New Trier’s Latin Club finished their 2021-2022 Certamen season. The upper team finished placing 2nd for the season overall, while both Novice and Lower still placed very well.
Certamen competitions are quiz-bowl style games that provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge of ancient peoples, languages, cultures, and the relationship between these topics and the modern world.

“It’s a mix of answering questions individually and working with your team to accumulate more points than the other teams,” said Junior Hazel Treumann.
Junior Aleksandar Acimovic said the Cerrtamen quiz bowl game works with the different teams and the players.
Acimovic said there are usually 2-3 teams per game with 4 players per team. Each player can buzz in to answer. Correct answers receive two points.
Latin club co-sponsor Kerry Smith was pleased with all the teams this year.
“Our latin squads placed at all the meets,” she said
Acimovic said that the club is made up of a group of all-in students who are excited to be learning Latin.
“It’s an after school club where students who currently take Latin, or have taken it in the past, do activities that relate to the Latin language,” said Treumann.
“It’s a group of people that are passionate about learning and even in some cases, practicing Roman culture and history.”
The club includes numerous activities, from practicing conversational Latin, to discussing art and mythology, exploring Roman culture, and engaging in Certamen competitions.

“So far, the experience has been pretty low key. We have been playing dice games that were used during Roman times and played a Jeopardy game about its history,” said Acimovic.
The club has also offered special activities. Smith said that in a previous year the members of the club invaded French Club and re-enacted Julius Caesar conquering Gaul. Last year Fred, a former Latin teacher who runs a YouTube channel on Latin grammar rules, came to perform.
This year the club received a grant throvugh the Educational Foundation Group to purchase a 9,000+ piece Lego Colosseum.
“We finally got to open up the set and start working on it last week, and we’re excited to work together and use it as a tool to teach people about the Colosseum and Ancient Rome,” said Treumann.