Collinsville High School’s Latin students had an excellent showing at Illinois Junior Classical League (IJCL) North Convention February 20-22, 2020, in Itasca, IL.
They competed against 350 of the most dedicated Latin students in Illinois.
“As always, students worked hard for this, preparing in advance through multiple student-led meetings, working hard to make unified spirit outfits and devoting their free time to creating elaborate art projects and studying for tests,” said Latin teacher James Stark.
This year, three CHS Latin students assisted in leading hour-long activity sessions for other students. Tyler Garner and Melanie Johnson co-led 40 Illinois Latin students through an hour-long recreation of Rome’s Catiline Conspiracy. Latin Club co-consul Julia Eversmann and Mr. Stark lead students through a spoken Latin activity, teaching students who had never spoken Latin before to hold a basic conversation.
“Julia helped me model conversations, speaking off-the-cuff in Latin to show students how to interact,” said Stark, “and by the end of the hour, we had a room of students–who had never spoken Latin before–conversing in basic Latin.”
CHS 2018 graduate SJ Nowman attended as a Senior Classical League member and helped set up, judge events, supervise students and generally ensure the convention ran smoothly. Nowman is currently studying theological languages at Concordia University.
Stark said, “Multiple teachers expressed their appreciation towards CHS students at these events. One teacher from Decatur–upon learning that I taught at Collinsville–even said to me that CHS students have, without fail, been the most welcoming, kindest and helpful students every year she’s attended convention. This is among the deepest praise my students can receive, and I take great pride in how they carry themselves at these events.”
This year at IJCL North, CHS students earned a total of 14 individual competitive awards, as well the coveted IJCL Lois Dion Scholarship.
IJCL Lois Dion Scholarship Recipient
Mr. Stark with Julia Eversmann
Julia Eversmann was announced as the 2020 recipient of the $200 Illinois Junior Classical League Lois Dion Scholarship. She intends to study Classics at University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana with the aim of one day becoming a Latin teacher. Among other things, she wrote of her experiences as a student, local officer, and South Convention president: “Being involved with this helped me figure out what truly makes me happy: connecting with people and leaving an impact on their lives, which I can easily do with my love for Latin.”
Art Categories
Upper Level Charts & Maps – Julia Eversmann for her colorēs poster
Upper Level Small Models – Julia Eversmann for her replica of the Greek Serpent Column found at Delphi
Lower Level Charts & Maps – Peyton Beeles for his map of Rome
Lower Level Ancient Jewelry – Yarisbeth Ortega for her replica of a Roman snake bracelet
Upper Level Mosaics – Melanie Johnson for her fish mosaic made from beads, inspired by Roman originals
Lower Level Small Models – Madeline Eversmann for her replica of Roman bread found in Pompeii (using ingredients and techniques available to the Romans)
Lower Level Mosaics – Tyler Morgan for his Veni Vidi Vici mosaic made from cut glass in grout
Performance Categories
Novice Level Latin Sight Reading – Mason Foley & Madeline Eversmann
Academic Testing
5th Place:
Level I History – Peyton Beeles
Level II Latin Literature – Yarisbeth Ortega
Upper Level Latin Grammar – Julia Eversmann
3rd Place:
Level I Roman Private Life – Ian Marlow
1st Place:
Upper Level Latin Vocabulary – Julia Eversmann
School Spirit
The Collinsville High School delegation placed 2nd for overall school spirit.
