Torch: U.S. LXXV Fall 2025 | Page 10

Baton Rouge Magnet High School, Louisiana

Fall 2025 · Torch: U.S. · CONVENTION RECAP

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2025 NJCL Convention Recap

Felix Chen, 2024-2025 NJCL Editor

It was in Miami. No: it was in Oxford. No — Ohio. Or could it have been all three?

On a hot late-July Sunday, at Miami University, in Oxford, Ohio, JCLers from around the country began to arrive — in ones, and in twos; four at a time, by Uber, or by even the dozens, as air-conditioned buses gave forth road-weary students and chaperones. Once more, as they have for the past seventy-two years, lovers of the Classics and appreciators of the Ancient Mediterranean gathered to join in an enduring annual tradition: the National Junior Classical League Convention.

After a night upon home-brought pillows and twin XL linens, convention attendees rose with eager anticipation to a day bursting with opportunity. Registration for events ranging from Ludi Chess to That’s Entertainment lay open to all, and the most difficult part of convention — choosing which activities to partake in — made itself readily apparent.

Convention opened officially with General Assembly I on the afternoon of Monday, July 21. First Vice President Yuki Mitchell, of Wisconsin — acting in place of in-transit President Lilia AitSahlia, of Florida, who, alongside many other attendees, had faced travel complications — called to order the meeting and shared a few words on the year’s theme: “Non Scholae sed Vitae Discimus” (derived from Seneca). She was followed by the JCL creed and song, after which the officers and committee members were introduced, the Miami University Police Department spoke briefly on safety, and Committee Vice Chair Jennifer Jordt discussed convention rules and regulations.

Publicity & Membership Chair Krystal Kubicheck presented the 2024-2025 membership report. The JCL faced a loss of 122 members, continuing the decline from 2023-2024, and in especial contrast to the initial post-pandemic increase.

Officers and board members announced a number of awards and discussed convention events such as the elections, service, and academic contests. Senior Kori McClane of the Ohio JCL then welcomed attendees to the state, and encouraged all to participate in the full breadth of convention activities.

the marathon, which opened at 7:15. Students lumbered by the dozen along a 2.6 mile route, hoping to complete their run before the sun burst into full force. Graduating senior members of the JCL joined the run as one of their first “slasher” — semi-SCL — activities. The day continued with testing, covering Mottoes, Abbreviations, & Quotations; Greek Language; Latin Grammar; and Roman History.

Propless spirit, themed “What’s Purple and Gold and Lives in Ohio?” preceded General Assembly III. Hawaii, Maine, Georgia, and Wisconsin triumphed, as announced by Second Vice President Audrey Lin. Following spirit, Parliamentarian Isabella Ochoa presented the 12 candidates for office. Each, with nervous anticipation, stepped forward to offer a short speech to those assembled, doing their best to offer a succinct, yet engaging outline of their own stories and campaign mission. Ochoa closed with an outline of the three amendments that states would later vote upon.

Following General Assembly, student-created Graphic Arts and Scrapbooks opened for public viewing. Visitors eyed with admiration the extent of the artwork and the skills of the artists, before hurrying to Academic Decathlon, or a chorus rehearsal, or Ludi Volleyball. Meanwhile, teachers, experienced and new, gathered at the Teaching/Learning Materials Display to explore myriad methods and resources for training students in the Classics.

After Agon, the recently-established competition most effectively described as “Greek Certamen”, students convened with their states in a high-stakes fellowship. The next day would see Silent Spirit (first introduced last Convention), and coordination and clarity were paramount. Second vice presidents and spirit leaders worked to corral their states into order, but time grew short. Before long, it was time for curfew.

Thursday saw the final academic testing session, students testing their knowledge on a number of language related exams: Latin Vocabulary; Greek Derivatives; Greek Life and Literature; and Latin Literature. The day’s main events, however, were those surrounding the elections. Candidates Open Forum dominated the morning, while the SCL held their elections at the same time. States voted on candidates and amendments just after noon, and Ochoa announced the results in General Assembly IV. This General Assembly also saw the presentation of the NJCL scholarships, the recognition of 56 longtime convention attendees, and the performance of the NJCL chorus.

The final full day of convention — Friday — was no less busy than those four preceding it. Students reaped the rewards of their earlier hard work with the morning awards ceremony, which presented ribbons to those who placed in academic testing, graphic arts, creative arts, or Olympika. Open Certamen followed, inviting all — regardless of experience — to explore a mainstay of the JCL. Competitive Certamen also saw their final rounds, pitting, in the senior division, Florida, Georgia, and Virginia against one another. The day’s spirit theme, Romecoming, highlighted both the JCL’s longtime Ohio roots as well as the community that had been forged throughout the convention. The climactic “Day in Old Rome” dinner led far-too-swiftly into the farewell dance (which closed with “Don’t Stop Believin’”, by Journey).

And, with this, convention came to a close. Students shared goodbyes as best they could, promising to text and exchanging contact information. Some left, the JCL already taking the shape of memory, while others marked their calendars for a late-July week in 2026. One convention ended: the next is already beginning.