February 6, 2012
Upper School students place at National Junior Classical League convention
Four upper school students and their teacher attended the National Junior Classical League (NJCL) convention in Fargo, North Dakota at the North Dakota State University from July 27 to August 1.
Three of the four placed within the top three in their respective competitions, topping students from 32 other states.
“It’s amazing to get anywhere in the top ten at this particular place [nationals] because there’s literally hundreds of people you’re competing against,” Latin teacher and JCL Advisor John Hawley said.
NJCL is an organization of middle and high school students who work to improve their knowledge of the cultures, languages, and literature of ancient Greece and Rome. The four participants in the convention supplemented their knowledge by reading books beyond the curriculum and taking the JCL class as a non-academic period option.
“The thing about the national convention is it’s sports, graphic arts, creative arts, academics, and then they have this special thing called certamen,” Hawley said. Certamen is a quizbowl-style competition testing knowledge of many aspects of classical civilizations.
Nik Datuashvili (10), Richard Fan (10), and Sean Fernandes (10) competed for level three, while Jessica Lin (11) participated in contests for level four.
Nik placed first in both Ancient Geography and Hellenic History, while Richard placed fourth in Ancient Geography in their level. Jessica placed second in Roman Life in her level and also won fifth place in the tenth grade for an essay she wrote on site. Richard also participated in the junior boys Olympika, winning first place in the 800 meter run and second place in the marathon.
“[The convention] is more than just an academic thing. It’s very much an overall experience,” Hawley said.
Along with different competitions, the NJCL convention offered other activities for the participants, including officer elections, presentations of 20-year attendance awards, and spirit sessions. The students also went to dances three of the four evenings they spent in the college dormitories, while they participated in a “find the giftcards in the haystack” activity the last night, Hawley said.
The convention not only facilitated bonding with the other California delegates through spirit sessions, but also provided a friendly atmosphere throughout the contests.
Hawley said, “It can be competitive, but it’s a kind of a competition where you know that people are going to go over and congratulate people when they win.”
