Mon the 25th – Day 1
It was a relaxing morning for the people who came down to Richmond KY a day early: get some breakfast, do some reading, register artistic projects, study for the 21 different academic tests at convention.
The first General Assembly started the convention at 1 pm. The NJCL has over 1,100 chapters and 48,000 members in the US. 1,500 people from 32 states and 1 Canadian province are attending this year’s convention.
Here are some highlights from the day:
- State t-shirts were handed out to all the students to wear on Tues. A pen and a light saber cross on the front to fit the theme of convention, ‘To read well is to conquer the ages.’
- State Chair Larry Dean (Summit) reminded the students about a number of important items: to wear their name tags at all times, to attend all GAs & fellowships & test sessions, and – especially – to bathe and put on new clothes each and every day at convention.
- OH teachers Jenn Bruening (Madeira) and Todd Wegenhart (Wyoming) won the David Levy Scholarship for a free trip to this convention. They were recognized for this honor at the GA.
- Top winners on the NJCL Online Exams on Etymology and Roman Civilization were honored during the GA. Included among those honored were: Andrew Boudon (St Edward), Jesse Campbell, Anna Delamerced, Tino Delamerced, and Paul Slater.
- At fellowship, Nathan Patterson and Paul Slater related how they killed a 14 foot cockroach at 2 in the morning.
- The acoustics in the Alumni Coliseum make it very difficult to understand what the speakers on stage are saying. Eheu….
- 3 Ohioans are running for national office. Student Sam Buck (Westlake) is a candidate for NJCL Parliamentarian; teacher Bob White (Shaker Heights) is running for Scholastic Services Chair; and teacher Brian Compton (Moeller) is trying for the Constitutional Advisor Chair. Optimam Fortunam!
- 3 OH college students hold national office: Abby Peters is NSCL VP, Dan Garrett is NSCL Editor, and Ed Cormany is the director of ‘That’s Entertainment!’, the variety and talent show organized every year by the SCL.
As you can see from the list above, OH is very involved in the JCL – from the teachers to the college students to the high schoolers to the middle schoolers. OH is proud of its tradition of involvement in this fine youth organization!
Every adult contributes at convention, both by chaperoning and by helping with the organization of the many contests and activities. I usually judge the Essay Contest, but I received some new duties this year. I completed 1 of these last night during a 3.5 hour stretch – Latin Oratory, Level 3. In this contest, students with 3 years of Latin all memorize the same passage of Latin (this year, the selection was from Cicero). Each then recites the passage, from memory, and brings to life the passage. The good stuff: students were well prepared, had great pronunciation, and often used great phrasing which showed a real understanding of the Latin. The bad stuff: the gestures were typically artificial and did not fit with the Latin, and the contest ran 40 minutes over the time.
