OXFORD, Miss. – Hundreds of middle and high school students
from across the state flock to Oxford this weekend to enjoy
the classics.
The Junior Classical League State Convention begins Friday
(Feb. 29) on the University of Mississippi campus, where
students can indulge in their love for Latin, mythology,
classics-inspired art and mini-Olympic competitions. The
conference opens at 6:30 p.m. in the Ole Miss Student Union
with registration and opening speakers. It continues
Saturday with a full day of activities.
“I believe times most remembered from school are those when
you left school,” said Anne Steel, a Latin teacher at
Oxford Middle School. “The three main benefits for students
competing in the Junior Classical League are that they get
to leave school for a day, they are working with people not
within the school but in the real world, and students get a
chance to see that other people are interested in the same
things they are.”
This is the second time UM has hosted the convention. The
first was in 2003, said Aileen Ajootian, associate
professor and acting chair of the Department of Classics.
The convention is a huge success, allowing students to
compete against each other about what they know best.
Although there are no scholarships available, students
benefit from the classics competition, Ajootian said.
Participants are not graded in front of judges and many of
the competitions are low-key and informal, Steel said. The
quiz bowl is probably the most stressful because it
involves thinking quickly to answer questions as a team
over a broad range of classics knowledge. Yet there’s ample
opportunity for fun, she said.
“One year we had a javelin throw,” Steel said. “Of course,
we didn’t have real javelins, but students made their own
out of gum and straws to see who could throw it the
farthest. It was silly, but the students really enjoyed
it.”
Besides the competitions, students also attend readings of
the classics during their time in Oxford. Professors from
the classics department perform the readings from some of
their favorite and most famous classical works for
competition visitors on the first night. Lectures presented
by assistant professors of classics Jonathan Fenno and
Edward Gutting focus on the Greek alphabet and the concept
of the barbarian in the ancient Mediterranean,
respectively.
Students really get to move beyond the classroom and be a
part of a large community of people who share similar
interests, Steel said.
Another goal Steel has for her students is to help them
understand that the classics are connected to the real
world, whether it be a mythological character or
architecture, so as they get older they can pick up on such
references.
This way, students get excited about learning and they will
have a broad range of classics knowledge when they venture
into the real world, she said.
“I really try to encourage students to participate in as
many competitions as they can,” Steel said. “If they do
badly, nobody knows. If they do well, everyone knows.”
For more information about the Junior Classical League
Competition, contact Aileen Ajootian at
ajootian@olemiss.edu. For assistance related to a
disability, call 662-915-7020.
To learn more about the Department of Classics, visit