NJCL Service Update
Club of the Month
I am so glad that you all are participating in the Club of the Month Contest! We have had more submissions in the past three months than in any other year – and the numbers are still climbing! I am so excited to see that you are spreading the JCLove to your communities. it is so amazing to see and review the work that you have done. If you are interested in submitting a project, please visit the NJCL website, to view flyers and a full service calendar, as well as directions and rules for the contest.
In September, we had amazing submissions, ranging from the organization of a run to support cancer research to service projects in Mexico, all done in the name of the JCL. The winner of the September contest was Hendersonville High School in Hendersonville, Tennessee. At the beginning of August the school started their first ever semi-annual "New Year New Student" School Supply Drive. They donated school supplies to a large number of the area's lowest income families and their children, giving them the boost they need for the beginning of the year. These same students will receive donations again after the holiday season to prepare them for exams. The school also began a semi annual coffee fundraiser to raise money for their local JCL Scholarship, which donates almost $500 to the most deserving students in the classics programs at Hendersonville High School. In addition the school collected blankets for Project Linus to give to sick children in the area hospitals. The school is participating in the Nashville Greek Festival to celebrate the ancients, having fun with the locals without their textbooks.
The Boston Latin School JCL won the October Club of the Month Contest. On Oct. 5, 15 JCL members marched and chanted BLSJCL cheers in the annual Roslindale Day Parade, which was broadcasted on TV. They carried BLSJCL signs and banners, and were all dressed in togas -- they even pulled a member in a chariot! The club also taught members how to wear togas properly in the process (instead of, as they say, "Narayan's form-fitting toga at Nationals"). On Oct. 11, 10 JCLers and two sponsors reenacted seven of the labors of Hercules around downtown Boston, and taught new students about mythology in a fun and interactive manner.
On Oct. 24, the club hosted a pumpkin painting event. In order to get pumpkins, they reached out to a local grocery store, Roche Bros., and received a donation of one hundred dollars. With this money, they were able to buy 50 moderately-sized pumpkins. BLSJCL then collaborated with the BLS art department for brushes and equipment. To publicize this event, the chapter posted flyers around the school and advertised on social media. The club encouraged the creation of classically-themed pumpkin paintings, and rewarded the most creative and artistic. Finally, the club entered in their school's costume contest, and dressed in togas.
Thank you so much to the clubs who have submitted for the Club of the Month contest, and thanks to every club who has participated in a service project this year! I cannot wait to see the events your club will participate in for the next year. As always, if you have questions or need help with a service project, feel free to contact me at [email protected].
Narayan Sundararajan, NJCL Second Vice President
LA JCL Service
On Oct. 18, the Louisiana Junior Classical League held its annual Fall Forum at Catholic High School in Louisiana. As many local chapters joined together to celebrate the classics with Certamen, impromptu art, and icebreaker games, so did the LJCL’s annual Fall Forum service project. As entry into Fall Forum, the state board asked that delegates bring canned goods to benefit the less fortunate in the Baton Rouge area. In the span of the four-hour-long Fall Forum, LJCL collected more than 950 cans, all of which were donated to the Greater Baton Rouge Area Food Bank. The top school, bringing in right around 450 cans, was Parkview Baptist School. The Louisiana Junior Classical League
Below: Henderson High School, Club of September
Below: Boston Latin School, Club of October
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