OC HIGH / STUDENT NEWS & VIEWS : A Classical Twist

Who says Latin is boring? Almost 300 students from 16 Southern California high school Latin clubs converged on University High School in Irvine last month for the Junior Classical League regional convention.

True, there was the tedious spelling bee (how do you spell spelling bee in Latin?). And there were the quiz bowl and academic tests covering vocabulary, derivatives, grammar, mottoes, Roman life and history.

But fun, and the chance to meet students from other Latin clubs, was the focus of this year’s get-together, moving away from the normal academic competition at Junior Classical League conventions.

The Olympika, or crazy Olympics, featured a shoe toss, tug-of-war, four-legged race and obstacle course. And the Blackheads, a band made up of Latin club members from University High, entertained during lunch--not with musty classical numbers, but with songs such as Radiohead’s “Creep” and Pearl Jam’s “Alive.”

Felix Ling, sophomore University High School