One of the benefits of taking Latin at Jesuit is the opportunity to participate in JCL. JCL is a national league that brings awareness to Latin and Greek culture, studies, and mythology. This helps bring back appreciation for the classics. Thousands of schools across the nation participate, including Jesuit. Jesuit JCL is made possible by our two Latin teachers, Ms. Jones and Ms. Hudec.
Last Saturday, February 25th, Jesuit hosted the annual JCL area competition for the second consecutive year. This large event invites over 700 Latin students and their teachers from 31 different schools in the DFW area to compete. A lot of preparation and planning went into hosting JCL and many students commented on how great of a job Ms. Jones and Ms. Hudec organized the event. Also, the Jesuit Smokies did a great job filling the bellies of such a large group. Ms. Hudec had some comments on her first time helping run JCL at Jesuit. 
“I was so encouraged to see how eager our facility and parents were to support the event as well as our students were in participating. While planning the event is challenging, I was grateful that I was learning under Ms. Jones and how she understood how to organize it well. I was also encouraged to see my department members there even though it was a Saturday morning and we were all having a good time together. The Latin teachers themselves are much like a family and this is almost like a family reunion every year for us.”
Convention Coordinator and Associate Editor, Ben Woodard had this to say about the event:
“I thought JCL was great this year and everything went smoothly. It was really special to host JCL two times in a row and was an even bigger honor to be able to be the convention coordinator for this event. I had a great time competing and leading others during the event. I want to thank Magistra Jones and Hudec for doing a lot of the planning for the event and for helping me during the planning of the event.”
This fun day consists of a plethora of different Latin tests. Jesuit students dominated these tests and competitions with 25 students taking a top 5 spot. This reflects the great job our Latin teachers are doing and the love for Latin within the Jesuit community. Here are the top-placing Jesuit students from the past weekend:
| 1st Place | Roman History Level 3 | Grant Cooper |
| 1st Place | Volleyball | Jesuit Dallas |
| 1st Place | Chess Tournament | Jonathan Adee |
| 1st Place | Greek History Level 2 | Royce Szarzynski |
| 1st Place | Latin Literature Level 1 | Teddy Matthews |
| 1st Place | Sight Latin Reading Level 1 | Teddy Matthews |
| 2nd Place | Latin Oratory Level 2 | Andrew McMahon |
| 2nd Place | Sight Latin Reading Level 2 | Andrew McMahon |
| 2nd Place | Greek Life and Literature Level 2 | Ben Woodard |
| 2nd Place | Greek Life and Literature Level 3 | Brandon Gibson |
| 2nd Place | Mottoes Level 3 | Brandon Gibson |
| 2nd Place | Latin Derivatives Level 1 | Davis Macy |
| 2nd Place | Vocal: Solo – Alto/Bass | Ethan Talatala |
| 2nd Place | Mythology Level 3 | Grant Cooper |
| 2nd Place | Roman History Level 1 | Henry Muns |
| 2nd Place | Basketball | Jesuit Dallas |
| 2nd Place | Latin Derivatives Level 3 | John Fowler |
| 2nd Place | Mottoes Level 2 | Massimo Caruso |
| 2nd Place | Latin Oratory Level 2 | Tony Kohler |
| 2nd Place | Latin Literature Level 1 | Tyler Kriete |
| 3rd Place | Mythology Level 3 | Jackson Schutze |
| 3rd Place | Roman Life Level Veteran | Jose Alvarado |
| 3rd Place | Electronic Art | Lucian Matula |
| 3rd Place | Reading Comprehension II Level 2 | Michael Hasenfratz |
| 3rd Place | Latin Literature Level 1 | Nicholas Hajovsky |
| 3rd Place | Sight Latin Reading Level 1 | West Rodgers |
| 3rd Place | Pottery | Wiley Lent |
| 4th Place | Classical Art Level 2 | Flyn Hughes |
| 4th Place | Sight Latin Reading Level 2 | Lucian Matula |
| 4th Place | Greek Derivatives Level 2 | Luke Nettune |
| 4th Place | Advanced Grammar Level 3 | Nicholas Westerheide |
| 4th Place | Decathlon Level 2 | Sam Carley |
| 4th Place | Ancient Geography Level 1 | Tyler Kriete |
| 5th Place | Greek Derivatives Level 3 | John Fowler |
| 5th Place | Reading Comprehension II Level 2 | Lucian Matula |
| 5th Place | Sight Latin Reading Level 2 | Massimo Caruso |
| 5th Place | Monochromatic Drawing | Massimo Caruso |
| 5th Place | Greek Derivatives Level 2 | Sam Carley |
“I enjoyed meeting new people from different schools and engaging with my peers” – Cole Kostos ’24
Now members of JCL get ready to go compete in the state final at Flower Mound Marcus High School on April 14th-15th. Hopefully, they continue their success and represent Jesuit well in the Latin community.
Stay tuned to The Roundup for more JCL coverage!
