLTON LIPFERT: Ajax, Bella, Cara (ph), Daphne.

MONTAGNE: That was Colton Lipfert, a member of the Latin club. His favorite...

COLTON: I am a bit of a mythology nerd, so I have to go with Ajax. I just love the way it sounds. I love the mythology behind it.

MONTAGNE: His classmate Jessie McGraw (ph) prefers the choice for the letter E.

JESSIE MCGRAW: My favorite would have to be Echo just because I very much enjoy the myth.

MONTAGNE: Not all the names come from the past. This season, you might see a winter storm named Yolo - Yolo. That name didn't come from the Bozeman High Latin club. They want you to know that was the Weather Channel's idea.

COLTON: We were very much so against it.

MONTAGNE: Duly noted, Colton Lipfert. As the Trojans knew all too well, some battles you just can't win. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.