Latin students and teachers traveled to Irvine, California, over Spring Break for a statewide convention. The state’s Junior Classical League, established in 1936, contains 54 chapters in northern and southern California— it boasts more than 2,800 members. This year 1,508 students from 50 schools attended the conference at University High School.  

Students competed in a variety of categories, including Academic Testing, Latin Oratory, Dramatic Interpretation, Creative Arts and “Olympika.” Olympika includes chess, swimming, tennis and track and field. 

Middle and high school students performed part of “The Pleiades,” and high school students performed an adapted segment from “Pliny the Younger.”

Many of the 18 Archer students who attended won top awards covering a wide array of subjects. Athena Schlereth ’14 won first place in the Classical Art Academic Test, Cece Bobbitt ’15 won second place in Greeting Cards, and Emily Ward ’15 won first place in Modern Myth, second place in Maps and in Cartoons. Claire Sulzer ’17 won first place in the Vocabulary Academic Test and the Grammar I Academic Test, and second place in Modern Myth. 

“This year we had matching hair wreaths and super synchronized cheers,” says Amanda Mihalke ’15, who has attended a total of five regional and five state conventions. “As a result, Archer got second place in spirit for Small High Schools,” she concludes.