A REFLECTION ON THE JCL · Winter 2024 · Torch: U.S.
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translations, and mythology run by the JCL. My old teacher, Mr. Minion always made it a point to have us take it. He would make a whole class out of it and announce who did well after results were announced. He also gave everyone extra credit for taking it, and hosted a special night where he would give recognition to everyone who did well. After a year or two, most of us would actually look forward to taking it because of the national awards and recognition at NJCL.
Something that I’ve begun to find out is how much people love recognition. No matter where you are, if you recognize someone for their hard work, they should be way more enthusiastic about what they are involved in. Whether it be work, school, or clubs, they will want to come back. Maybe that’s why I was so drawn to the JCL. It was a place where I could not only engage in an awesome experience, but I could be recognized for my efforts in front of a national audience.
Additionally, in 1998, Julie Flaherty also wrote an article for the New York Times titled, “In America's Schools, Latin Enjoys a Renaissance.” I believe that her introduction sums up the expansive increase of Latin students. Flaherty writes, “Penny Cipolone's eighth-grade Latin students recently turned their classroom in Woodbury Heights, N.J., into a living hell. They covered the windows with black curtains, piped in dry-ice smoke and flashed red lights in their interpretation of Virgil's Underworld. That is about as close to dead as Latin gets these days.” So many people are interested in Latin, and teachers such as Cipolone are the reason for the revitalization of the community. She is able to energize students' passions with cool ideas such as an interpretation of Virgil’s Underworld. At the end of the day, the energy and enthusiasm given out by a teacher can be what makes a class interesting and enjoyable. If you were to ask sixth grade me, I would have never anticipated to be as involved with the Classics as I am. And honestly, I wouldn’t be where I am today without all of the teachers who have been instrumental in my education.
“The Passion of Latin Lovers”, an article published in 2007 by the Washington Post finally comes to the same conclusion. In the article, Catherine Price, the author, writes about a main event of JCL, Certamen. Certamen is a sort of trivia game, featuring five teammates on each team. The team has to be the first to answer a question and the question must be answered fully correct. If even one word can be misinterpreted, the answer is not right. Catherine branches off from the subject of Certamen however, and writes about the shift in teaching of Latin, “Latin teachers started placing more emphasis on Roman history and culture in an attempt to get kids interested in the classics in middle school.” Latin teachers are undoubtedly some of the most enthusiastic teachers because of this. I have never seen a history teacher, let alone a math teacher dress up in Roman armor for a day just to show us how cool it is. Like previously mentioned, I love Latin because of my teachers.
I was incredibly lucky and grateful to interview Sherwin Little, the president of the American Classical League (parent company of JCL). Speaking to Little about the JCL and Classics in general, it soon became obvious how important teachers were to the organization and community. One thing that struck out to me specifically was how much he spoke about the importance of being able to teach everyone. Specifically, Little said, “Y’know, really talking about throwing your classroom open for kids. Just because you learn differently doesn’t mean you can’t learn the same thing. You deserve to learn the same stuff. I was really happy about that... One of my proudest moments was we had a kid who started in the 1A class, did the 2A, we found a way- he got a 3 on the AP. And it’s like, he had the ability, we just had to help him sit through it and organize things and put things in a way he could understand. And as soon as he did it he was like ‘got it’.” Little may be the president of a giant organization, but many people forget that he was also a teacher. He loves the Classics, but even more so, he loves spreading the Classics to everybody. He spoke a lot about why the Classics should be accessible, and even shared an amazing story about a deaf student that found his own place in the Classics community (in Sicily nonetheless), “The one time we had a deaf student who traveled with us- he was in my AP class, wonderful kid, y’know he'd come to convention, done all kinds of things, he had his interpreter with him. And so, we're in Italy and y’know- all of us go out of this restaurant, and there's this group of Italian deaf students, and they were signing. Right away, I kinda looked at him and asked him if he understood. He said a little bit, he understood the letters signed. And he talked to them for like half an hour, and all of his friends were letting him stand there and enjoy the experience. I saw his mom at a parent teacher conference, and she said he talked to him nonstop.” It’s so incredibly important to be able to connect with people and Classics is a great way of doing it. They were speaking in Italian, but the AP student would have never had the opportunity to go on this trip and meet the students without the Classics. Little truly cares about the Classics and its opportunities that it provides. Because of teachers like Little, I am able to be involved with the Classics on such a deep level.
Eventually, sophomore year snuck up on me, and I was in a similar position as last year.
Like freshman year, I was still nervous to go to state convention, but at the same time, I was excited. If I could have a decent time at a place hours away from my house with people I had never met before, maybe this time could be even better.
In fact, Latin in general had begun to pique my interest. While I hated grammar (I still do), I loved reading real, authentic Latin texts. Before this year, we had read from a textbook, but now, it was the real deal. These people wrote this thousands of years ago, and I was lucky enough to read it.
I arrived to state convention, and everything changed. This was NOT like last year. I realized how much COVID had impacted every single thing people did. Suddenly, spirit, competitions, and colloquias (mini lessons from professors and other cool people) were all at the forefront of my mind.
Instead of thinking, Hey! This isn’t too bad!, I now thought, Hey! This is pretty awesome!. In fact, I actually made a bunch of friends and connections within the Ohio JCL. Coming home from convention, I was super excited. I realized that not only is Classics intriguing, but the community is equally as exciting and amicable.
Without knowing it, I was hooked. Before long, I became incredibly involved. At the end of sophomore year, I went to National Convention at Emory University. Before I had gone, I thought it would be like Ohio JCL, just a bit bigger. I was super wrong. My first day at Emory, I realized what I had gotten myself into. There were almost 4,000 kids just like me and we spent an entire week learning about the classics, playing sports, and competing with each other. At this point, I was desperate to become involved with my state in any way possible.
I ended up running for Ohio JCL Historian, a position in which I could combine two of my biggest interests at the moment: Classics and Photography. I ended up winning, and spent my Junior year working with an executive board of students. All of these kids lived in Ohio and wanted to spread their love for the Classics. It was, and still is, one of the best times I’ve had with a group of people. We all worked together to put together the 2022-2023 Ohio JCL Convention, and it was a HUGE success. We had more than 400 students attend! At the same time of hosting this convention, I decided to undertake the task of running for a high position: 1st Vice President. I honestly didn’t think I was going to win, as it seemed like a monumental task to win, but I did.
Over the next few months, I fulfilled my duties as the Vice President. This was until NJCL. I talked with my sponsors and state chairs, and they approved my campaign to run for national office. Now this, this was something I was scared about. That year’s national convention was being held at the University of Tennessee (UT) , and I would need to speak many, many times. One of which would be in front of a massive crowd.
I spent the next few weeks perfecting my campaign. I made posters, websites, and everything that I could. Of course, I procrastinated writing my many speeches until I arrived at UT, but everything else was ready. Over the next week, I campaigned my butt off. I handed out a bunch of pretty awesome flyers, and gave speeches in front of hundreds of people.
Finally, it was time for the big speech. I would be on the floor of the Tennessee Basketball Arena in front of around 5,000 people. Walking onto the stage, the arena was silent. I can’t begin to tell you how incredibly nervous I was. I mean, my palms were sweaty, and I was beginning to feel lightheaded— and that’s not the half of it. Looking at the crowd, I took a deep breath and spoke,
“Salvete Omnes!”
As soon as I started to speak, I realized how far I had made it. Thousands of people were here to watch me.
My heart beat started to slow down and I went into a zone of reminiscence and happiness. This was it. I was here. Before I knew it, the arena erupted into a mass of cheers and applause. It was over, and all I needed to do was to wait. I honestly was not sure that I was going to win my candidacy, and although my nerves for the speech were over, my nerves for the election were not. The next day I spent pacing around the university. Was I going to win? If so, what do I do? If I don’t, what happens now?
Finally, it was the day. I sat down in my seat and the day's General Assembly started. After making a few announcements, they started to read out the election results. It was time for the NJCL Historian results. I held my breath in anticipation for what felt like hours. Finally, they walked up to the podium and announced the results.
I couldn’t believe it. Here was this organization with more than 23,000 students, and I would help run it. I truly made it to the highest point I could.
The last few days of NJCL were a blur. People from everywhere in the country and beyond were congratulating me. I didn’t even know these people, yet somehow, they knew me.
Speaking to Felix Chen, the NJCL Editor, it’s easy to see why the JCL community is so ecstatically friendly. Felix is an incredibly outstanding guy who understands the real reason why so many people love the JCL. While speaking, we landed on a specific term: A method of connection. The Classics was a method of connection into lasting friendships and beliefs. Felix put into words my feelings. Yes, I loved Latin, but that wasn’t quite it. I had always thought that Latin and Greek were super interesting, but it wasn’t till I joined the JCL that I truly loved the Classics. I loved Classics because of the people involved with it. I loved Classics because of Certamen, and arts contests, and Agora (a marketplace), and sports, and most of all, the little traditions that had developed. Traditions such as JCL’s Got Talent, a yearly talent show that exhibits awesome tricks and performances, including a national officer sketch. Traditions such as oohing and ahhing simple prizes for spirit. Traditions such as cheering for the small states in spirit since they aren’t big enough to make a huge amount of noise.
In my opinion, this pretty much sums up the JCL— a group of supportive individuals who truly care about one another as much as they care about the Classics. That's why so many people love the JCL. That’s why I love the JCL.
The energy and enthusiasm given out by a teacher can be what makes a class interesting and enjoyable. I wouldn’t be where I am today without all of the teachers who have been instrumental in my education.