Whether a dead language die-hard or an ASL enthusiast, introvert or extrovert, there is fun for all in Latin Club. Cookouts, pumpkin carvings, game nights, bowling, conventions, and more await members throughout the year. However and whenever Bears discover this exuberant community, they find a family and a home they never knew, but now cling to; they find themselves lured into revisiting the Greek and Romans, a subject they saw as bland; and they find laughter, warmth, and bliss. As veteran teacher Daniel Robie, head of the Latin program for over twenty years, explains it, “Everyone is happier and more fulfilled belonging to something bigger than themselves.”

Hosted casually in and out of school, Latin Club never fails to stay connected. Members of the club meet several times a month, or whenever their schedules are open, through food, games, meetings, and other social activities. Although Latin Club strives tirelessly to be flexible, there is just one rule of thumb that cannot be bypassed: never ever talk about Latin in Latin Club. However, for members that wish to break that decree, there are ways to do so outside the club. That is through certamen practice.

Akin to trivia, Brain Bowl, and jeopardy, certamen– or “struggle”- is a competitive team-based quiz bowl full of adrenaline and fun. Greek mythology, Roman history, and Latin are the basis for certamen questions. To master these areas, Robie and several students built a method of mock-certamen, jests, and, sometimes, studying, called certamen practice. Held weekly with adaptable dates, certamen practice gives students social leisure as they work as a team, quizzing and competing against each other to prepare themselves for competitions. Hailey Donahue, a junior at WSHS and a veteran of Latin Club and certamen practice, epitomises it, a place to “hang out with friends, learn, and crack-jokes.”

Although the details are being worked out, Latin Club leaders can assure that there will be meetings and activities that are both amusing and safe this school year. After all, Robie says, “fun times with fun people- that is the heart of WSHS Latin Club.”

           As the school year unravels further announcements will be made regarding Latin Club, please contact [email protected] for further information about Latin Club, and with any suggestions or recommendations please contact Benjamin Raeburn through [email protected].