Farewell from the President
03
Salvete Omnes,
I want to start off by saying that serving as your 2020-2021 NCJCL President has been an honor. This year included a lot of firsts--the executive board, for the first time in many years, had almost entirely new members; this was the first year we had to hold state fellowship over Zoom for National Convention, this was the first time the board had to organize Fall Forum to be completely virtual, it's the first time North Carolina will have an improv competition at states, and it's the first time four states are coming together to have one big multi-state convention. This year was one of many firsts and every single one has brought us together to be a stronger, more dedicated, enthusiastic group of JCLers.
Five years ago I attended my first NCJCL State Convention at UNC-Chapel Hill. I entered every contest, went to many seminars, and took all of the academic tests available. In between events, I got to know the 2016-2017 Executive Board. They were kind and excited to meet me, they were enthusiastic about spirit and certamen, graphic arts, and olympica, they were enthusiastic about what it meant to be a JCLer. Being a member of the Junior Classical League means that you have a community wherever you go. You might not think you know anyone when you walk into a new building but look for the JCL shirts. Everywhere I go I notice people wearing a shirt from their time in school when they were a part of this wonderful organization. These are people you will meet who you will know for the rest of your life, and in them, you will find a friend.
Attending National Convention that summer reinforced my understanding of the JCL as a family. Our group of twenty-or-so students piled into vans and drove the five-hundred-thirty miles to Troy, Alabama. We sang songs the whole way there and worked on our skit for rollcall. At convention, we witnessed the murder of an inflatable dinosaur named Brandy and played a long game of assassins that ended in the then-president Gabe reigning supreme. I made friends who, despite living in different states across the country, continue to reunite every year and stay in contact for the twelve short months that connect one convention to the next. At that first national convention, I learned that there is a place for everyone in the JCL and that if you want to be more involved, there are people there to support you on that journey.