VOLUME XI, ISSUE II
Nuntius Californiensis
1
NUNTIUS CALIFORNIENSIS
THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE CALIFORNIA
JUNIOR CLASSICAL LEAGUE - Winter 2016
State Convention 2016
Evan Cui, Convention President
IN THIS ISSUE . . .
Classical Greek at Peninsula
2
SCRAM 2015
3
Sage Hill School’s Carcer
4
For almost a year now, we at Woodbridge
CJCL on Social Media
4
High School in Irvine have been preparing an
Ludi 2015
5
unforgettable convention for all delegates,
State Convention 2016
6
sponsors, and chaperones alike to enjoy. We are so
excited to welcome Latin enthusiasts from all
Crossword
8
corners of California to Woodbridge, where the
possibilities
are endless. Come experience the warm southern
California weather on March 18th and 19th, where
you can listen to Roman rappers spit bars hotter
than Mt. Vesuvius at the Roman Rap Battle.
Prepare your bodies for the incredible southern
BBQ on Friday and the authentic enchiladas
served at the banquet—and you won’t want to miss
any of the events, whether you want to take on
your amici at indoor laser tag or… (contd. pg. 6)
Sage Hill School’s Carcer
Seth Eaton, Sage Hill Delegate
Sage Hill School’s 2016 CARCER was a successful day of certamen and teamwork
between the Southern California JCL chapters. The event was the culmination of weeks of
planning and collaboration within Sage Hill’s JCL, and the event ran… (contd. pg. 4)
VOLUME XI, ISSUE II
Nuntius Californiensis
2
CLASSICAL GREEK AT PENINSULA
Leah Whang, Nuntius Editor
For the past several years, Latin has dominated California public schools’ classics
education. However, as more and more students have shown interest in continuing their
classics experience past the Latin Advanced Placement course. Being one of these
students myself, finding out that Palos Verdes Peninsula High School had found a Classical
Greek teacher for the 2015-2016 school year was overwhelmingly satisfying. Bettina De Guzman has only been teaching at Peninsula for a semester, but has
already successfully implemented Greek into the foreign language department. The Greek
class, consisting of previous students of Latin AP or Latin 3 Honors, have already learned
the language’s basics and are already reciting excerpts from Homer’s Iliad in proper
scansion. “Although it’s been tough learning an entirely new language in such a short
amount of time, Ms. De Guzman manages to make the class intriguing,” says Audrey Cruel,
a senior at Peninsula. The Greek class has not only tackled memorizing unseen declensions, but has also
improved on their performance skills in class. In-class activities include writing and reciting
romantic poetry, delivering Greek oratory, acting out tragedies, and watching live-action
movies based on Greek mythology and stories. (Watching movies can improve your acting
chops, I promise!) Recently, all Latin and Greek classes performed for Peninsula’s “World
Language Week” celebration, facing off in a rap battle based on the opening number of the
recent Broadway hit, Hamilton. How much cooler can the classics get experience get?
My fellow classmates and I are truly grateful to have the opportunity to take such a
unique course this year. I can safely say that it has truly enhanced my last year of high
school. We all hope that this aspect of the classics education prospers in the years to
come, both at Peninsula and at schools throughout the state of California.
Palos Verdes Peninsula Chapter performing a “Latin vs. Greek” rap battle ▲
VOLUME XI, ISSUE II
Nuntius Californiensis
3
SCRAM 2015
Veronica Stelzer, Southern Representative
SCRAM 2015 was a huge success at University High in Irvine. With over 900 guests,
the University campus bustled all day long with academic, artistic, and athletic activities
designed to cater to the many different interests of our SoCal delegates. The most popular
activities include Impromptu Art, Roman Speed Dating, and the STEM Engineering
Aqueduct Building Challenge. These workshops attracted so many participants that
University students running the activities had no choice but to accommodate popular
demand and open second sessions. CJCL Board at Opening Ceremony ▲
The food options at this past SCRAM also
seemed to be popular with the majority. The snack bar itself was incredible; ran by Idene Abhari, a University senior, the snack bar
included boba milk tea, a candy raffle, and grabbags that contained a variety of snacks. At lunch,
delegates were served Pickup Stix and
presented with an entertaining Rent-A-Roman
session and Project Runway fashion show.
Led by Marina Olney, Noah Obsfeltd, and Austin Barber, our carnival was also quite
popular. It was open all day and filled with students the entire time. University High School
rented out a bounce house, an inflatable maze, a bubble machine, and even a ten-foot-tall
inflatable basketball game. The rest of the carnival included student-designed games, in
which winners were awarded one of several comical prizes available.
Overall, I am overjoyed to have been able
to coordinate this entire ordeal with my chapter.
University High School was once again happy to
welcome delegates to their grounds and cannot
wait to reunite with the entirety of the California
Junior Classical League at State Convention.
Palos Verdes Peninsula delegates at carnival ▶
Nuntius Californiensis
VOLUME XI, ISSUE II
4
Sage Hill School’s Carcer
continued from page 1
efficiently and quickly. Approximately three
hundred Latin students from southern
California eagerly arrived on the morning of
the event to participate in the competition
and demonstrate their knowledge of the
classics. All teams exemplified
sportsmanship and gave their best effort
answering the questions, provided by
Academic Chair Kyle Smith-Laird of the
Willows school. Using certamen machines
provided by local JCL chapters, the
participants competed with questions that
encompassed a wide range of topics. Competitors were expected to possess reading
comprehension proficiency, translation skills, knowledge of Roman history, and knowledge
of classical mythology. Qualifying teams will advance to state convention, where they will
compete with students from across the whole state and titles will be awarded for first place
teams. Good luck to all qualifying teams, and thank you to the students, advisors, and
volunteers that made CARCER possible.
#CJCL ON SOCIAL MEDIA
The California Junior Classical League is all over social media! Check out our sites below:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CAJCL Tumblr: http://cajcl.tumblr.com/ Twitter: Follow @CaliforniaJCL Instagram: Follow: cajcl Website: www.cajcl.org VOLUME XI, ISSUE II
Nuntius Californiensis
5
LUDI 2015
Shawn Honaryar, CJCL 1st VP
Most veteran JCL’ers know that Ludi is meant to serve as a taste of the glory that is
the state convention. However, the 2015 Ludi Mota Monstrorum was more than just a
taste---it was a whole meal seasoned with radiant sunny skies, jaw-dropping workshops,
mystifying murder mysteries, and fierce rounds of open certamen. As the Miramonte crew and I pulled up to the curb in our school buses, Stanford’s
picturesque palm trees and Spanish architecture greeted us with welcome arms. Simply
spending the day sauntering about the glamorous campus would have sufficed for me, but,
luckily, our friends from Menlo had
meticulously planned a wide assortment
of engaging activities, the first of which
being a costume contest. It’s not everyday that you go to a
Latin convention on Halloween, so Ludi
2015 made the most of it. The costume
contest featured everything from devout
high school students dressed head-totoe in Roman battle armor to Latin
teachers (who, as a result of not having
Participants of Ludi’s Halloween Costume Contest ▲
trick-or-treated in so many years, have
forgotten what a true halloween costume comprises) donning nothing other than a Medusa
hat and their everyday clothes. However, assuming you’re a true Classics nerd, you probably want to hear about the
workshops. My favorite was the workshop on Neronian literature, led by a Stanford Ph.D.
student. I can guarantee with near-complete certainty that each attendee left the workshop
with Petronius at the top of his or her Latin-authors-to-read list. The educator read and
translated select passages to demonstrate the satire, wit, and hilarious humor that
Petronius wove into his rousing prose. VOLUME XI, ISSUE II
Nuntius Californiensis
6
But if you prefer to express your passion for Classics outdoors, then you probably
found yourself on the volleyball courts. For the other recreational volleyball players and me,
it wasn’t even intimidating when an experienced player stepped onto the court. We simply
compensated for our lack of form and technique with Classics-themed trash talk. Throwing
out a “visne partem mei capere?” (you want a piece of me?) or a “in actis diurnis iamdudum
es celebratus” (you’re yesterday’s news) always did the trick. Just kidding; intimidating
other Classics students with Latin never works. There was so much to do at Ludi 2015 that I’m almost glad I wasn’t able to
participate in Open Certamen (I lost my nametag). For the two hours that I would have
spent conjugating verbs or digging old history and literature facts out of my brain, I
experienced parts of Ludi that I never had before during the other three Ludi’s I’ve
attended. Seeing as lingua Latina vita est, I’ll definitely be back next year as an SCL’er!
State Convention 2016
continued from page 1
meet your true columba at Roman Speed Dating! Show off your might in fugepilam
(dodgeball) and Quidditch, test your wits with classic tests of academic supremacy,
and pursue ultimate glory for your school! Whether your interests lie in Certamen or
Olympika, there’s something for everyone here at Woodbridge!
This year’s convention promises a spectacular time with your fellow delegates
that you will never forget. We can’t wait to see you here!
Evan Cui and the Woodbridge Convention Committee ▲
VOLUME XI, ISSUE II
Nuntius Californiensis
7
Characters of the Iliad
Need to brush up for your next test on the Iliad? Or just want to test your skills in mythology
trivia? Here’s the crossword puzzle for you: