AWARDS · Torch: U.S. · Fall 2020
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The NJCL Convention Packet Award covers the fees of national convention to one deserving student as selected by the NJCL Officers. This year, the 2019-2020 NJCL Officers were honored to offer the NJCL Convention Packet Award to Jesse Hogan. Jesse’s tireless commitment and exceptional contributions to the JCL exemplify the values of the NJCL Packet Award: he has served as Advanced Math and Science Academy Charter School’s historian, second vice president, and first vice president; the 2017-2018 Massachusetts Junior Classical League Historian; and the 2018-2019 National Junior Classical League Historian. He has also earned numerous awards, most notably for graphic arts, at the national level.
Ms. Mary Jane Koons is the winner of this year’s Ed Phinney Book Award! The award is given to a distinguished sponsor or chaperone who has served the JCL for many years. It takes its name from Mr. Ed Phinney, a classics professor at the University of Massachusetts and a former president of ACL. Ms. Koons has dedicated her summers to NJCL conventions since 1998, as a teacher at the Upper Dublin High School in Pennsylvania. She is a proud member of SPQR, an organization of retired teachers and National Committee members. Since Pennsylvania’s delegation was quite small, Ms. Koons had been the only PA teacher there for several years. Nevertheless, she has always been eager to lend a hand and strike up a conversation.
She is well-loved for her
loyalty, humility, and selflessness. She is vivacious, frequently seen with a smile on her face, and she loves to have fun. Congratulations to Ms. Koons!
Mrs. Sue Robertson is the winner of this year’s Mildred Sterling Award! Ms. Sterling, the inspiration for this award, helped plan the first-ever national convention and attended the 42 conventions that came after. The award goes to someone who has gone to many conventions and has distinguished themselves with dedication to the NJCL. Mrs. Robertson has been involved in the JCL for 48 years. As a distinguished teacher of Midlothian High School, she was a mentor of the largest Latin club in the nation. Her passion for the classics and her ability to foster personal growth were factors that inspired so many students to join. It was also for these traits that Mrs. Robertson received many awards (once, she was recognized by the President of the United States). Mrs. Robertson is renowned for promoting classical influence in her community, and she is a compassionate advocate for service. She has chaired contests and planned conventions for the VJCL and NJCL, and she has served several terms on the NJCL National Committee. It’s clear that Mrs. Robertson precisely fits the bill and checks the boxes for this award, and hearty congratulations are in order!
NJCL Convention
Packet Award
Ed Phinney
Book Award
Mildred
Sterling Award