LSMSA Junior Classical League rides into victory at annual convention

Students were able to assemble catupults, ride chariots, participate in Olympic sports and wear traditional Greek and Roman garbs at this annual event!
Fifteen student representatives from the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts’s (LSMSA) Junior Classical League (JCL) participated in the annual Louisiana JCL Convention in Baton Rouge. The event, themed “Apes non sunt solitaria natura (bees are not of a solitary nature),” took place on March 15-17, and it hosted an exciting weekend of Roman- and Greek-related competitions, activities and networking among like-minded peers.

The club’s sponsor, Instructor of Latin Morris Tichenor, accurately, and humorously, documented the event, having been the first one the school has attended in many years.
            
“LSMSA revived its JCL chapter this fall after a five year hiatus and approached this year’s convention as an exploratory scout mission,” Tichenor recorded. “Our students, at roughly a quarter the delegation size of some larger schools, were initially disoriented by their findings, as the intensity of the opening Spirit Assembly left them fairly shook. However, they quickly regained their footing, and by the end of the first day they were singing karaoke and running for state offices.”
            
The weekend included academic initiatives, including competitive test-taking, performances and graphic art presentations. In addition, students also participated in Olympic sports, attended spirit contests, assembled and demonstrated catapults, rode handmade chariots and accomplished all of this while wearing festive togas and traditional Greek and Roman adornments.
            
Over the course of the event, LSMSA’s JCL group won a number of awards. They received a 2nd place Ludi Spirit Award, as well as 2nd place in Catapult, 3rd place in Chariot, and 3rd place in Scrapbook.
            
The following students received individual awards and honors for their respective competitions and levels:
  • Sneha Anthony (’21) (Club Parliamentarian) – 2nd place in Graphic Arts: Traditional Photography
  • Margaret Courtney (’21) – 2nd place in Graphic Arts: Pencil
  • Marinna Curtis (’20) – 3rd place in Ancient Geography, 3rd place in Roman History and 4th place in Classical Literature
  • Cayla Garrett (’20) (Club 2nd Vice-President pro tem) – 1st place in Classical Literature, 3rd place in Latin Reading Comprehension, 4th place in Latin Mottoes and Abbreviations and 5th place in Graphic Arts: Maps
  • Tarun Kakarala (’20) (Club President) – 3rd place in Graphic Arts: Traditional Photography
  • Corinne LeBlanc (’21) – 5th place in Latin Grammar
  • Hieu Pham (’20) (Club Certamen Chair) – 1st place in Classical Mythology, 1st place in Roman History and 2nd place in Latin Derivatives
  • Gage Pinckley (’21 ) (Club 1st Vice-President) – 10th place overall in Individual Academic Sweepstakes, 1st place in Art and Architecture, 1st place in Creative Arts: Costume, 1st place in Greek Pentathlon, 1st place in Latin Grammar, 1st place in Graphic Arts: Pottery and 4th place in Ancient Geography
  • Jack Rhymes (’21) – 5th place in Sight Latin Reading
  • Bailey Saucier (’20) – 2nd place in Classical Literature and 3rd place in Graphic Arts: Ink
  • Ryan Schleter (’21) – 2nd place in Classical Mythology; 2nd place in Roman History; 3rd place in Roman Life and Culture
  • Remi Thornhill (’21) – 3rd place in Classical Literature
Also in attendance were Club Tech Coordinator Madison Cook (’20), who was responsible for the chariot, Club Historian Kaitlyn Musgrove (‘21), who was responsible for the group’s banner and scrapbook, and Club Secretary Skylar Yan (’20). Members who participated in creating convention projects but were unable to attend were: 2nd Vice-President Tyler French (’21), who was responsible for the catapult, Sarah Johnson (’21), who designed the group’s convention t-shirts, Club Graphic Designer Kaitlin Mong (’21), Jason Min (’20) and Garrett Pattison (’19). Associate Lecturer of History Casey Green co-chaperoned the event alongside Tichenor, and Principal Lecturer of Physics Dr. Robert Dalling assisted in helping the group create the catapult.

“LSMSA JCL is excited to return to the State Convention next year and encourages any interested students to join the club!” expressed Tichenor. “The group would like to thank the LSMSA Foundation’s Student Enrichment Fund for assisting our delegates with travel and registration.” The LSMSA Foundation works to provide professional development and enrichment opportunities for students, faculty and staff at LSMSA.

Faculty members in LSMSA’s Language Department are passionate about offering students enrichment opportunities throughout the course of the year, from attending conventions to encouraging exploration and immersion into the language’s origin and culture. Currently, the school offers studies in Latin, French, Spanish, German, Chinese and Arabic and will be offering Greek next year. Interested in exploring one of these courses? The school is currently receiving applications for 2019-2020 enrollment at www.LSMSA.edu/apply.
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