What comes to mind when you think of a Latin convention? Taped glasses? Pocket protectors? Or do you think of intense basketball competition or passionate political speeches? You might find that a convention like the one JCL recently attended defies your expectations.
44 members of Jesuit's Junior Classical League (JCL) trekked down to Humble, Texas where the awards they won were anything...
When most people hear that you’re taking Latin, some of the common responses are “Why’d you take that?” or “That’s a poor college choice,” and, of course, the classic, “Latin is a dead language.” However, what most people don’t know is that the second largest youth organization in the United States, with over 50,000 members and 1,200 chapters in almost every...
Shining through the surrounding natural darkness, light and merriment bring joy to the ancient towns of the Roman Empire. This annual bliss comes from the celebration of Saturnalia, a holiday celebrating the Roman god, Saturn, the deity of agriculture. On December 8th, Jesuit rebirthed this celebration but in honor of the Latin club, or better known as the Junior Classical...
When a student lists Latin as a class they attend, people immediately assume the language is useless, boring, and a poor strategy for college. Even worse, when students mention they participate in the Junior Classical League, or JCL, any non-member draws a complete blank. Why is the world's second-largest youth organization so anonymous to the general public? And why...
Thirty-three Jesuit students traveled thousands of years into the past for this year’s Texas State Junior Classical League convention. After qualifying at Area C earlier this semester, these linguistically elite went on to represent Jesuit’s cream of the crop on March 27th at Amarillo High School. The Texas State Junior Classical League, one of 1,000 NJCL chapters around the...
A lone, sharp clap echoes throughout the empty halls of Jesuit. After a moment's pause, another rings out, along with another pair of hands colliding. More start to join in a slightly faster rhythm, gaining speed and intensity. Soon a bellowing voice begins to count one to three. The Jesuit JCL students erupt in a day-ending Jesuit yell. The...
Salvete omnis! (That is "hello everyone" for the non-classical speakers.)
It's that time of year again. Yes, indeed, it is time for Jesuit's JCL (Junior Classical League) students to start studying for their Latin tests for the upcoming Area Competition, a regional competition for the JCL schools of North Texas.
This year, however, brings a unique twist for Jesuit. Instead of traveling...
On a bright and sunny day at the end of July, ten students disembarked from a shuttle and onto the sprawling campus of Emory University, ready to search for the dorm rooms they would be staying in. Surrounding them were two thousand other like-minded individuals, excited to be experiencing the annual Junior Classical League convention and putting their studies of Latin, ancient Greek,...
