CERTAMEN REPORT · Fall 2025 · Torch: U.S.
23
COMPETITIVE CERTAMEN WINNERS
COMPETITIVE CERTAMEN WINNERS
NOVICE
INTERMEDIATE
ADVANCED
1ST PLACE
Wisconsin
2ND PLACE
Massachusetts
3RD PLACE
Texas
MVP: William Schoonenberg (WI)
Three Certamen events (Competitive, Open and the World Series of Certamen) were held at the 2025 convention, inspiring students to study the ancient Mediterranean and classical languages. We appreciate and are proud of every student, teacher, and coach who participated in this year’s competition. The Certamen community is enriched by the spirit of fun and good sportsmanship that students bring to convention.
We also awarded a new recognition this year: the Certamen Empowerment Award for Women, that is thanks to the generosity and vision of former NJCL Certamen player and moderator, Sidhi Gosain. The primary aim of this award, which comes along with a check for $500, is to inspire women to pursue their studies of the classics through the game of Certamen. The award is given to a Certamen player of distinction who is a woman at the NJCL Convention who displays the following characteristics: mentorship of younger students; teamwork, leadership, and other contributions to their Certamen teams; and quality of play in Certamen rounds. This year’s recipient is Stella Anderson (NY).
The Certamen Hall of Fame is an honorary list for those who have won two or more NJCL championships. There are no additions to it this year; however, a new category has been established - Merens - to honor people who have made contributions to the NJCL Certamen community over a long period of time. The Certamen staff this year has chosen to honor Long-time Certamen coach Michael Howard, Beth Moguel, Ron Roessler, and Long-time Certamen moderator Andrew Rist. Congratulations to these new honorary members!
Any nominations for the Hall of Fame Merens are due by May 1 each year via this Google Form. Certamen staff and current Hall of Fame members who are members of ACL, for adults, or NJCL, for students, will receive a ballot and voting information each year by May 15.
Congratulations to all of this year’s Certamen competitors!
1ST PLACE
Massachusetts
2ND PLACE
Texas
3RD PLACE
Wisconsin
MVP: Meilin Sha (MA)
1ST PLACE
Georgia
2ND PLACE
Virginia
3RD PLACE
Florida
MVP: Thomas Pogorelec (MA) & William Zhao (GA)
Jennifer Luongo, NJCL Certamen Chair
CERTAMEN