On Dec. 9, 2023, nine Middle School Junior Classical League participants competed at the Certamen Friendly Competition at the Fort Worth Country Day School.
The novice team comprised of seventh graders received fourth place out of 10 teams. The intermediate team, comprised of eighth graders, went against four other teams and placed first.
Both the novice and intermediate teams were competing against other Middle and Upper School teams from around the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex. This JCL competition was mainly to gain experience and practice and is separate from the main local, state or national JCL tournaments.
“It was very fun; we had a lively time with each other, and it was a great bonding moment,” eighth-grade student Tomal Khan said. “The competition was intense, but fun. Overcoming [the first-round loss] was such a great feeling.”
JCL is a national Latin competition organization allowing middle and upper school students to participate in contests at the local, state or national level. Some JCL topics include grammar tests, Roman history and mythology.
Questions at the competition ranged from Roman History to Listening Comprehension, Commands and Latin Vocabulary. Greek Art was not a topic for this competition, as it is for most.
In 2005, Middle School Latin Teacher Joan Romanosky started a JCL program for Middle School. Now, Greenhill has close to 60 members, with a third of them competing at the national level.
Greenhill’s Latin program helps prepare students for JCL by teaching topics similar to what could be expected at tournaments. Additionally, involved students attend extra practice sessions after school, and they study and teach themselves content on their own as well.
“We do similar concepts [to JCL] in class and students study on their own,” Middle School Latin Teacher Joan Romanosky said. “We also hold practices once a week after school.”
On Feb. 24, Greenhill Middle and Upper School students will participate in another local competition, and if they qualify, they will proceed to state tournaments in April. Nationals take place in July at the University of Knoxville.
