Photo Credit: Catherine Atkinson[/caption]Latin Club students from Orange High School and Cedar Ridge High School participated in the 2014 North Carolina Junior Classical League (NCJCL) convention from April 11 to 12 at UNC Chapel Hill. Members competed in a wide variety of contests, including graphic arts competitions, academic tests, and Certamen finals.
Individual OHS students placed in multiple contests, and the Orange County Junior Classical League (OCJCL) team won second place in the spirit competition. The results for many contests have not been announced yet.
OCJCL members made tie-dyed T-shirts to wear to the convention Tuesday, April 8. They left school early April 11 and arrived at UNC Chapel Hill in time for the opening ceremony in the Fetzer Gym, where NCJCL president Brittany Burns introduced the convention. Afterwards, some contests, including the skit contest and essay contest, took place. From 8 pm to 10 pm, a dance was held in the gym.
The next day, all OCJCL members took academic tests and two teams competed in Certamen finals. Professors and students hosted seminars about the Vindolanda tablets, animal sacrifices, Greek and Roman comedy, and Greek and Roman women. Atkinson, who watched the animal sacrifice seminar, “Blood for the Gods: Animal Sacrifices in the Greek and Roman World,” said it was “very interesting and the speaker was very knowledgeable on the subject, which made it even more enjoyable.” The seminar was taught by James Rives, a professor.
Nicholas Mauriello, an OCJCL sponsor and OHS Latin teacher, said, “[The convention] was good. We always have hiccups [because we’re] such a small group.” He wished the parking lot for the bus was bigger because he had to do “bus acrobatics” to exit it, but he liked the overall location of the convention, stating, “I always enjoy Chapel Hill.” He said that one benefit of holding the convention at Wake Forest, where it was last year, is that it is “not open” so there is “some safety.”
Nicholas Mauriello, the Latin teacher at OHS, bussed CRHS Latin students from CRHS to OHS. Once he returned to OHS with the CRHS students, students from both schools donned togas and talked among themselves while the officers prepared their scripts. After a few minutes, the students were called out into the hallway to begin the initiation.
The first part of the initiation was a series of speeches by each officer about Latin and different aspects of Roman culture. Some speeches described why Latin is still important today. After all the officers finished speaking, students gathered around Mauriello and began the second part of the initiation- hitting a piñata shaped like a present. After a couple of students hit it, the bottom opened and lollipops and Tootsie Rolls fell onto the floor. Some students eagerly tried to grab the fallen candy.
The next stage of the initiation was the oath. Students promised to value Latin above all other languages, then the officers coated their hands in gold paint and highfived each new member. After the ceremony was finished, members ate chocolate cake and drank fruit punch, placing their plates in a pile that would be sacrificed to Zeus.
Michaela Champion, the OHS consul, said, “I think the turnout was really good this year.” Mauriello said, “The omens were good.” His wife, Celeste, added that, “Zeus is pleased.”
Mauriello and others planning the trip are considering going on the trip without a tour company. He has been to Europe twice, and he “liked it much better when [he] was not with a tour group.” The trip is expected to cost $3000 to $4000.
When asked where the group will go to in Europe, Mauriello replied, “Currently Britain, France and Italy are on the list.” He also noted that “it depends,” since this list could change in the future.
Mauriello’s previous two trips to Europe “absolutely” influenced his decision to take OCJCL students to Europe. “Every break I think about how nice it would be to backpack in Europe.”
Students are advised to bring their parents to the meeting.
May 21, the Orange County Junior Classical League held its annual end of the year banquet, which featured games, art presentations, a potluck style dinner, and a presentation of awards both from the NC State Latin Convention and to induct members into the National Latin Honors Society.
The event, which was held from 5 to 7 pm, was set up on the patio between the 200 and 300 wings at OHS. This yearly tradition is held annually every May as it serves as a great way to wrap up the year and present the awards from the state convention, held in April.
The evening started off with a sacrifice, a piñata, as usual, to ask the ancient gods for their blessing. This year’s sacrifice was a Medusa head made by the Latin IV class. After the sacrifice was complete, Nicholas Mauriello, the OHS Latin teacher, auctioned off Latin I students in the traditional slave auction in which students and parents can purchase the use of a beginning student to get their food and stand as a placeholder in line. The money raised goes to a charity of Mauriello’s choice.
Dinner started at around 5:45 and featured barbequed pork that Mauriello grilled throughout the course of the day with help from volunteer Dave Golembiski. Vegetarian black bean burgers were also offered for the non-meat eaters as well as a variety of sides and desserts brought.
At 6:15, the awards ceremony started with Elizabeth Clark, the Cedar Ridge Latin teacher, giving her students awards based on accomplishment in their respective Latin levels. Mauriello followed suit, awarding about three certificates per level.
The North Carolina State Convention awards were next, as many OCJCL members received awards for their accomplishments at the convention. For a list of OHS awards, please click here.
After all OCJCLers received their awards, the inductees to the National Latin Honors Society gathered around the teachers and participated in the ceremony, in which they had to recite phrases in Latin.
The theme of the year was Back to the Future, leading to OCJCL's decision to make a TARDIS, the time box of the Doctor from the BBC show Doctor Who.
Individual events ranged from Olympika, the field day type activities, to arts events to Certamen, which is a Latin quiz bowl competition. Students compete for individual points by placing in the competition, which contributes to the total amount of points that the team earns as a whole.
In individual competitions, many OCJCL members placed for their hard work. Awards for Orange High School members include:
Catie Atkinson: 3rd in Dramatic Interpretation Girls Poetry
Brandon Clark: 3rd in Chariot Races, 4th in 100m male, 5th in 400m male, 1st in Catapult
Sarah Oechsle: 3rd in Colored Pencil, 2nd in Maps, 5th in Derivatives I test
Jay Huskins: 2nd in Dramatic Interpretation Boys II, 3rd in Derivatives II test
Derian Green: 5th in Grammar I test
Sarah Vassello: 3rd in Essay 12
Sylvie Baggett: 5th in Enhanced Photography
Christina Jones: 2nd in 400m Female, 3rd in Chariot Races, 2nd in Mile Run Female
Kevin Sips: 5th in Co-ed Medley Male, 1st in 400m male, 2nd in 100m Male, 5th in Mythology III test, 3rd in Chariot Races
Benjamin Peckman: 5th in Derivatives I test
Hannah Mignosa: 2nd in Enhanced Photography, 3rd in 4x200m Female
Nicolas Peckman: 5th in Essay 12, 4th in Derivatives IV test
MIchaela Champion: 2nd in 4x200m Female, 4th in Pentathlon III test
Senior Kevin Sips thought the convention went well. “My favorite part was Olympika because I won a lot of stuff.”
The Orange County Junior Classical League kicked off the start of a new year October 25 as new members were officially inducted into the club. The thirty minute long ceremony took place under the oak tree, sacred to Zeus, between first and second wings. As members old and new gathered at the tree, they were decked out in Carolina blue togae and golden wreaths to commemorate the official meeting of the past, present, and future. At 4:30 pm, 2nd Vice-President Grace Huskins, senior, started the ceremony by welcoming the Orange High and Cedar Ridge members and offering them a piñata in the shape of a present. “In ancient Rome, before a ceremony, priests would sacrifice an animal to verify the omens,” Huskins said. “Today, this multi-colored gift has volunteered to ensure the success of our fantastic occasion. Let us take a short moment to adore the gift.”
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1st Vice-President Katherine Kirkman followed: “With each piece of candy that falls from this offering, you receive a friend, an ally, and the nourishment of your body and mind.”
After the breaking of the piñata, five executive members stood in a pentagram and required the inductees to go on a journey of mythological proportions to learn why the Classics are important. President Sarah Vassello spoke first, educating the new members about the impact of the Classics on modern society. Kirkman spoke of literature next, reading in a verse poem to further emphasize her point. Senior Nicolas Peckman, convention chair, pointed out how the United State’s structure of government and law-making processes are attributed to the ancients. Cedar Ridge Tribunes Chris Tauer and Lucas Barrick spoke of Classically inspired art followed by Huskins’s speech about the impact of Latin on other languages.
After the speeches, members took an oath promising to “proclaim the study of Latin to be above all others be they alive or dead.” They were asked, “Do you covenant to hand on the torch of the classical civilization in the modern world?” The inductees were then asked perhaps the most important question of the night: do you accept the friendly hand of JCL? If the member said yes, a hand covered in gold paint high fived him or her, leaving the JCL mark on the inductee.
After a quick hand washing, the members and teachers had time to partake in refreshments.“I think that it went very well. I feel that everyone had a lot of fun and that it really encouraged them to work hard,” Kirkman said.
The next general meeting will be November 8 in Mr. Mauriello’s room.
The meeting was opened by Donna Coffey, chair, who read the agenda and introduced the moment of silence. The moment of silence was in memory for a deceased board member. Next, Gilbert gave a short introduction and asked for Nicholas Mauriello to elaborate on the OCJCL National wins. Mauriello recognized the efforts of 2012 Cedar Ridge graduate Alden Roberts, Kirkman, and Vassello.
"I think it was really cool that we were recognized," said Vassello. "We worked really hard all year, especially on that scrapbook, and it's nice to know that other people appreciate that." When asked if the recognition would change OCJCL's approach to the current year, Vassello responded, "Definitely. Because we had a really successful year last year, there are a lot of expectations for OCJCL. We have to make sure that we're prepared to meet those expectations, if not exceed them, regarding everything that we do."