To some, without the excitement of spirit at GA and an almost universal unfamiliarity with the convention site, the first full day of convention can lack the same intensity the following days promise. Luckily for convention attendees, 2014-2015 Parliamentarian Ashley Blazek created a new activity to follow GA I that provides both intense competition and a fun way to learn the way around campus while making new friends. This year that activity, the inaugural JCL Scavenger Hunt, took Trinity by storm and will surely become a crowd favorite in years to come.
To begin, the JCLers who participated in the scavenger hunt divided up into ten teams. Blazek encouraged delegates to mix things up and make sure various states were represented in each group. Teams began with one clue on a puzzle piece that lead them to one of various locations on campus including a statue of Trinity’s tiger mascot and the ever-popular Mabee Dining Hall. Along the way, teams collected more puzzle pieces until they had the full set of pieces. After putting all of the pieces together, the full set revealed the final clue leading to the iconic bell tower where Blazek awaited participants with prizes galore.
Prizes ranged from magic towels, beads, a celebrity word find, and a large bag of Sour Patch Kids as well as Starbursts, Avengers stickers, and hugs for all. Despite a few unforeseen hiccups, the inaugural event was a resounding success. Participation was staggering for a first year event, with over one-hundred JCLers involved in the hunt. This event can best be described as perhaps the most interactive, least awkward first-day icebreaker to date for the JCL!
I am continually impressed with the immense dedication JCLers have for their community, and this year was absolutely not an exception. I received record numbers of Club of the Month submissions, and had such a hard time deciding which service project deserved a prize. Thank you all for your wonderful service projects – seeing them displayed throughout social media throughout National Classics Week has been the highlight of my year serving you. My goal of building up the service base of the JCL was accomplished – because of your dedication. I am thrilled to say we created over two hundred thank you cards for Letters to Soldiers, and we raised approximately 1700 dollars at convention to benefit A Million Thanks, a shelter organization in San Antonio.
Special recognition must be given to these clubs and individuals that demonstrated the prinicples of JCL.
Congratulations to the winners of the local community service contest:
3. Trinity Preparatory School, FL: The school followed closely the suggestions for Club of the Month projects, helping out hospitals, animals, and more. For National Classics Week, the club held two service projects, raising money for Habitat for Humanity and Nepalese earthquake victims.
2. Clearview Regional High School, NJ: The school held numerous events to help the community, with students spending hundreds of hours walking in runs as well as organizing blood drives.
1. McAuley High School, OH: McAuley organized a Togathon, simultaneously encouraging JCL publicity and service with fun games like “Pin the Arrow on Achilles”. and organized a “Gallic Wars” food drive competition with the French department. The club has participated in 640 hours of highly unique service projects this year, ranging from Project Linus to Christmas Caroling in Latin.
Congratulations to the winners of the individual community service contest:
3. Andrew String – Clearview Regional High School, NJ: Andrew worked closely with his club to plan his chapter’s service projects, and went above and beyond, painting rain barrels with Latin sayings to recycle rainwater, and selling pumpkins to benefit the March of Dimes.
2. Julia Cardinal – McAuley High School, OH: Julia was the main organizer of her school’s Togathon to benefit a school in Cincinnati, and created Hairbows for HOLT to raise money for Holt International Children’s Services.
1. Saumya Sao – Trinity Preparatory School, FL: Saumya planned many of the service events for her club, contacting organizations like pet shelters and even local frozen yogurt shop throughout the year to help her club plan service projects. She organized a coin wars in her school, encouraging non-JCLers to participate in a school-wide service event for National Classics Week.
Convention Sidebar: NJCL Scavenger Hunt
BY SARAH CHRISTIAN
2016 NSCL Historian
Below: Ashley Blazek, 2015 NJCL Parliamentarian, passes out clues at the Scavenger Hunt.
SERVICE AND COLLOQUIA · Torch:U.S. · Fall 2015
19
NJCL Service Update
BY NARAYAN SUNDARARAJAN
2015 NJCL 2nd Vice President
Below: The NJCL community serviece colloquium where JCLers wrote and decorated Letters to Soldiers.