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 world, houses one of the largest delegations within the US. Competing viciously, only the winners of each competition advance to the NJCL competition this summer.
The Jesuit team surpassed expectations, bringing home far more ribbons and trophies than ever before. For a full list of award winners, see the end of this article. Due to the tremendous amount of wins, Jesuit won the coveted tenth place sweepstakes. Sweepstakes factors in overall scores as well as the club itself, and to win against such large clubs defied expectations. To put the victory into perspective, several delegations brought over two hundred people to the convention alone. Ms. Jones, Jesuit JCL club moderator, was overwhelmed with the team’s surprising win, “proud of the delegates for their enthusiasm and devotion.”
Jesuit’s Latin team received yet another achievement, winning a club-first elected seat on the TSJCL board! Junior Jack Mason ran and won against heated competition, using his enthusiasm and bright ideas to secure the Treasurer position. Jack confirmed the club’s latest win “establishes our chapter as a powerhouse in this state,” one of a select few delegations with a member on the state board. As Treasurer, Jack will be managing the costs of next year’s state convention, applying finance and smart business choices to real life situations.
Magistra (Latin for teacher) Jones stated this month’s competition was “the best state convention [she’s] ever attended,” surpassing her wildest expectations from the club’s genesis four years ago. As each year passes, JCL continues to grow through the combined efforts of hardworking teachers and dedicated students. From hosting a convention on campus to winning a plethora of awards, 2015 has resurrected the Classics at Jesuit.
The final phase of Latin for this year will be the National Convention this summer in San Antonio. Taking place at the beautiful Trinity University, fifteen Jesuit students will compete against some of the nation’s best for a chance at the highest level of recognition. The award winners at state conventions usually qualify for a shot at this prestigious event. However, due to the abnormally high number of award winners and pentathlon finalists, only the overall highest scoring delegates from Jesuit will travel to San Antonio for this years convention from July 27-August 1. Freshman Carson Ward happily anticipates attending Nationals for the first time, “looking forward to meeting new people and participating in different competitions.” Unlike at the state and area competitions, delegates are encouraged to take as many competitions as they wish this summer. In addition, many new events including impromptu art occur solely at this grandiose competition. Impromptu art challenges participants to create classical art from unconventional media, yielding stunning artistic pieces in this unique event.
JCL continues to surpass expectations, growing rapidly into a major contender among the Texas delegations. The club has progressed far from Ms. Jones’ first year, where only four students attended nationals with heavy coercion. Delegates live out the JCL creed by “[handing] on the torch of classical civilization in the modern world” through competition and community. With their passionate leader Magistra Jones, these enthusiastic students set out to prove that Latin lives on through the Junior Classical League’s unquenchable spirit.
Ribbons:
1st Rafael Anguiano Pottery
1st Giovanni Rivas Latin Reading Comprehension
2nd Zachary Schutze Ancient Geography
2nd John Alfred Zevallos Open Certamen
2nd Michael Miramontes Open Certamen
3rd Carson Ward Models
4th Zachary Schutze Latin Reading Comprehension Advanced Prose
4th Aidan Leahy Costume
4th Dylan O’Donnell Costume
4th Joe Vance Decathlon
4th Carson Ward Mottoes
5th Alex Motter Dramatic Interpretation
5th Joe Vance Polychromatic Drawing
5th Giovanni Rivas Latin Derivatives
5th Giovanni Rivas Latin Oratory
5th Jared Petroll Greek Life & Literature
5th Jaylon Briscoe Greek Derivatives
5th John Alfred Zevallos Mythology
Pentathlon: Pentathalon is taken universally by every delegate who attends state. The highest scoring are placed into divisions based on their score, and qualifying for any place is a prestigious honor few achieve.
1st Zachary Schutze
1st Joe Vance
1st Cameron Schutze
1st Jack Schwab
1st Giovanni Rivas
1st John Alfred Zevallos
2nd Rafael Anguiano
2nd Aidan Leahy
2nd Jack Mason
2nd Rory Allison
2nd Knox Higginbotham
2nd Kieran Taylor
2nd Jaylon Briscoe
2nd Carter Elliott
2nd Solon Hamer
2nd Michael Miramontes
2nd Nick Motter
2nd Jared Petroll
2nd Carson Ward
3rd Patrick Miramontes
3rd Joseph Duebner
3rd Alex Motter
3rd Killian Leonard
3rd Chase McCrea
3rd Nathan Ampil
4th Kristian Baluyot
4th Dylan O’Donnell
4th Spencer Barnett
4th Andrew Easterling
4th Dylan Pflum
4th Jordan Pflum
4th Ben Miller
