NJCL
The National Junior Classical League
The National Junior Classical League is a secondary education organization which organizes academic competitions and activities based on the classics, whose purpose is to "encourage an interest in and an appreciation of the language, literature, and culture of ancient Greece and Rome and to impart an understanding of the debt of our own culture to that of Classical antiquity." The Texas State Junior Classical League is the Texas chapter of the NJCL, coordinating annual area and state conventions for students studying Latin and Greek throughout Texas. HPHS is a member of Area C, one of the five designated regions of the TSJCL, and sends students to the Area C convention each February. Students who perform well on academic contests may qualify to attend the state convention.
Four HP Latin students have served on the TSJCL board in recent history: Blake Burns served as the 2nd Vice President in the 2011-2012 school year, Spencer Allan served as the Editor in the 2017-2018 school year, and Luke Martin and Ashley Xie served as the 1st Vice President and Parliamentarian, respectively, in the 2018-2019 school year.
2019 NJCL CONVENTION
In late July, seven HP Latin students traveled to Fargo, ND to attend the 2019 NJCL National Convention at North Dakota State University. Joining several hundred Texans, the contingent of Ashley Xie, Michael Pagano, Liam Conner, Josh Martin, Luke Martin, Daniel Carrillo, and Sophia Chung (pictured left to right) dressed up in togas, won ribbons in academic contests (pictured to the right), lost their voices singing "the Stars at Night" with their fellow Texans, bartered at the Agora, danced at themed parties, and did much more. Thanks for a tremendous convention, NJCL!
Contest results:
Daniel Carrillo: 1st in Ancient Geography (I), 2nd in Reading Comprehension (1/2 B), 4th in Classical Art, 10th in Roman Life, 7th in Sight Reading (1/2 B), 7th in Essay (9th grade)
Sophia Chung: 1st in Mixed Media (10th grade)
Liam Conner: 5th in Essay (10th grade), 7th in Dramatic Interpretation (Poetry Male)
Josh Martin: 8th in Essay (10th grade), 10th in Reading Comprehension (IV)
Michael Pagano: 9th in Essay (10th grade)
Ashley Xie: 2nd in Mixed Media, 4th in Impromptu Art, 5th in Colored Pencil, 6th in Acrylic/Oil, 8th in Essay (11th grade)
Daniel Carrillo
Michael Pagano
Liam Conner
Academic contests
CertamenCreative Arts PassagesDecathlonGeographyGreek DerivativesGreek HistoryGreek Life and LiteratureGrammarLatin DerivativesLatin LiteratureMottoesMythologyReading ComprehensionRoman HistoryRoman LifeVocabularyArt contests
Watercolor or pastelsMonochromatic drawingPolychromatic drawingOil paint or acrylic paintMosaicsMixed mediaSculptureModelsElectronic artwork
TSJCL Contests
TSJCL offers a variety of contests, including academic tests, art and costume competitions, and a team certamen tournament. Academic contests are divided among eight levels. Latin I students compete in Level I, Latin 2 students in Level II, etc. Students may compete in one or two tests.
Certamen is a quizbowl style competition testing participants on facts about classical history, mythology, and literature. Teams consist of four students enrolled in classes in the same Latin level, and compete according to this level. The tournament begins with a qualifying stage for each level, with the top three scoring teams in each level continuing on to the final round and earning a trophy.