Salvete, JCLers! Since the publication of the last edition of the Torch, California JCL held its second executive board meeting, where we convened over Zoom to review the highlights of our regional conventions and discuss plans for the rest of the year. Both Ludi in northern California and SCRAM in southern California were huge successes, and some of the most memorable moments included colloquia sessions, face painting, omnioke (karaoke but everyone sings at once!), Daedalus-themed escape rooms, and dodgeball. Seeing the energy at these conventions has only fueled our excitement for what’s yet to come this year.
Looking ahead, California Regional Certamen (CaRCer) will take place on Saturday, Feb. 25, where teams from each school will have the opportunity to secure their spots in competitive certamen at state convention! The state convention itself will be hosted by Miramonte from Friday, March 31 to Saturday, April 1. The Miramonte board has been hard at work organizing the event and has an exciting lineup of activities planned, including bubble soccer, a Roman rap battle, an airbrush tattoo station, and an outdoor movie theater. We cannot wait to see everyone at our first in-person state convention since the pandemic began!
This winter, AZJCL has continued our slew of events. In late November, we hosted Fall Forum at Arizona State University. This event had more than 300 JCLers attend and was extremely fun—-it had speakers from the university, local schools, and even the FBI. AZJCLers were left with a better understanding of Latin and classics, which they gained through a day of fun. After this, Brophy Xavier Preparatory hosted a Certamen tournament in honor of Saturnalia, where students faced off in some rounds of Certamen and then performed service, making coloring books for the local children’s hospital. January saw the Agonalia tournament, where students played Certamen and then created New Year’s posters. Lupercalia Certamen came in February, but all of these events paved the way for one thing— State Convention in March. This day of Classics fun will include Certamen, sports, art, testing, karaoke, and so much more!