New Jersey Junior Classical League
| General Information | |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1949 |
| Parent Organization | NJCL |
| Purpose | Classical Antiquity |
| Website | njjcl |
| Publication | The Nuntius |
| Elected Officers[1] | |
| Consul | Miazaly Sipaque |
| Proconsul | Aanya Prabu |
| Parliamentarian | Nikhil Thummala |
| Recording Scriba | Nishka Vyas |
| Corresponding Scriba | Dipti Reddy |
| Historians | Catherine Chan and Sophia Cheenath |
The New Jersey Junior Classical League (abbreviated NJ-JCL) is New Jersey's chapter of the National Junior Classical League (NJCL), an organization of secondary school students, focused around the celebration of the classics, especially the culture and language of Ancient Rome.[2] The NJ-JCL hosts an annual state convention[3] as well as Certamen, a Latin Knowledge Bowl at Princeton University.[4] As of 2023, there are 46 chapters of the NJ-JCL, including 35 chapters affiliated with a school and 11 chapters not affiliated with a school.[5] They have a membership of 1129 individuals, consisting of Latin students across the state of New Jersey.[6] The NJ-JCL publishes a student newsletter, The Nuntius, which highlights chapter activities, upcoming events, and classical articles.
History
[edit]The NJ-JCL was founded in 1949, with the goal of promoting the study of the language and culture of Ancient Rome among middle and high school students. The NJ-JCL held its first state convention in 1950,[7] and has continued that tradition since, holding conventions which include academic, artistic, and athletic competitions with some relation back to Ancient Rome.[8]
Over the past decades, the NJ-JCL has expanded to include many chapters consisting primarily of Latin Clubs from schools across the state of New Jersey. They organize events for Latin students throughout the area, including Certamen, a Latin Knowledge Bowl competition where teams from schools across New Jersey compete in the areas of Roman history, mythology and culture as well as Latin grammar.[9] The NJ-JCL also maintains a strong presence at the National Latin Convention, hosted by the NJCL, with many NJ-JCL members winning awards at the national convention.[2]
The NJ-JCL is governed by a student-elected and appointed Executive Board. The board includes officers responsible for event planning, fundraising, outreach, and the organization of major events such as the State Convention and Certamen. They operate under the guidance of three state chairpersons, who are members of the American Classical League and involved with NJ-JCL affairs.[10][11][12]
State convention
[edit]The NJ-JCL hosts an annual state convention, which includes academic, athletic, and artistic competitions that celebrate Ancient Rome, held most recently in 2025 at Ridgewood High School.[13] Competitions include tests on Latin literature, grammar, and vocabulary, Roman history and mythology, Name that Place and Name That Deity, Open Certamen, Latin oratory, dramatic interpretations, painting, track and field events, and a (human drawn) chariot race.[14][7] Elections for the executive board are held at the state convention, with two voting delegates from each school voting on candidates for Consul, Proconsul, Parliamentarian, Recording Scriba, Corresponding Scriba, and the Historians.[11][12]
The NJ-JCL state convention was also recognized by the governor of New Jersey, Phil Murphy, who commended the NJ-JCL for fostering an "engaging academic atmosphere" and recognized the attendees, including Latin teachers.[13]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Board Members". NJ-JCL. Retrieved 2025-04-06.
- ^ a b "Who We Are". NJ-JCL. Retrieved 2025-04-06.
- ^ "Clearview hosts convention". NJ.com. 2010-05-20. Retrieved 2025-04-06.
- ^ "Certamen". NJ-JCL. Retrieved 2025-04-06.
- ^ "School Members". NJ-JCL. Retrieved 2025-04-06.
- ^ "Student IDs 2024-25". Google Docs. Retrieved 2025-04-06.
- ^ a b "Nuntius Newsletter". NJ-JCL. Retrieved 2025-04-06.
- ^ Bowman, Bill (2017-04-29). "FHS Hosts New Jersey Junior Classical League Convention". The Franklin Reporter & Advocate. Retrieved 2025-04-06.
- ^ Barrett, Laurel Rose. "Gateway's Certamen Team Arrives at Princeton!". The Chomp. Retrieved 2025-04-06.
- ^ Katok, Zoa (July 2018). "Torch: United" (PDF). Retrieved 2025-04-06.
- ^ a b Towns, Around Our (2011-10-18). "Gateway students elected to board". nj. Retrieved 2025-04-06.
- ^ a b "Constitution". NJ-JCL. Retrieved 2025-04-06.
- ^ a b "State Convention". NJ-JCL. Retrieved 2025-04-06.
- ^ "Latin Club Hosts Annual Chariot Races on Burke Field". www.mbs.net. 2022-05-27. Retrieved 2025-04-06.