Members of the Latin Club and National Latin Honor Society will travel on Saturday, April 16th, to UNC-Chapel Hill to participate in the National Junior Classical League’s Spring Convention. Dr. Mash and Mrs. Mash will lead 26 Leesville students to the convention, an expansion from the smaller group of 20 that went last year. The event hosts nearly a thousand people, conducting seminars and talking about classics, as well as classically-themed academic and physical competitions.
Last year, Leesville students won first-place awards in dramatic interpretation, 1-mile, 4×100 relay, and banner. Other students competed in sight-reading Latin texts, art, costumes, discus, javelin, shotput, and mythological knowledge competitions. The Spring Convention is an excellent opportunity for Latin students to cement their knowledge and enrich their overall learning experience by talking to other Latin teachers and students.
“I had a lot of fun last year, especially at the athletic events, which is what I’m most excited about this year,” said Kayla Jensen. Jensen, a senior, was one of the students who won in the 4×100 relay. She also competed in academic events, and enjoyed the experience as a whole. Jensen sees the convention as one of the experiences that lead her to push herself and take AP Latin.
Additionally, Jensen is excited to see UNC. “I’m also looking forward to spending a day on UNC’s campus because I love it so much,” she said.
This year, Leesville students are taking the largest group yet and hope to win numerous competitions. Leesville will field teams in every relay and the large majority of academic competitions, including some returning competitors in the discus throw (frisbee toss) and javelin (softball throw), as well as the returning champions in 1-mile track race and banner competition.
To follow the students at the convention, follow the Leesville Road High School twitter account (@leesvilleroadhs) for updates throughout the day.
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