KEYSTONE
Official Publication of The Pennsylvania Junior Classical League
Convention 2015
PAJCL Takes Penn State
Inside this issue:
Impressions of Convention
2
Convention Tips
4
“Talk Latin to Me” Rap
5
Classical Class Trips
6
State Service Project
8
PAJCL Spirit!
9
Roman Culture
10
Mythology through Photos
11
Metaphors Galore
12
A Presidential Farewell
14
From The Editor’s Desk
15
Students from North Allegheny (left), Ellis (right),
and Hampton (bottom) proudly sport their togas
before the Roman Banquet.
Page 2
My First Convention
Kevin Duan, Upper Dublin
As a freshman, I was
always mystified by the
idea of Convention. I had
heard about the track and
spirit events, and I knew
that returning Latin students would often rave
about it. However this
was all that I got to lead
up to the weekend, and
even though I was constantly barraged with people telling me to go, hearing people talk about it is
much different from experiencing it.
Two hours of hanging
out with your friends in a
coach bus is always better
than sitting through a
whole day of class. When
we got all our luggage we
then headed to find our
rooms. After that it was
time for the athletic
events. I participated in
ludi volleyball and the
environment was both
playful and competitive.
After working up a sweat
there, I headed towards
dinner. I was skeptical,
never having heard anyone really mention the
meal times at Penn State,
but the food definitely
didn't disappoint. So
much better than school
cafeteria food, but then
again, that's just my opinion.
Next off were the
spirit events which were…
interesting. I wasn't exactly sure of what to expect,
but I also didn't expect to
become a sheep. Nonetheless, I wore my fluff
with pride. All the
schools were there
dressed in Roman attire
and displaying their club
spirit. The level of spirit
by conventioneers far
surpassed my expectations. Students were
dressed in Roman battle
armor, some in farmer
outfits, and they would all
form rows and march
down the sidewalk.
After the events concluded we all headed
back to our dorms, but
my friends and I decided
to go to the karaoke
event to see what it was
like. I remember saying
that freshman initiation
karaoke would be hard to
match, I'll have to take
back my words now, because PAJCL karaoke
that night made the one
at freshman initiation
seem like a library study
party.
Just one and a half
days of Latin convention
convinced me that I'll
definitely be back next
year.
A Reflection on RomaCon
Katie Bishop, Hampton
Another successful
year of PAJCL has
passed, and I would like
to thank everyone involved for a fabulous
weekend at Penn State.
One of my fondest
memories of this weekend was the Track event,
partly because I am a
runner, but mainly because of the spirit we had
beaming all over the
Penn State track. The
theme was RomaCon, a
mixture of Roman culture and comic culture.
The namesake is derived
from “Comic Con,” a
convention devoted to
different elements of
popular culture. The
result was many different
interpretations of the
theme, but all equally
spirited.
Many teams choose
to incorporate Latin
heros into their costumes, which was very
fitting since the heroes’
tales are just as adventure
filled as comics. Teams
used capes, helmets, and
fake weapons to emphasize the mix between Latin heroes and the today’s
stereotypical comic hero.
However other teams,
such as North Allegheny,
were very creative with
their interpretation of the
theme. North Allegheny
embraced the convict
side of the theme and
dressed up as prisoners
in orange t-shirts. I
thought that was a fresh
take on Romacon and
give them an A+ for that
idea!
The spirit did not
end just at the costumes.
PAJCL participants embodied the theme in their
actions too. Students
came into the track
cheering and shouting for
their schools. Spiriting
ranged from your typical
school spirit chants, to
loudly playing music, to
dancing. Some kids even
made fake superhero
fights to reflect the theme.
The Ellis school impressively designed a dance
routine to show off at the
event, props to them for
that extra effort. Every
school excelled and
showed the kind of spirit
that proves Latin is still
very alive.
Convention 2015
Page 3
We’ve Got Spirit, Yes We Do!
Lauren Drake, Ellis
This was another
great year at JCL for everyone who attended. For
Ellis, it was another year
filled with costumes,
spirit, and dances. The
Ellis chapter of JCL as a
whole is a very spirited
bunch, and we take the
JCL Creed’s oath to
“promote enthusiasm”
very seriously. This year,
we did our best to bring
our enthusiasm to the
spirit competitions.
For Friday night’s
farm theme, we all
dressed up in plaid
shirts, pigtails, and overalls. Our seniors composed a song/chant that
was a Latin remix of the
classic, “Old McDonald.” We sang about
boves, canes, and other
animals that can be
found on a farm while
dancing country-style.
We had a lot of fun with
this- who doesn’t like a
throwback to Old
McDonald?
Saturday’s RomaCon
theme was super exciting
for everyone at PAJCL.
For Ellis, it meant red
tiaras, gold duct tape
bracelets, Wonder
Woman shirts, and a
thoroughly rehearsed
dance to the fitting song,
“I Need a Hero.” While
I wasn’t a part of this
dance, it was very entertaining to watch. Everyone in JCL is really passionate about convention, and seeing them
dance and cheer was just
another awesome way to
feel like a part of the
JCL community.
JCL this year was
fantastic as always. All of
the hardwork we put in
to preparation paid off
tenfold. The Ellis girls
were excited to win both
spirit competitions, but
more than that, they
were happy to work together as a club and
share something that
they are all very passionate about. We had a
great time at convention
this year, and look forward to next year’s spirit!
Calling All Instrumentalists
Olivia Girdano, Butler
What a difference a
year can make. I remember going into the Sequestering Room for
Level 1 and 2 Oratory
and being scared out of
my wits. The room was
full of students frantically
staring at their papers or
reciting into a wall.
Looking back it appears
quite comical; at the
time, there could not
have been a more stressful task before us.
Fast forward two
years to the Advanced
Dramatic Interpretation
Sequestering. Talk about
an extreme dichotomy!
The students were all
casually sitting and talking with each other, completely unconcerned with
last minute studying. We
were all either confident
in our talents and wellprepared, or for others,
resigned to their fate.
Personally I spoke to
multiple students from
other schools and made
some friends as we
laughed and talked about
every subject under the
sun.
It’s amazing what you
can learn about other
people from striking up
a conversation. Such was
the case with one particular friend I made from
Upper Dublin—it turned
out that we both play the
oboe! Shout out to Nina
for killing it at the talent
show! We spoke for a
while until we were
called to perform our
Dramatic Interpretations, and we came up
with the idea to form an
instrumental group with
students from various
schools who could perform together at Convention next year.
If anyone would like
to join in, or has an idea
for a piece we could all
prepare separately and
then quickly bring together, feel free to email me
(see email below) or tweet
at me on twitter
@Ogirdano. This is for
all instrumentalists who
want to participate or
have an idea for a piece.
Can’t wait to hear from
you!
Interested in joining the
instrumental group? Email
[email protected]
for more details!
Page 4
Top 10 Tips for Conventioneers
Zoey Leonard, Hampton
Plan ahead: Do not
wait till the last minute
( literally, when you are
on the bus) to finish your
project. This stresses
both you and your Magistra out. Not to mention
your ALL the sponsors
will know about this story
by the end of the weekend. Not to mention,
look over your noun
endings, history or daily
life just to make sure testing goes well. Plus your
Magistra will be delighted to hear you prepared
for it instead of hearing
of the complaining about
it. Remember: Latin and
academic testing is why
you are allowed to not be
in school on Friday!
Pack light: There is
no need for cute, preppy
outfits because 1. we are
all fellow latin nerds and
no one cares 2. most of
your outfits are already
planned 3. after the first
day you will not have the
energy or care to plan
everything out for the
next day. PLUS.. this just
leaves more room for
you to pack PROJECTS!
Sleep: Weather your
trip is an hour or six
hours to get to Penn
State, SLEEP on the way
up. My first time I
thought it was a great
idea to be awake for the
three hour trip and by
the time Caucus came
around my roommate
and I were beat. Not to
mention we had already
went to bed to find out
that it was Mandatory.
Who would have
thought?
Be open-minded: As
much as you may think
you are the biggest Latin
nerd in your school,
there is always going to
be one person who's
more nerdy than you.
You may think that Karaoke isn’t for you, it is a
blast. All of the events
that they put on are hilarious and fun in some way
or another. Even testing
( Just go to the Creamery
after!).
Buddies: Find a
friend! Even if it is someone from another
school. You don’t want
to be that person who
gets lost or bored because you don’t have a
buddy. PAJCL creates
bonds with people you
least expect.
Especially when your
sposner asks you to pack
up a little bit Saturday
night at 1am (“ Even if
it’s a sock!” - Magistra
Survinski).
Bus: Go to the back
( even if there is a bathroom). This makes it so
much easier to hide all
the evidence of the junk
food you are eating at 7
in the morning. Not to
mention you can sleep
and not hear the teachers
in the front of the bus.
Snacks: Most important part, do not go
crazy. Plan ahead with
other groups. Have one
group gets water and
juice pouches and another the junk food. Split
the cost and you can easily each spend $5-10 on
the weekend.
Have fun: Explore
the campus. Have some
dance parties whether it
is at Caucus or in a dorm
room before bed check.
Soak in every moment
because before you
know it, it will be your
last PAJCL your senior
year and you won’t beDorm Rooms: Unlieve how fast the time
pack when you first get
has flown by.You might
there but don’t make
even fall in love with
huge mess. In the end it
will come and stab you in Penn State like a few of
the back, just like Brutus! our fellow Senior 2015
Latin Nerds, and make
your decision to come
back for college.
Thank everyone:
Without your sponsors,
SJCLers, and Chaperons
you wouldn’t have this
wonderful and Latin-ful
weekend. As I found out
this, it is a lot more work
than you would think.
When I asked my Magistra why she stresses herself out for this every year
she simply said “ For you
guys”. It is not only a lot
of work for them but
once we arrive at Penn
State, they disappear?
That is because they are
working hard on the project room, tests or scoring
every signal event for us.
Thank them until next
years PAJCL because
without them there would
be no convention.
Page 5
Convention 2015
“Talk Latin to Me” Rap
Tess Christiansen, Tess Majewski, and Sebastian Immonen, North Allegheny
LATIN*:
ENGLISH:
nobis credere non vult
She does not want to believe us
de statu linguae latinae
About the status of the Latin language
tamen ei persuadebimus
However, we will persuade her
et res sicut nos videbit
And she will see things like us
illa non est callida aut docta
She is not clever or learned
est asina scurrila
She is an obscene donkey
cape linguas stultissimas
Take your very stupid languages
et fuge, aut nos te ferociter pugnabimus
And flee, or we will fight you ferociously
latīna est utillima
Latin is very useful
tu nescis de quid dicis
You don't know what you're talking about
latina est utillima
Latin is very useful
tu nescis de quid dicis!
You don't know what you're talking about!
Water Nymph
Linda Wu, Upper Dublin
Page 6
2015 Classics Festival at Dickinson College
Becca Snyder, Conrad Weiser
On Tuesday, April
28th the 41st Annual Capital Area Classics Festival
was held at Dickinson
College. We started off
with the Alpha Level Vocabulary Bee, and a performance of our Latin
songs! Six schools participated in this section. Our
school performed Id Excute!(Shake It Off), Harriton performed SPQR,
CD East performed
Scoobius Doobius Doo,
Central Dauphin performed Modi urbs, Mechanicsburg performed
Tu es unus qui volo, and
Trinity performed Astra.
messing around- the contest went on for at least an
After the Latin songs, hour!
we moved on to the SpecThe last two events of
taculum Vestimentorum the day were the Latin
(the fashion show),and
skits and the Mythology
witnessed a lot of differbowl. Four schools particient mythological charac- pated in the skits. We perters dressed up on the
formed Auricoma et Tres
runway. For someone
Ursi, Central Dauphin
who is not very “crafty” it performed Sequimur Korwas amazing to see how
nelios, Harriton permuch work and dedicaformed Eucleides Goes to
tion went into making
Market, and CD East perthese beautiful costumes formed Menaechmi: Fraand props! Next was the tres Reiuncti. Last was the
Beta Level Vocabulary
Mythology Bowl where
Bee. These kids were not students answered a varie-
ty of questions based on
mythology. CW student,
Leah Ruth placed third.
The day ended with awards, some
which were awarded to
our school. In fact, we
won both the song and
the skit! Nick Lagerman
placed third for taking an
online test prior to the
event and senior Leah
Ruth won CACA scholarship! It was a great year
for Conrad Weiser. Congrats to all the other
schools who placed in all
of the various events!
Ellis 50 Days @ Ilium
Rachel Cherian, Ellis
After completing the
AP Latin course taking
the exam, and attending
this year’s JCL Convention, I wasn’t expecting to
think much about Latin
until school started up
again in the fall. However, this past weekend I
visited the Philadelphia
Museum of Art as part of
a two week course at my
school that dealt with
looking at cities through
their museums.
During the course we
visited at least ten museums within Pittsburgh,
Philadelphia, and Washington D.C. But in all
these museums the one
thing I’ll never forget is a
collection I saw at the
Philadelphia Museum of
Art. It was an exhibition
by an artist named Cy
Twombly entitled “Fifty
Days at Iliam”. The collection consisted of ten
paintings inspired by
Homer’s Iliad. Not only
were each of the paintings
incredibly powerful on
their own, but they had
an especially huge impact
on me because of my familiarity with the story of
the Trojan War.
One painting addressed the shades of
Achilles, Patroclus, and
Hector while another il-
lustrated the shield of
Achilles. I found myself
explaining the stories behind each painting to my
friends as well as to my
teachers. I felt a strong
connection to the paintings and to the artist himself because of my in
depth Latin education.
Since Twombly’s
work is so modern, it was
a really eye-opening take
on such a classical piece
of literature. My favorite
piece in the collection
was called The Fire That
Consumes All Before It.
I felt that this work could
be interpreted literally as
the fires that consumed
Troy on the last night of
the war, or figuratively as
the fiery rage of the
Greeks and the Trojans
that led to the destruction
of so many lives. I’d love
to be able to go back to
the museum and see this
collection again soon.
Being able to have
this experience was one
of the most rewarding
moments my career as a
Latin student has brought
me. I encourage anyone
else with an appreciation
for art or just a passion
for Latin to visit the Philadelphia Museum of Art
and see this incredible
collection for themselves.
Convention 2015
Persephone Taken
Akanksha Kalasabail, Tredyffrin-Easttown
A pat on the back, an insistent touch.
‘Stay here- don’t wander too far,’
Her mother pressed a quick kiss to her head and
fluttered away, tending to beauties springing from the soil.
The girl let out a tinkering laugh, gently running her fingers
over the velvety petals.
She murmured to the bees, collecting around her,
protecting her from an unseen danger.
‘Silly bees, go on now, help your flowers, not me. Go on!’
They reluctantly flew, the last slowly sliding off
the perch of her shoulders.
‘Goodbye, little one!’ she whispered. She
didn’t know that was the last time she would say goodbye.
The ground started to shake, trembling under her feet.
The birds chirped, frightened.
The bees rose mayhem around the petals,
flying around to escape.
Something dark came from the ground, so dark
the sun faded. The tinkling faded.
He took her arm, despite the protests from the bees, despite
the wetness of her tears, despite her cries to let her go.
The shaking started up again, her cries now trembling.
‘NO! My daughter!’ She rushed, pawing at the ground.
She fell. She sobbed.
The ground didn’t open.
Page 7
Words of Wisdom
Rose Zhao, Upper Dublin
Page 8
PAJCL Service Project
Congratulations PAJCL!
Through the Officer
Jukebox and collection
boxes, you’ve raised
$500.07 for the Born
This Way Foundation!
Convention 2015
Page 9
Weekend Spirit Festivities
From the top left: Owen J. Roberts girls sporting In Fundo themed clothing, Ellis’s Samantha Syme in her RomaCon outfit, Hampton students
wearing superhero capes for RomaCon, North Allegheny JCLers warming up for track events, and Butler students posing with the Minotaur.
Page 10
Atalanta
Natalie Hopwood, Owen J. Roberts
Atalanta. The virgin
huntress raised by bears,
the woman who was on
par with some of the best
male heroes, and could
best them many times.
The Calydonian boar
hunt and a series of footraces – in each one, Atalanta reigns as a powerful
and capable woman who
can handle herself
among her fellow heroes,
a rare sight in Ancient
Greece.
The first time Atalanta left the woods and,
consequently, the direct
friendship of Artemis,
she went to join the hunt
for the Calydonian boar,
a competition arising to
draw first blood from the
beast. Despite being hated by most men, Atalanta was included thanks to
Meleager, who totally
wanted to marry her. She
ended up winning the
competition, getting the
head of the boar from
Meleager, but Meleager
ended up being killed by
his mother for the stress
she caused him with giving the head to a woman
hunter.
Atalanta’s competitions, and troubles, didn’t end there. She was
taken in once more by
her father, who was trying to get her married.
She said that she would,
if and only if a man
could beat her in a footrace. No man could, and
everyone who tried and
failed was killed. Hippomenes was different
when he came along,
gifted with three golden
apples from Aphrodite.
These apples would distract Atalanta long
enough for Hippomenes
to win the race. As they
began running, she was
in a clear lead, until Hippomenes threw the first
golden apple in front of
her. Twice more he did
this, winning the race and
winning the hand of Atalanta, who did fall in love
with him.
from Roman times is the
cornu, which is the Latin
word for horn. It is the
ancient equivalent of a
French horn in that it is a
“brass instrument” and
has a similar shape. It is
shaped roughly like a
capital G, and when it is
being played, it is rested
on the user’s shoulder.
Two cornus have survived from the time of
the Romans, preserved
by the ash from the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in
Pompeii. There are several uses for a cornu in
Roman culture.
One of the main uses for
this instrument was in the
military. It was used to
broadcast the general’s
orders during battle. The
cornu also signals when to
charge and retreat.
In the end, they disrespected Cybele in her
temple and she cursed
them to be lions, which at
the time, were believed to
only be able to mate with
leopards and not one another, and they were
made to pull her chariot.
So, I guess you can’t win
everything. Especially
when it’s against a Titan
mother of the most powerful gods who also has
needs a few lions.
Roman Music
Benjamin Siderowf, Harriton
Although it is often
overlooked, the ancient
Romans have many different types of musical
instruments and styles.
My personal interest in
this topic stems from my
background in piano. I
wanted to see how the
instruments we use today
were derived from Classical origins.
One place in which
music was commonly
used was during religious
sacrifices. During these
rituals, an instrument
called the tibia was played
with the purpose of ridding the ceremony of evil
spirits. It is a wind instrument, which originated in
Ancient Greece. The tibia has two double-reeded
pipes, similar to an oboe.
However, some sources
that say that it had singlereeded pipes. Modern
reconstructions produce
a sound that is similar to
a clarinet.
Another instrument
Convention 2015
Page 11
The Censorship Lens
Navdeep Handa, Owen J. Roberts
Ladies and gents of
the JCL, part of what
confers on you your title
of Latin scholar is the
countless hours you have
spent in your classes
translating the works of
the Roman literary greats:
Cicero, Catullus, Caesar,
and the list goes on. (It
makes you wonder
whether the letter C bestows special powers on
whomever’s name it
touches. In that case, C
sounds like a solid guess
for all the questions I
don’t know on the Convention exams).
I’m willing to bet this,
though: it rarely crosses
your mind that your curriculum is filtered and
narrowed from the massive volume of Roman
literature available to us
and that this volume is
filtered, both intentionally and unintentionally
(through censorship and
natural deterioration/loss
of physical books), from
all the writings that originated during the Roman
times. Part of this is necessity; you can only
translate so many lines of
Latin in a single year, and
for the sake of my sanity,
my right hand, and my
social life, this is probably
a good thing.
However, the question of excluding poems
for moral reasons is a bit
more contentious. The
pro-censorship team certainly has a strong historical precedent. From the
1497 Savonarola bonfire
of all of Ovid’s literature
(particularly the scandal-
ous Ars Amatoria, which
had caused Ovid’s exile
from Augustus’ Rome
over a thousand years
earlier) to the refusal to
translate Catullus 16 until
the 20th century
(warning: only read at
your own risk), Latin censorship was alive and
even the norm. Liberalization is a relatively new
trend in the fabric of history, and still has many
restraints: I have never
translated Catullus 16 in
class, and that is not
changing any time soon,
even if I wanted it to. Arguably, such poems are
absolutely unfit for a
classroom setting.
Even so, opponents
argue whether it is right
to exclude certain crucial
perspectives of Latin soci-
Amphitrite
(left)
Kristina Barnes,
Downingtown West
Medusa
(right)
ety and thus inhibit our
complete understanding of
the Roman psyche simply
because such poems are
uncomfortable or inappropriate. Though awkward
to read, they concede,
these poems help to develop students’ understanding of satire and tone while
providing an avenue to
relate Latin to modern
society. Crass jokes are
abundant in the high
school atmosphere, and
what better than to combine them with Latin?
And so, I pose a question to you, amici: do you
think we should censor
inappropriate Latin poems, or do you think we
should translate them?
Page 12
Convention vs. the Indy 500
Tara Eng, Downingtown West
Instead of attending
PAJCL this year, I took a
trip with my marching
band to the Indianapolis
500, which fell on the
same weekend as convention. This was my last opportunity to attend convention, so words can’t
describe how bummed
out I was. I had imagined
my Memorial Day Weekend with my fellow togadonned Latin geeks, making impromptu runs to
the heavenly Creamery
before Certamen matches
or making fools of ourselves at spirit competitions.
So, I’m sure you can
all imagine how thrilling it
was to watch cars drive
around a race track for a
good portion of the day,
and how excited I was to
be an Indy spectator over
having one last hurrah at
convention. But, once I
got past my moping, I
realized that Indy wasn’t
so different from convention.
That analogy might
seem like a stretch, so let
me explain.
Before the race began, while announcers
were kicking off the Indy
500, I noticed people in
the stands with ice cream
cones. I connected this to
grabbing ice cream between events at convention.
When race spectators
crowded into the track
stands in patriotic appar-
el. Attendees were a sea
of red, white and blue,
and if you didn’t match,
you were the odd one
out. This reminded me
of our Roman Banquet,
and how if you aren’t
sporting a toga and showing off your Roman spirit,
you’re the weirdo of the
group.
The buzzing energy
of spectators reminded
me of our obnoxiously
loud spirit competitions,
where delegates shout at
the top of their lungs the
names of their schools, or
in the case of the Indy
500, their favorite racer.
Spectators did some crazy things to show their
support, which reminded
me of all of the silly
things we do to show our
spirit.
The actual race itself
reminded me of our own
track events at convention. Watching all of the
cars zoom by and listening to spectators cheer
them on reminded me of
our various track events,
such as the mile, hundred
noodle dash, and even
the pool noodle throw.
Despite missing out
on my last convention, I
didn’t feel completely
detached from my fellow
Latin students. While
PAJCL and the Indianapolis 500 are two radically
different events, I’m glad
that I could find some
similarities to keep me at
peace.
Butler students show off their energy outside the Eisenhower Auditorium at Penn State University.
Convention 2015
Page 13
Little Regrets about Latin
Lauryn Edmondson, Downingtown West
A few days before
finals, my friends and I
were talking about becoming seniors and finally being able to leave
some classes behind in
order to take our electives. Unfortunately,
some of us are forced to
retire some of our class
choices because, as become more and more
aware of ourselves and
what we want to do in our
future, we begin to personalize our education to
that interest.
As I continue in my
education, I realize that
I've taken some helpful
classes and some unhelpful classes. Some of the
unhelpful classes
would've allowed me to
take other classes that I
may have enjoyed. I also
realize that my educational experience may
have been different if I
hadn't been forced to
take health for two years,
even though typically in
health classes we basically learn the same concepts but in different formats every year.
Latin has been a class
that I have never regretted taking. It has opened
me up to so many opportunities. I've become
more involved in English
as well as Latin, and I've
acquired a heightened
sense of attention to detail. My teacher always
says; 'Latin is in the details!' And for someone
who has taken Latin for
around four years, I
know like no other language student that that is
very true.
Latin is the type of
language that opens
doors that you wouldn't
really expect. Sure, taking
a trip to Europe isn't as
easy to hear spoken Latin, but we're able to find
more enrichment
through the culture left
behind by the Romans. It
isn't at a lower standard
just because it may not be
as spoken today, if anything it's what makes the
language so important.
Latin teaches critical
thinking, problem solving, creativity, and how to
love a language.
they are user-friendly and
deliver consistent service.
Its familiar design and
software formatting make
it memorable, and as its
arms extend into different facets of service technology, it creates a name
for itself that makes all of
its products relate to each
other creating this huge
entity that seems to have
taken over the smart device world. It is an empire.
Rome didn’t have the
fastest ships, but they defeated the countries that
did. The army didn’t
brim with wild, barbarically strong soldiers, but
they beat the armies with
such men. Similarly Apple isn’t the most advanced but it can outsell
competing products; it
has never created a watch
device before, but its
credibility can still instill
fear into the competitors.
Apple has established
itself as the leading company in smart devices because of its hard work to
build a solid foundation
and create consistent
products that the consumers can depend on to be
familiar, aesthetic, and
user-friendly. Other companies have their specialties, but they can’t compete with the wellroundedness of Apple.
Apple Inc. is Rome
Amy Xiange, Tredyffrin-Easttown
There are systems
that work, and systems
that perish. One of the
greatest systems we have
ever seen is the Roman
Empire. As it developed
it prevailed because of its
dexterity and perseverance. It revolutionized
the use of a navy. With
strong foundations and
ambitious leaders, Rome
grew in ways that other
civilizations could not because it plowed through
all obstacles and never
spread itself too thin. Roman pride and reputation
carried the empire. Selfconfidence was the basis
of Roman Glory.
The other day, I saw
a commercial for Apple’s
new Apple Watch. However, the idea of hightech wrist-wear isn’t new.
Apple isn’t the first one
to come up with it, and
the product won’t be perfect, but there has been
more excitement surrounding the Apple
Watch than competitor
products. Upon, seeing
this, I had an epiphany.
Apple is the Roman Empire of technology. Apple doesn’t come up with
that many original ideas.
However, it has consistency and reputation.
Although Apple
products aren’t favored
by technology experts,
Page 14
Atque atque vale
Michael Deng, 2014-15 PAJCL President
Another year of PAJCL has flown by, too quickly as always. For those who attended convention, I hope
that you have found, in yourselves and your friends around you, a spirit of unbridled enthusiasm, vivacious
competition and sincere camaraderie.
At the sixty-fourth annual PAJCL convention, through donation boxes and the officer jukebox, we have
raised $500.07 dollars for the Born This Way Foundation, which will use your donation to support the wellness of young people, and empower them to create a kinder and braver world. Through this fundraiser, we
have helped spread a message of positivity and inclusivity throughout our convention. To everyone who participated in this convention, I thank you deeply for your contribution to this cause.
I am so grateful to have been part of the Junior Classical League for the past five years. Here, I found inspiring teachers and a nurturing community of real friends and mentors. Here, I first began to develop my values, my understanding of the world and how I want to explore it.
Thank you to all of the teachers of the Classics, who inspire, motivate and encourage us. Thank you to
everyone who participates in the JCL. As much as it is about appreciating the relevance of classical civilization
in the modern world, this is what JCL means to me: the kind and empowering community that I need and
love. Most importantly, thank you to Matt, Fiona, Linda, Jason and Marisa— my fellow PAJCL officers and
friends who I have enjoyed working with and getting to know. Thank you especially to Marisa, who has been
an awesome successor to the position of Keystone editor and friend.
I am so happy to have served as your PAJCL President. I am so grateful for the opportunities you have
given me. Thank you all for everything.
Useful Latin Phrases
Sara Maute, Owen J. Roberts
If you are anything like me, Latin comes alive in your English essays. You too add a section to your editing
process to cut classical words from your papers which confuse English teachers. They will never understand
why et, -que, ad, ab, cum, femina, currere, and a countless array of other words come so easily to mind. While
writing these words in our essays will not bring Latin back, there is a way for Latin to be with us always. It is
time that we bring Latin into style with a few phrases that will make us wonder why we ever said “holding a
tiger by the tail” when we could be using “auribus teneo lupum" meaning holding a wolf by the ears. Here is a
beginners list to incorporate Latin into everyday use, keeping the spirit of convention alive all year, and of
course making our non-Latin taking friends envious of our special bond,
1. Barba Tenus Sapientes (“wise as far as his beard”) — For that friend that we all have who looks so intelligent and then they speak.
2. Carpe Noctem — Forget the song “Carpe Diem!” As high schoolers, we don’t have time during the day
between bothering to look decent for school, actually sitting in those awful classes (except for Latin
which we love), and going to our many after school activities. It is time that we “seize the night.” Isn’t
that what we are all going to do in college anyway?
3. Cui Bono? — As we look at the world today and the motives to people's kindness, we must ask ourselves “who benefits?” Who really is so naïve as to believe that politicians have our best interests in mind?
So I challenge you fellow Latin lovers and champions of the classics, insert one of these into your next conversation and watch as the person’s face contorts into confusion and should we all spread Latin together, one
day a face of understanding.
Convention 2015
2015-2016 Executive Board
From the Editor’s Desk
Salvete Omnes,
Linda Wu, President: [email protected]
Ashwin Reddy, Vice-President: [email protected]
Katelin Brandegee, Secretary:
[email protected]
Remi Akindele, Treasurer: [email protected]
Shannon Douthett, Parliamentarian:
[email protected]
Nina Cheng, Editor: [email protected]
Austin Gagliardi, PASCL Coordinator: [email protected]
Patty Hay, Convention Chairperson:
[email protected]
Angela Bergen, Membership/ Finance Chairperson:
[email protected]
Linda Russell, Executive Board Chairperson:
[email protected]
PAJCL Website: pajcl.org
Page 15
Well this is it! The chapter in my
life as a PAJCL member and your
Keystone Editor has come to a
close. I would like to thank you all
for the opportunity you have given
me to interact with you and read
through your insightful, entertaining articles and pieces of art each quarter.
I would also like to issue a special thanks to the
Magistrae and local editors that tirelessly compiled
and sent out the submissions for their schools. Your
efforts made my job MUCH easier. To all future local
editors, you are in good hands. Nina Cheng has been
a wonderful contributor at Upper Dublin this year,
and I can’t wait to see her upcoming Keystones, which
will certainly be full of chock-good reads!
To all returning members of PAJCL, best of luck
to you in your pursuit of the Classics. If I have learned
anything as Editor, it is that the very spirit of Latin is
carried on by those who express their passion for it in
any form, whether it be art, music, history, literature,
et cetera. Have a great summer!
Marisa DelSignore
PAJCL Editor
School
Convention
Total
Butler
125
125
Conrad Weiser
125
125
Downingtown West
125
125
Ellis
125
125
Hampton
125
125
Harriton
125
125
North Allegheny
125
125
Owen J. Roberts
125
125
Tredyffrin-Eastttown
125
125
Upper Dublin
125
125
KEYSTONE
Boadicea
Wendy Tan, Tredyffrin-Easttown