By Bill Robinson
Senior News Writer
RICHMOND —
The 2011 convention of the National Junior Classical League will take place July 25-30 at Eastern Kentucky University.
Up to 1,600 high school students from around the country who study Latin or Greek language and history are expected to attend, said Bari Clements, a Latin teacher at Madison Central High School who will co-chair the event with Kathy Elifrits of Covington Latin High School.
MCHS students and teachers have been among the top leaders of both the Kentucky and National Junior Classical League in recent years, and Richmond’s selection as site for the 2011 convention is reflective of that.
Jacob Welch, now a classics major at the University of Kentucky, served as the national organization’s 2010 president and presided at the national convention, attended by more than 1,300 students and teachers this past July at North Dakota State University,
Welch, who played a leading role in planning the convention, led the proceedings with “dignity and poise,” Clements said.
Mikayla Rogers, an MCHS senior, is president of the Kentucky Junior Classical League, and accepted the NJCL torch from her North Dakota counterpart at the close of the 2010 convention, symbolizing her role as host for the 2011 convention.
In addition, Ryne Weiss, a 2010 graduate of both MCHS and Kentucky’s Gatton Academy and now a student at the University of Chicago, delivered the closing remarks for the 2010 convention during a daily assembly at the invitation of the NJCL executive board.
Rogers kept the 47-member Kentucky delegation organized throughout the week and led it in winning a daily spirit competition, Clements said.
In addition to MCHS, Henry Clay, Lexington Catholic, Daviess County, St. Henry and Covington Latin high schools, as well as the University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, and Western Kentucky University sent delegates to the convention. They competed in academic testing, athletic events, creative and graphic arts and on the entertainment stage.
John Combs of MCHS, auditioned and was chosen to participate in the convention talent show, in which he sang “My Funny Valentine” while playing the piano.
Madison Central placed third in the national league publicity contest. Chapters are judged according to notebooks in which they record activities, and receive points for newspaper articles, announcements, marquees, posters and community service that educates others about Latin and classical studies.
The Kentucky team, composed of students from MCHS and Covington Latin, won third place in the soccer tournament.
The National Junior Classical League has over 45,000 members and is the largest classical association in the world and the second largest extracurricular activity in the United States after Scouting. It strives to encourage interest in and appreciation of the language, literature and culture of ancient Greece and Rome and to impart an understanding of the debt modern culture owes to classical antiquity.
Bill Robinson can be reached at brobinson@richmondregister.com or at 624-6622.
