Classical Studies Institute of Louisville

Kentucky Junior Classical League Convention 2008 LCA Wins the Spirit Stick ! ! !
The Academy's chapter of the National Junior Classical League (NJCL) attended our first state convention over the weekend of February 8th – 10th at the Marriott Griffin Gate in Lexington. Our delegation of five students competed against the state's 'powerhouse schools' in terms of Latin programs – schools that included Covington Latin School, Lexington Catholic High School, Daviess County and Madison Central High Schools. With what result? Louisville Classical Academy was awarded the convention's most coveted prize, the Spirit Stick! Each student delegate contributed talents and artistic gifts toward three days of group competition that "blew away" the student judges who awarded LCA the Spirit Stick. In a kind gesture to their sponsor and history teacher, Academy students who took academic exams also made a near sweep of the Roman History Exam honors and won first place ribbons on other exams as well. While this JCL convention was the first for some in the Academy delegation, it has become a tradition for Mrs. Cassady, LCA history teacher and Head of the Upper School. She joined the American Classical League in 2005 in order to escort her students to NJCL conventions as at-large members. Given their successes and joy in these conventions, she has not missed a National or State JCL convention since. She and her Academy students agree that having their own chapter makes the JCL experience even sweeter. All Academy Middle and Upper School students are members of its NJCL chapter, and all are eligible to attend the week-long NJCL Convention from July 28th - August 2nd on the campus of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

Each day's General Assembly starts with 'Spirit' – a 15 minute cheering contest in costumes designed by each school's delegation to reflect the year's theme and a daily theme. On DAY ONE of the Convention, delegates wore a t-shirt of their chapter's design tied to this year's theme: non nobis solum nati sumus. . . we are not born for ourselves alone.
	LCA designed its shirt around the phoenix, the legendary bird born from the ashes of its predecessor. Artist and LCA parent Kathy Ritter helped us produce a design - literally overnight - that won 3rd place. Thank you, Kathy Ritter!

DAY TWO's theme included the NJCL colors – purple and gold – and a Roman Pirates theme. LCA delegates must have seen Pirates of the Caribbean a few times, for there was no element of pirate attire they didn't incorporate into their costumes. With the help of LCA parent Shoshannah Lamppin, the delegates created rich purple sashes with golden fringe to unify their costumes, as well as swords and about 60 pounds of gold jewelry. Visually, they were stunning, but it was their sense of swashbuckling fun – sword dancing, mock fights, cheering challenges with a Madison Central delegation ten times their size – that won LCA the DAY TWO Spirit Prize. In presenting the award, the judge remarked, "We award today's Spirit Prize, a Jack Sparrow wig, to Louisville Classical Academy, because it's the only piece of pirate costuming they don't already have!" They proudly held it aloft in their posed photo.





Competition at JCL conventions never escalates beyond the bounds of good fun. It's impossible not to like people with whom you share a love of the classics. JCL is renowned as a basis of friendships that form at conventions, ignore geographical boundaries, and last a life time. These delegations were from Madison Central High School and Lexington Catholic High School. We noted guys, lots of them. So, the LCA delegation has decided we will need baritone voices like these to stay competitive in Spirit. LCA guys should mark their calendars for all upcoming Conventions.


One the things JCL'ers love best is its traditions. This one is called Rent-A-Roman. Delegates allow themselves to be auctioned off as 'slaves' for the Roman Banquet that follows. The proceeds – well over $700 this year – fund scholarships for JCL'ers who plan to study Latin or classics in college. Slaves' service during the Banquet is limited to serving food and a little song and dance, but when the LCA delegation went on the auction block, Mrs. Cassady ascribed to a theory of implied contract with her delegates' parents to buy them at any cost. It took her $30 to win them from another aggressive bidder, a charming young man with an interesting gleam in his eye. Nonetheless, when three 'slaves' at an adjacent table were commanded to "do the Macarena", one LCA delegate was moved to join them on a purely voluntary basis . . . next year, she's up for grabs.


DAY THREE's theme was simply school colors, and the LCA's delegation wore their maroon and black with panache (the sashes being more custom work by the Lamppin family). Having learned that their voices would never make a dent in a packed room with delegations as large as 80, LCA delegates came up with a way of making a visual impact . . .



DAY THREE's final General Assembly got down to serious business with the final stage of elections for the coming year's officers. Each delegation, whatever its size, appoints two voting delegates who attend the nominations process and an open forum for the candidates. All delegates hear candidates' campaign speeches and seek them out to discuss their platforms. In the final School Fellowship, a private conference time at the end of each day, each delegation debates the merits of the candidates in deciding how to cast its two votes. Here, one of LCA's voting delegates delivered our votes to KJCL Parliamentarian China Hepburn.
	The final General Assembly included the Awards Ceremony, which LCA's delegation had awaited with more curiosity than anticipation. First, the Academic Testing Awards. Our students were thrilled to pick up four blue ribbons and a red for 1st and 2nd place honors on the academic exams in Roman History, Mythology, and Latin Derivatives. We truly didn't expect it to get any better than that! But when Spirit Awards were announced by KJCL officer Seth Wand, "Louisville Classical" was called out for Third Place in T-Shirts, Third Place for Banner, and Second Place for Roll Call Skit. We had designated a single student to pick up any award we might win – and she stayed busy!
We were ecstatic to have placed in three categories, having come to the Convention with so many questions about the contest expectations. Now, we knew it couldn't get any better than that! And then it did . . . The final prize awarded was the Spirit Stick, given to the school with the highest cumulative points in all areas of Spirit competition as judged by the KJCL student officers. Presenter Seth Wand held aloft a table leg, beribboned in purple and gold and etched with the names of each school that had won it since 1989. Was it a souvenir of a slightly inebriated Roman wrestling match that took out a table - or just a sponsor's basement find? We were allowed to believe the legend of our choice. What we're still struggling to believe is that the KJCL officers - student peers - awarded the Spirit Stick to the tiny and brand-new delegation from Louisville Classical Academy. It will be on display at OUR SCHOOL for the next twelve months, and when we return it to the next Convention our name will be written on it to become a part of JCL history.