On April 5 and 6, 20 Upper School Latin students competed in the annual Texas State Junior Classical League convention at Anderson High School in Austin.  

The TSJCL convention, which aims to promote the study of the classics, consists of several academic tests that cover topics including grammar, mythology, geography and vocabulary, as well as athletic events, known as ludi, and art competitions. Nine students placed fifth or higher in their tests, while freshman Celine Huang placed fourth for her electronic art submission and sophomore Abigail Poag placed first in Sight Recitation.

On the first day, all students took the Pentathlon, a test that asks a wide range of questions about a selected passage covering reading comprehension, Roman life, history, mythology and culture. Ten students placed summa cum laude and seven placed maxima cum laude.

AP Latin student Jenny Green, who placed first in the Advanced Reading Comprehension: Poetry test, also won the High Point Scorer award for earning the highest score on her test across all levels of Latin.

“I was happy with how I did,” Green said. “Last year, I was guessing on a majority of the questions, but with this test, I could actually read the passages, which made me feel good about my proficiency and my improvement in Latin.”

Green, a sophomore, said that although the School did not place in the overall Sweepstakes award, the JCL experience made the three-hour drive worth it. 

“It’s so cool being surrounded by people who care as much about the classics as you do,” Poag said. “You don’t see that very often.”