From January 29th to the 31st, twenty-one Latin Club members, along with Mr. Tess, participated in the annual state Latin convention, which was held in Madison. Run by the University of Wisconsin-Madison and its classics department, this convention brought together many schools from all over the state so that students could share their love for Latin with each other.

Throughout the weekend, BC Latin Club members took part in several myriad activities, succeeding in many of them. Among these activities were extensive testing, with topics ranging from Roman Mythology to Greek History, an impromptu art contest, an impromptu essay, and a door decorating competition. However, one of the most notable activities at the convention was Certamen, a game much like Jeopardy that tests students’ knowledge of Latin grammar, history, and literature; Brookfield Central had a Certamen team at every level of Latin, and although none made it to the final round, all did very well.

Throughout the weekend, BC Latin students continued to succeed in various aspects of the convention and ended up winning awards for their achievements. A group of Latin 4 students placed in the top three for the impromptu art contest and won ribbons for it as a result. In addition, many BC students did exceedingly well in the testing portion of the convention. Although numerous students won individual awards, the testing categories in which Brookfield Central students as a whole did the best were Latin Reading Comprehension, in which five Latin 4 students placed in the top five, and Roman Private Life, which is equivalent to Roman culture, in which five Latin 5 students placed in the top five.

Although it was certainly important that many Brookfield Central students placed in testing and won awards for various contests, it was most important that everyone who attended the convention had fun and made long-lasting friendships with Latin-lovers near and far. “Latin convention is the coming together of some of the best people, and it’s been a blast these past four years,” said John McCloskey (’15), who attended his last convention this past January. “I’m really going to miss all the friends I’ve made over the years at this event.” To John, as well as to many other BC Latin students who attend this event, Latin convention is much more than a series of testing and competitions; it is an opportunity to meet fellow Latinists, all equally passionate about this “dead” language, and create friendships that last long after the convention itself is over.