The First of Many
My First Time at
States: Fireball of All
Things Classic
To put my first State Convention in a nut-
shell, I would call it a fireball of exams, fun,
and everything relating to the Classics.
After the extremely long bus ride to Hyan-
nis, and registering, I was pretty much up
for anything, including the academic test-
ing and That’s Entertainment auditions. I
especially looked forward to the academic
testing, as that was the only thing I pre-
pared for, and even though I looked for-
ward to the auditions, I was nervous be-
cause I chose my act at the last minute.
I enjoyed the academic testing, because
I knew it would be what I was best at.
I was most confident in Hellenic His-
tory, because I knew not as many people
would take it, and I was least confident in
Mythology, because there would be more
people taking that test. I thought Roman
History was going to be okay, because I
studied, and I knew there would be some
competition. Fortunately, I did well on all
three tests, unlike what I initially thought.
After finishing the tests, I grabbed my
violin, and ran to That’s Entertainment
auditions. Since I chose to play violin the
night before States, I decided to play an
Irish jig that sounded impressive, but not
difficult to play. I got in, to my surprise,
and the actual performance was bet-
ter than what I played for the audition.
So much more went on during my time
in Hyannis, and I can’t wait for what’s
in store for the next State Convention.
Clair Fu, V
Conventions
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Now that I have gone to the National Junior
Classical League Convention once, I know
that I never want to stop; I never want
to stop being part of the Junior Classical
League, and I never want to miss a con-
vention. These thoughts are the outcome
of one of the best experiences in my life so
far: a fun-filled six days on Atlanta’s Emory
University campus. Yes, this was all for the
love of Latin, which Boston Latin School
teachers instill in so many of their students.
I had already had a pretty amazing year
in BLSJCL, having been there when BLS
won at States, a great feat, and having
attended and played at several Certamen
tournaments, scrimmages, and fora with
my great friends. Nationals, however, was
by far the best experience I had in JCL this
year, with the excitement and challenge of
Certamen at the national level, the myri-
ad of contests to enter, and the pride of
knowing that I was there representing my
state and my school at such a huge event.
The best thing about Nationals was the
support that everyone received there.
Everyone came to know each other bet-
ter, and bonds grew stronger between
us, so that it didn’t matter where you
came from or who you were but that you
were part of this great group of people,
who all came together to show their love
for the Classics. These feelings of uni-
ty and friendship were what made Na-
tional Convention such a wonderful ex-
perience, one which I hope will happen
again next year and in the years to come.
Anna Aldins, IV