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    Mississippi Junior Classical League

  • Welcome to the MSJCL

    Bringing Mississippians interested in the classics together since the late 60s, the MJCL fosters the study of ancient Greek and Latin topics in the modern age. The MJCL is one of more than 1,000 chapters of the National Junior Classical League, an international organization that encourages the same activities as the MJCL. The NJCL is one of the largest student driven organizations in the world, comprised of more than 45,000 students.

  • Important Dates

    December 1, 2018​

    ​Deadline for joining the Mississippi Chapter of JCL with no late registration fee. Your chapter must be registered in order to attend convention. ​ Checks should be made out to Mississippi Junior Classical League; personal checks are fine. Please include copy of NJCL registration form and list of students. If you register after this date, please include $15 late fee.

     

    $2 per student in the chapter should be sent to:
    ​Beth Watts
    c/o Jackson Preparatory School

    PO Box 4940
    Jackson, MS 39296-4940

    December 1, 2018

    Deadline for joining National JCL with chapter fee waived.
    (see here for more information) You may join NJCL anytime during the school year, but there is a chapter fee after December 1st.

    March 29, 2019

    Deadline for convention registration – submit the online google sheets (link coming soon), The cost for the convention is $10/student. You may mail the check to Beth ahead of time or bring to convention with you. A school that is already registered for convention may register a limited number of additional students on the day of the convention. Each ​chapter must pay for all students who register, regardless of their actual attendance. You may substitute students, but you must pay for the total number registered.​ *NB we need numbers in advance for lunch orders, so please be timely about submitting registration.

    April 12, 2019

    Convention!! A finalized schedule, instructions for bus drivers, and other important information will be sent to every registered teacher in advance of the convention day. If you do not receive this, that means we did not receive your registration. Call one of us ASAP.

  • Convention

    Salvete Omnes!

     

    We have been hard at work planning for this year’s convention April 12, at Mississippi School for Math and Science in Columbus, MS. Here are few noteworthy facts:

    • Time of Convention: 10am-4pm.

    • In order to better control the crowds during the convention, each school will be required to bring a minimum of 1 adult chaperone per 15 students. These chaperones will be given specific duties at the convention – proctoring tests, assisting with grading, etc. There is no limit on number of students that you may bring, but you do need a plan of keeping up with them all.

    • Lunch – Will be a box lunch from Subway - turkey, ham or vegetarian - with chips, a cookies and a drink. Please mark on registration the student’s preference.

    • This year’s theme is Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus.​ - Never tickle a sleeping dragon.

    • Spirit Award - create a Hogwarts style house for your school. Design a crest, choose a name for your house, choose an emperor who might have founded your house, and be ready to present these details along with a cheer in the opening ceremony. E-mail Beth when you have chosen your emperor so we can avoid duplication.

    • Starting this year, instead of electing consuls, the JCL President from each school attending convention will make up the student management committee for convention. These presidents should be the one to introduce your school’s chosen emperor, house, and cheer. Make sure that Lori or Beth has the name and contact information for your JCL President.

    Everything else you need to know about contests can be found in this packet.

     

    As always, if you have any questions, please be in touch with Lori or me. We hope to see you and your students in April!

     

    Beth Watts and Lori LeVar Pierce

    Important Contact Info

    Beth Watts

    MJCL State Chair/Treasurer

    bwatts@mrapats.org

    601-383-2942

     

    Lori LeVar Pierce

    MJCL Convention Chair

    lpierce@themsms.org

    662-368-2339

    Tentative Schedule

    This schedule may be altered slightly, and all teachers will receive a firm, updated schedule after the school’s registration form has been received. All events will take place at the Mississippi School for Math and Science in Columbus, MS.

     

    9:00-9:45

    Registration and Contest Set-up

     

    10:00-11:00

    Welcome Assembly (Rent Auditorium)

    Roll call of schools - Present school “houses”

    Costume Contest

     

    11:00-11:40

    Opening Rounds of Academic Trivia

    (all students will participate in teams)

     

    11:45

    Chariot Procession to Lunch Location

     

    12:00-12:30

    Lunch - Pohl Gym

     

    12:30-2:00

    Olympika – athletic events

    Roman Quidditch
    Foot races
    Friscus (Frisbee discus)

    Tug-of-war

     

    2:15-3:00

    Presentation on Latin Spells, Curses, and Magic

    by Molly Pasco-Pranger

    (Rent Auditorium)

     

    3:00-4:00

    Closing Assembly (Rent Auditorium)

    Academic Trivia - final rounds

    Awards Ceremony

     

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  • Chapter Contests

    We let the results speak for themselves.

    Chariot Race

    It’s back! Bring your sturdiest, fastest, custom-made chariots to compete in this race.

    In the interest of fairness and safety, the following rules will apply to the MJCL Chariot Races:

    1. Each school may bring one chariot team. Each chariot team must consist of one rider and two “horses.”

    2. All chariots must be registered in order to participate in the race.

    3. Riders must wear helmets and kneel or sit in the chariot; bring your own helmet. Horses must wear shoes with laces. If a chariot crosses the finish line without its rider, it automatically loses the race.

    4. Chariots should be entirely constructed by the local chapter and should not use any preexisting cart or carriage as a base (shopping cart, wagon, baby stroller, big wheels, wheel barrows, etc) without major modifications. Chariots must be drawn, not pushed across the course and may use no source of power other than the “horses.”

    5. Chariots must have no spikes or sharp edges. The MJCL organizers reserve the right to refuse contest entry to any chariot or chariot team deemed unsafe.

    6. MJCL, The Mississippi University for Women, and The Mississippi School for Math and Science are not responsible for any injuries to person or property sustained while participating in the chariot race.

     

    Costumes

    Each local chapter may enter once in each of the following categories: boy’s costume, girl’s costume, couple’s costume. It is up to local chapters to decide how they will select their entries. Costume participants will be expected to model their creations at the opening assembly for judging and the enjoyment of all.

     

    The 2019 MCJL costume contests will be:

    • Hercules (boy’s costume)

    • Athena (girl’s costume)

    • Jason and Medea (couple’s costume)

    **N.B. while every student is encouraged to attend in Roman dress, only those four students selected by their chapters as costume participants will be invited to the stage for judging.

    Criteria for judging all costumes:

    1. Authenticity

    2. Attractiveness

    3. Craftsmanship

    4. Creativeness of interpretation

    5. Overall effectiveness

     

    T-Shirt

    Each local chapter may submit one T-shirt design for the T-shirt contest.

     

    T-shirts should be:

    • uniform for the whole chapter (though the whole chapter need not be wearing them)

    • in good taste

    Please bring one extra T-shirt (not on someone’s back) to be displayed for judging.

     

    Criteria for judging:

    1. appropriateness to the convention theme

    2. creativity

    3. design and artistic execution

    4. overall effectiveness

    Spirit Stick

    The Spirit Stick, held since the last convention by the previous winners, will be awarded to the chapter that displays the most enthusiasm for all things classical. This enthusiasm should be displayed in their dress, cheers, posters, etc. during all of the general assemblies. The winning chapter will be responsible for returning the Spirit Stick to the State Chair at the following convention.

    Academic Trivia (combines Academic Tests and Certamen)

    This will be a pub style academic trivia in which teams of 4 will answer worksheets of 10 questions on varying topics. These worksheets will be divided by level of Latin (I, II, and III/IV), though students are always allowed to compete at a higher level of Latin. The teams who miss the fewest will advance to finals which will be traditional Certamen style. All students are welcome to participate in the opening rounds.

     

    Opening Round:

    • Teams will be made up of 4 students of appropriate levels though students may compete in a level above their own. (i.e. a Latin I student may compete on a Latin III/IV team)

    • Each school may only have one team in the finals per level and team composition is not

      allowed to change from the opening to the final rounds.

    • The opening worksheets will be comprised of 10 questions per topic. Teams will be given 2-3 minutes per worksheet.

    • Teams which miss the fewest number of overall questions will compete against each other in the finals. Third place will not play in the finals but will be recognized in the awards ceremony.

    • Teams will win awards for fewest questions missed on the individual topic worksheets as well as the overall winners. If two teams both achieve the high score on a worksheet, then the team which turned in their sheet the fastest will be determined as the winner. A team which does not qualify for the finals may win an award for an individual worksheet score.

     

    Final Round:

    • The final round will be between the two highest scoring overall teams for each level (Latin I, Latin II, & Latin III/IV)

    • Teams will be asked 12 questions which will be toss-up (no consultation between team members) worth 10 points and 3 questions which will be bonus (teams may consult) worth 30 points.

    • During toss-ups, any student may interrupt the question by buzzing in. There will be no penalty/bonus for buzzing in early.

    • During bonuses, teams may consult with each other but only the captain may buzz in and answer the question.

    • Students/captains which buzz in may have a natural pause after being recognized to give their answer (about 2 seconds). Students must wait to be recognized before giving their answer.

    • Winners of the final round will be the first place team and the team which did not win will be the second place team.

     

    Graphic Arts Contests

    The 2019 MJCL will take entries in the following Graphic Arts contests: ​Posters, Drawings, Paintings, Models, Mosaics, and Photography.​ In the event that there are too few entries, we reserve the right to combine categories. Failure to follow the rules and guidelines of each category will result in automatic disqualification. All Graphic Arts contests are subject to the following rules:

    1. Only delegates properly registered and present at the MJCL convention may enter Graphic Arts contests.

    2. All projects must be the work of the delegate alone, have never been submitted to a MJCL convention before, be classically themed, and be in good taste.

    3. Delegates may enter as many Graphic Arts contests as they wish but may have only one entry per category.

    4. All Graphic Arts projects should be individual projects. Group projects cannot be judged fairly.

    5. All projects should be clearly and securely labeled with a 3x5 card indicating the delegate’s name, school, level of Latin, a translation of any Latin present on the project, and the category in which the project is to be entered.

    Guidelines for individual categories:

    **N.B. The poster category has been subdivided this year. Please plan accordingly.

     

    Poster: Miscellaneous

    Posters may be drawn or constructed and should be of standard poster-board size or trifold presentation board size. Criteria for judging are

    1. creativity/originality

    2. degree of skill

    3. design and color

    4. accuracy/authenticity

    5. adherence to Classical theme (need not be the convention’s theme)

    6. neatness

    7. adherence to rules

    8. correct spelling and English/Latin usage

    9. overall effect

    Poster: Charts/Maps

    Posters may be drawn or constructed and should be of standard poster-board size or trifold presentation board size. Criteria for judging are

    1. creativity/originality

    2. degree of skill

    3. design and color

    4. accuracy/authenticity

    5. adherence to Classical theme (need not be the convention’s theme)

    6. neatness

    7. adherence to rules

    8. correct spelling and English/Latin usage

    9. overall effect

    Poster: Illustrated quotation

    Posters may be drawn or constructed and should be of standard poster-board size or trifold presentation board size. Criteria for judging are

    1. creativity/originality

    2. degree of skill

    3. design and color

    4. accuracy/authenticity

    5. adherence to Classical theme (need not be the convention’s theme)

    6. neatness

    7. adherence to rules

    8. correct spelling and English/Latin usage

    9. overall effect

    Drawings (color or black and white)

    • Are two-dimensional and on one piece of paper or canvas.
    • Must be securely mounted or framed
    • May use drawing media including (but not limited to) graphite, colored pencil, soft pastel, oil pastel, ink, charcoal, scratchboard, marker, etc.

    Criteria for judging are

    1. creativity/originality

    2. degree of skill

    3. design and color

    4. accuracy/authenticity

    5. adherence to Classical theme (need not be the convention’s theme)

    6. neatness

    7. adherence to rules

    8. overall effect

    Paintings

    • Are two dimensional and on one piece of paper or canvas
    • Must be securely mounted or framed
    • May use any kind of paint: watercolor, acrylic, tempera, oil, alkyd, etc. All paint must be fully dry before submitting to contest

    Criteria for judging are

    1. creativity/originality

    2. degree of skill

    3. design and color

    4. accuracy/authenticity

    5. adherence to Classical theme (need not be the convention’s theme)

    6. neatness

    7. adherence to rules

    8. overall effect

    Photography

    • May be traditional, digital, or composite

    • May be in color or black and white

    • Must be securely mounted or framed

    Criteria for judging are

    1. creativity/originality

    2. degree of skill

    3. design

    4. accuracy/authenticity

    5. adherence to a Classical theme (need not be the convention’s theme)

    6. adherence to rules

    7. overall effect

    Models

    • Must be securely attached to their base

    • Must be three-dimensional representations of objects, not pictures

    • More credit will be given to projects with a majority of hand-made elements

    Criteria for judging are

    1. creativity/originality

    2. degree of skill

    3. design and color

    4. accuracy/authenticity

    5. adherence to Classical theme (need not be the convention’s theme)

    6. neatness

    7. adherence to rules

    8. overall effect

    Mosaics

    • should be made on a firm background—no cardboard unless paper tesserae are used

    • should be securely fastened to their base and neat in appearance (level, no background showing, etc.)

    Criteria for judging are

    1. creativity/originality

    2. degree of skill

    3. design and color

    4. accuracy/authenticity

    5. adherence to Classical theme (need not be the convention’s theme)

    6. neatness

    7. adherence to rules

    8. overall effect

       

       

    Olympika

     

    The 2019 MJCL will take entries in the following athletic contests: ​Boys’ and Girls’ Foot Races, Friscus Throws,​ Tug of War, and Quidditch-Roman style. Failure to follow the rules and guidelines of each category will result in automatic disqualification. All Olympika contests are subject to the following rules:

    1. Only delegates properly registered at the MJCL convention may enter athletic contests.

    2. All contestants and spectators are expected to conduct themselves in a sportsmanlike manner and in a spirit of fair play and fun. Any participant or spectator found to be in violation of this principle will be immediately asked to leave.

    3. Cheering may be done only for the spectator’s schoolmates, and not against any other participating group.

    4. Participation Limits
      1. Foot races - unlimited number
      2. Friscus throws - two boys and two girls from each school
      3. Tug of War - 8 member team, consisting of at least 2 girls. 
      4. Roman Quidditch - 6 member team, consisting of at least 2 girls. Rules for this game below.
    5. There will NOT be separate Junior High and High school categories this year.

    Roman Quidditch:
    The playing field will be divided into two halves. In the middle of each half is a garbage can sized container which will be the “goal” for each team. One player from each team will guard their team’s goal and keep the other team from scoring; this player will be given a pool noodle to help defend. The other five players will try to cross the line and throw a ball into the goal. If a player is tagged by the goalie, he/she must go to “jail” which is a designated area of the playing field. A player in jail stays there until a teammate tags him/her out. At the end of a certain time or when a team scores 5, the game is over.

     

    1. Divide the group into two teams, and place a trash can at each end of the playing field, and then go to your side of the field.
    2. Then decide who gets the ball first.
    3. You can not run with the ball. You catch it, stop, and throw it to another teammate. It is kind of like Ultimate Frisbee.
    4. To score you must get the ball in your basket, or trash can.
    5. You win by making the most baskets.
  • Officers

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    Consul

    Beth Watts

    bwatts@jacksonprep.net