Volume XIII Issue II Spring 2010

The CoJCL Torch

non est ad astra mollis e terris via

CoJCL Open Certamen 2010

Join the CoJCL for the premier certamen event of the year!

Saturday, February 27, 2010 Academy in Colorado Springs on February 27,

12:00 PM – 3:00 PM 2010. The event will include two hours of
The Classical Academy North Campus intense certamen competition followed by
games such as Psyche’s Task. Pizza will be
The annual CoJCL Open Certamen will be
held at the north campus of The Classical
Continued on 5

Latin Speaks Trick or Treat Fun Stuff

Congratulations Fairview for Cherry Creek Latin students Pictures from Fall Forum and
their accomplishments at the have fun and help kids. Latin puzzles.
CCFLT video contest!

Page 3 Page 6 Page 8

The CoJCL Torch Spring 2010

Salvete, omnes! We, your JCL board, have been busy

planning and preparing for what is destined to be an epic
CoJCL convention. We are particularly focused on ensuring
that the schedule runs as smoothly as possible so that
delegates may participate in as many Olympika and
Performing Arts competitions as possible. We’ve been
reworking the opening assembly and lunch schedules to
maximize time and will give all of you details shortly.
Additionally, our new Joel Berk scholarship will assist
students who need financial aid to attend convention. If
you’re interested, ask your sponsor for more information.
Thank you to everyone who contributed articles and photos
to this Torch! They are much appreciated.
I hope you enjoy reading about some of the exciting things
Latin clubs across the state have been doing, and that you
and your school’s club come up with some exciting activities
and fundraisers yourselves! Be sure to tell the Torch about
anything you do. See the last page for contact information.
From the In the meantime, did you know:

Editor • In the Vatican City, ATMs offer Latin as a language

option.
• The Anglicized pronunciation of ‘Caesar’ does not
share a single sound of the original Latin
pronunciation.
• The derivation of the word ‘trivia’ comes from the
Latin "tri-" + "via", which means three streets. This is
because in ancient times, at an intersection of three
streets in Rome (or any other Italian place), they
would have a type of kiosk where
ancillary information was listed.
All right, I’ve held you long enough. Go
explore the rest of the issue. If you have any
suggestions for the CoJCL, e-mail us at
sponsors@cojcl.com.

Erika Davidoff
CoJCL Editor

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The CoJCL Torch Spring 2010

Latin Speaks
Melissa Mika Fairview High School
This year, Fairview entered the video contest
sponsored by the Colorado Congress of
Foreign Language Teachers. We are happy to
report that Meridith Richter and Maiji Castro
won first place for their imaginative Beginning
Latin language entry. Meridith and Maiji
wrote and performed a skit about two girls
who like swords instead of dolls. Andie Brent
and Gia Nyhuis were runners up. Their skit
involved Sextus, Flavia, and Cornelia sub
arbore. In Intermediate Latin, Sam Rock and
Sam Urdang won first place. Urdang said "I
would recommend this contest to anyone
interested in perfecting their Latin, it is an
amazing opportunity to speak Latin." Urdang
is a highly acclaimed actor in the FHS theatre
department. His charisma is contagious. FHS
Latin urges more students, statewide, to
participate in this wonderful contest.
Intermediate Winners
Congratulations, Fairview! Sam Urdang and Sam Rock

Beginner Winners Beginner Runners Up

Meridith Richter and Maiji Castro Andie Brent and Gia Nyhuis
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The CoJCL Torch Spring 2010

Quid Novi?
The Fairview Latin Club kicks off the 2010 JCL season

by Sophie Gibert, Fairview Historian

Fairview students are kicking off Convention season with the sale of VARSITY LATIN T-
Shirts, available for $8.00 each before convention and $10.00 each at convention. These white
t-shirts with black letters work for any school. You can use paint pens to personalize your shirt.
Just e-mail our club sponsor (lynngibert@comcast.net) and we’ll reserve your shirt. Checks
should be made out to Fairview with Latin Club written on the memo line. Mail checks to Latin
Club/co Sophie Gibert, Historian, 1515 Greenbriar Blvd., Boulder, CO 80305. We will bring
shirts to Open Certamen on Feb. 27 if you’d like to get them before April. We have small,
medium, and large sizes. There are only a few XLs, so order quam celerrime—first come, first
served. Bumper stickers with the saying “If you can read this, you are very well educated but
far too close” in Latin are available as well. Bumper stickers are $3.00 each. Again, to serve
you best, e-mail our sponsor and send your check to FHS. We hope that these generic Latin
products can unite all of us in Colorado in our pursuit of learning Latin and Greek and in
expressing our classical pride.

On a different subject, for the first time ever, twelve FHS students took the National Etymology
Exam, offered online through the National Junior Classical League.

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The CoJCL Torch Spring 2010

continued from page 1

available for purchase for $2 a slice. T-shirts (see page 4) will also be available. All students,
parents, and teachers are invited! We all hope to see you there. In the event of snow, Open
Certamen will be held on Saturday, March 6.

National Convention
Adam Safadi Fairview High School

Salvete amici!
Do you love Latin Convention? Enjoy spending
time with other students of the Classics? Wish you
could do it more than once a year? Well, there is a
way! Every year the National Junior Classical League
hosts a convention at a United States college campus.
These five fun-filled days are packed with your
favorite activities, from Certamen to Orations and the
Costume contest to themed dances every night! Not
only that, but by attending you will be able to witness
the most spectacular That’s Entertainment show in
which students, SCLers, and teachers perform
everything from instruments to wacky skits. Tired of
tests? Visit the swimming pool or game room for some free bowling! Want to just
hang out? Each state has its own fellowship every night. Want just to learn about
Latin? Go sit in on a Colloquium – subjects range everywhere from Roman
History to Zeus’ various mistresses, even to a session on how to speak Latin!
Why would you not want to go? Mark your calendars for July 27th through
August 1st, 2010, when the National Convention will be held at North Dakota
State University in Fargo, doncha know? Contact Adam Safadi
(adam.safadi@comcast.net) for more information!
E corde,
Adam Safadi
2009-2010 NJCL Technology Coordinator

School Latin Clubs

Has your school’s Latin club done anything unique or exciting in celebration of everyone’s
favorite language? If so, write a short article about it and submit it to the Torch! See
submission information on page eight for more details. 5
The CoJCL Torch Spring 2010

Trick or Treat for UNICEF

Sara McGee Cherry Creek High School

Latin Clubs across the state, including at Cherry Creek High School, dressed up to raise
money for UNICEF on Halloween. Students at Creek wore togas and other authentic
Roman apparel to demonstrate their Latin pride for a good cause and walked around
the school the week before Halloween asking for donations from their class, teachers
and friends. UNICEF, which stands for the United Nations International Children’s
Emergency Fund, is a global organization working to improve the lives of children in
impoverished nations. The donations UNICEF receives provide food, water, medical
care, education, and other necessary supplies to these children. This year Creek raised
the most money for Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF, over $600. With that money, UNICEF
could provide 13,343 water purification tablets, 600 polio vaccinations, or 244 sets of
school supplies for a year. Congratulations on raising so much money this year!

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continued from page 4

We credit Adam Safadi, our
Latin Club president currently
serving as National Technology
Coordinator of NJCL, for the
idea of taking this test. The 45
minute exam had to be
administered between February
1 and 5. We had no technical
difficulties. Students found it
manageable and even easy!

Another bit of news is that Ms. Gibert offered a new prize at FHS and wants to share the idea with
other school sponsors. Each semester one student from all Latin classes is chosen as the Best All
Around Student. The student’s picture goes on the Latin board and a formal announcement is
made in a school publication. The student receives a certificate and prize book. In fall 2009,
sophomore Emma Lazaroff in first year Latin was awarded the prize. Magistra wrote, “Emma is an
outstanding student with great academic talent, but more importantly she is exceptionally well
prepared for class and is the most engaged student every single day. Emma demonstrates daily
what it takes to be a strong Latin student. Clearly, Emma loves learning.”

Finally, FHS Latin is selling roses at school for Lupercalia…Valentine’s Day. Cupidgrams, written
in Latin by all 154 FHS Latin students, will be drawn by rose buyers from a large urn. Let’s all share
fundraising ideas. The money earned from all our fundraisers will cover our $450.00 bus to Estes
Park in April. We look forward to seeing you up at Estes. Gratias ago vobis et nunc valete !

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The CoJCL Torch Spring 2010

Photo Page
Fall Forum 2009
Top: Attendees learn how to make some delicious Roman food
Bottom left: Connor Lehr and Morgan Jones are fierce certamen competitors
Bottom right: Mary Kent and Heather Job are impromptu artists

Photos to Erika Davidoff

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 The CoJCL Torch Fall 2009

Roman Deities Word

Search
See how many primary Roman
deities you can find in this
word search!

CoJCL Facebook
Group
If you haven’t already, please join
the new CoJCL Facebook group!
The group is a great way to keep
in contact with the CoJCL officers
and learn about important

The CoJCL Torch

Do you want to write something for the
Torch? Do you have any pictures from
JCL events? Has your school’s Latin
club done anything interesting recently?
Please e-mail all submissions to:

ed.invicta@gmail.com
I try to publish as much as I possibly can
in every issue – if I can’t fit it into the
next issue I’ll save it for later. Please
keep articles shorter than 1000 words.
Include your name and school with all
submissions, including articles, puzzles
and photos, to be credited.

CoJCL Co-Chairs: Amy Sommer asommer@cherrycreekschools.org, Mary Zang mzang2@cherrycreekschools.org,

Missy Johnson mjohnson@regisjesuit.com, Jim Broderick-King jbking@regisjesuit.com

Please contact Erika Davidoff, CoJCL Editor, for Torch questions, suggestions, or submissions. ed.invicta@gmail.com