| National Junior Classical League | |
|---|---|
 NJCL official emblem[1] |
|
| Abbreviation | NJCL[2] National JCL[2] |
| Formation | 1936 |
| Legal status | Educational Service Non-profit |
| Purpose/focus | Classical studies |
| Region served | United States |
| Chair | Christine Conklin |
| Parent organization | ACL |
| Affiliations | NSCL |
| Website | NJCL.org |
The National Junior Classical League — abbreviated NJCL or National JCL — is an organization of secondary school students sponsored by the American Classical League.[2] Founded in 1936, the NJCL comprises Latin, Greek, and Classical chapters worldwide, including in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Italy. With over 50,000 members, the NJCL is the largest Classical organization today. Its mission: "to encourage an interest in and an appreciation of the language, literature and culture of ancient Greece and Rome and to impart an understanding of the debt of our own culture to that of classical antiquity."[1] The current chair of the organization is Christine Conklin of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Northern Virginia.
NJCL official colors are Roman purple and gold. [1]
Contents |
Seeking the best, the highest our goal
Working for greatness through glories of old
Searching the realms of the golden past
We follow the Classics' truths that last
In knowledge, truth, and fellowship, we're growing every day!
The friendly hand of J-C-L!
Aids in every way
In Rome's proud steps we're marching on
With every true colleague
And forever we'll hold
To the Purple and Gold
Of the Junior Classical League!
We the members of the Junior Classical League, covenant to hand on the torch of classical civilization in the modern world.
We believe an acquaintance with the civilizations of Greece and Rome will help us understand and appraise this world of today, which is indebted to the ancient civilization in its government and laws, literature, language and arts.
We affirm the JCL experience develops responsibility, fosters brotherhood, promotes enthusiasm, encourages competition, inspires dedication and enriches our total growth.
The NJCL hosts a week long national convention annually at a college campus in late July or early August, where 1200-1500 students compete in academic tests and creative arts competitions. Other components of the convention in which students may participate include Certamen, seminars commonly known as Colloquia, and Ludi (literally "games"—various athletic and recreational events). A theme for the following year's convention is chosen by the incoming president each year.
Most state-level NJCL chapters hold annual conventions at locations central to their attendees, where schools compete in varied events. These events are divided into academic levels for scoring purposes; participation can be countywide, regional, or even statewide. Awards are given out to schools based on sweepstakes points, earned by placing high in competitive events.
A popular event is the talent show, known as That's Entertainment!, always held on the night before the final farewell dance. It consists of skits put on by the NSCL between the individual acts, and since around 1985, a final surprise performance from a group of three mysterious men in suits and sunglasses, called the Racketeers (for the matching red tennis racket bags they wear on their heads), who walk on stage, perform a silent dance routine, and walk off.
The National Convention has been held at many sites since 1954, usually in late July or early August.[3]
| Year | University | Location | Theme |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | North Dakota State University | Fargo, North Dakota | Non est ad astra mollis e terris via (There is no easy way from the earth to the stars) -Seneca |
| 2009 | University of California, Davis | Davis, California | Fortuna nobis vi animi tantum frenabitur (The level of our success will be limited only by our imagination) -Aesop |
| 2008 | Miami University | Oxford, Ohio | Non nobis solum nati sumus (We are not born for ourselves alone) -Cicero's De Officiis |
| 2007 | University of Tennessee | Knoxville, Tennessee | Carpe Diem, quam minimum credula postero (Seize the day, trusting as little as possible in tomorrow) -Horace in Ode I-XI |
| 2006 | Indiana University | Bloomington, Indiana | Amicitiae nostrae memoriam spero sempiternam fore (I hope that the memory of our friendship will be everlasting) -Cicero |
| 2005 | University of Missouri | Columbia, Missouri | Nil sine magno labore (Nothing without great labor) |
| 2004 | University of Richmond | Richmond, Virginia | Facta non verba (Deeds not words) |
| 2003 | Trinity University | San Antonio, Texas | Natura inest in mentibus nostris insatiabilis quaedam cupiditas veri videndi (Nature has planted in our minds an insatiable longing to see the truth) -Cicero |
| 2002 | University of Kentucky | Lexington, Kentucky | Magnos homines virtute metimur, non fortuna (We measure great men by their virtue, not their fortune) -Cornelius Nepos, Eumenes I |
| 2001 | Tulane University | New Orleans, Louisiana | Vultus ac frons animi ianua (The face and its expression are the door of the soul) -Quintus Cicero, Commentariolum Petitionis Consulatus 11 |
| 2000 | University of Oklahoma | Norman, Oklahoma | Faber est suae quisque fortunae (Each one is the architect of his own fate) -Appius Claudius Caecus |
| 1999 | Florida State University | Tallahassee, Florida | Audentior ito qua tua te fortuna sinet (Continue to go more boldly where your fortune will allow you) -Virgil |
| 1998 | University of Massachusetts Amherst | Amherst, Massachusetts | Patria est communis omnium parens (Our native land is the common parent of us all) -Cicero |
| 1997 | North Dakota State University | Fargo, North Dakota | Aspirat primo fortuna labori (Fortune smiles upon our first effort) -Virgil |
| 1996 | Indiana University | Bloomington, Indiana | Nobilitas sola est atque unica virtus (Virtue is the true and only nobility) |
Certamen is a quiz bowl game with questions about Roman history, life, and literature, and Latin vocabulary, grammar, derivatives, and use in English.
There are sixteen written tests that JClers may compete in at National Convention.
JCL delegates can submit artwork in various categories for contest judging.
Creative Arts at National Convention include Sight Latin Reading, Costume Contest, Latin and English Oratory, and Dramatic Interpretation.
Olympika are athletic events at National Convention. There are Olympika in swimming, track & field, and marathon.
Ludi are events for which sweepstakes points are not awarded. There are Ludi in chess, soccer, ultimate frisbee, volleyball, and formerly basketball, which was replaced by kickball starting with the 2009 convention.
At each National Convention, JCL delegates elect student officers. Each state may only field one candidate each year, and never for a position whose incumbent is from the same state. The offices are President, 1st Vice-President, 2nd Vice-President, Secretary, Parliamentarian, Historian, Editor, and Technology Coordinator. Voting is typically conducted by school in each state, with delegates casting two votes (for or abstention), with the exception of a delegation of only one JCLer, in which case only one vote is allowed.
Current NJCL Officers (2009-10)
As of 2009, more than fifty-one U.S. states and Canadian provinces maintain their own JCL organizations acting under the affiliation of the NJCL:[4]
Torch: U.S. is the NJCL's official publication, which details the events of the organization, reports scores, and issues stories. Published four times a year, the only issue sent to all convention attendees (including non-subscribers) is the fall issue, shortly after convention.
Until October 2007, the NJCL also published JCL Highlights in months when the Torch: U.S. was not published. JCL Highlights publicized administrative details about the League, including details about applying for JCL scholarships, information about the upcoming Convention, and requests for information from NJCL officers and national committee members. According to the Fall 2007 Torch: U.S., the National Committee decided at the October 2007 Fall Planning Meeting to eliminate the JCL Highlights in favor of online distribution of the same information.
   | NJCL Home Page - National Junior Classical League - What Is NJCL |
| | ACL Home Page - American Classical League. |
| | NSCL Home Page - National Senior Classical League | nscl.org |
| | WABCJCL home page - wabcjcl.org: Washington / British Columbia Junior Classical League |
| | NJJCL Home Page - You are being re-directed |
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