Crossroads Excels at State Latin Convention

Over the last weekend of spring break, a delegation of Crossroads Middle and Upper School students abbreviated their vacations to attend the California Junior Classical League State Convention, an annual two-day gathering in which Crossroads has participated for nearly 30 years. At this year’s virtual convention, held on April 9 and 10, the Crossroads delegation proved to be fierce competitors to their peers across the state.

 

The 2021 convention—borrowing the Plautus ​quote “Sibi quisque ruri metit” (“Each one harvests one’s own farm”) as its theme—was hosted via Zoom by Menlo School in Atherton. Participants from roughly 50 schools in California competed in a variety of events, including academic contests; Certamen (Latin for “contest”), a college bowl-style trivia contest; and creative and graphic arts contests. Athletic competitions included chess and pushups, situps, trick shots and dance instead of the traditional track and field, swimming and tennis. Among the most popular events was a Roman rap battle.

 

“Our delegates experienced how their own preparation resulted in numerous awards, but they also observed how other schools performed and set goals to improve their performance for the next event,” said Latin Teacher/Curriculum Coordinator Marisa Alimento, who participated in the convention herself in junior high school and high school. “While the students compete against one another, they also see each other throughout the year and develop friendships throughout the state.”

 

After the event, seventh grader Sydney Janowitz raved about the opportunity to participate in the convention: “I just found it fun to be immersed in culture and people that I have something in common with!”

 

Click here for a complete list of Crossroads’ Middle and Upper School award winners.