The New Trier High School Latin Club earned first place at the Illinois State Certamen competition on April 15 after a season of rigorous preparation and academic teamwork.

Certamen literally means “competition” in Latin, but to the competition’s participants, it represents a kind of classics-themed Jeopardy. Like the famed TV show, competitors must buzz in to answer a question posed by the judges, but unlike Jeopardy, the answer isn’t required to be in question form. 

However, the biggest difference is the hyper-specific yet broad scope of knowledge of the Latin language, classical civilization and history, and mythology, which must all be memorized and processed in a high-pressure environment.

To top it off, the occasional reading of passages from famous works and plays in Latin creates a challenging trivia scenario. It is in these eulogies that another quirk of Latin rears its head. In English, the order of the words plays a critical part in deciphering its meaning, for example, the difference between him and he. In contrast, Latin words all contain their own distinct endings that clue the reader in to the intent and meaning of the entire sentence.

Seasoned Certamen veteran senior Emmett Quish admits to struggling with the format, describing the difference in approaching these verbalized inquiries. 

“Spoken Latin questions, those were always tricky, just because in class you’re just seeing it on a page,” Quish said. “It’s kind of a different mindset.”

Consequently, a lot of preparation is required to compete, not to mention the amount of time required to win state, for a competition that often doesn’t bring the acknowledgment or recognition of some sports. It can be a hard path for those who walk it, a path made more rocky by the steep learning curve of Certamen. 

But it is more than that for Quish, junior Anna Sandler, the MVP of Illinois Certamen, and senior Hudson Smith, a member of the team. To understand why they participate in Certamen or why they learn Latin at all, a deeper look is needed. Simply, it is for the love of the language and all that it entails. 

Latin and the Classics civilization associated with the language are essentially the roots of a massive tree. Latin itself has inspired a myriad of European languages, with the Classics branching off and forming modern-day societies and cultures. It is this insight into a greater context that fascinates Sandler. 

“I felt there was so much to explore,” Sandler said. “I found the myths so interesting because it was funny how in some ways they parallel so many other fairy tales. For example, ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ it was based on the myth of Pyramus and Thebe.” 

Sandler quotes one of her language teachers in order to fully describe the manner in which Latin has pervaded our daily lives.

“My Latin teacher in 10th grade used to tell us that there are three certainties in life: death, taxes, and Latin is everywhere. So I could see it everywhere in the world around me,” Sandler said. 

For these students, Latin connects. It connects subjects, from history and anthropology to mathematics all united under the umbrella of classics. It connects across cultures and across languages. For Smith, it connects across generations. His interest in Latin traces back to his lineage, specifically his grandfather. 

“My grandfather was Greek. His parents immigrated to America from Greece,” Smith said. “He spoke Greek, he would cook Greek food. When I got to Highcrest [Middle School], I wanted to learn Greek as a language, but they didn’t have Greek. So, I took Latin.”

This passion led Smith to continue on participating in Certamen in more secondary, supporting roles like scorekeeping, even though he wasn’t selected for the state team. This too was something he saw coming. Certamen requires a lot of memory, recall, and the ability to apply all of that rapidly, and some are unable to get over the curve. Smith’s superspeciality in mythology wasn’t enough at the end of the day. Yet, he still contributes in vital ways: He helps the competitors prepare and study, he acts as a scorekeeper, and he provides moral boosters when needed. Yes, the fact that Smith wasn’t on the team hurt him, but he loved Latin. 

“It doesn’t matter if I wasn’t on the [state] team. I loved Latin and I was still a part of the team, even though I wasn’t answering questions. I was scorekeeping so I knew immediately when we won, and that was a very, very fun moment,“ Smith said.

The team itself has grown throughout the season in many different ways. They started creating their own paths to success on the route to state, finding what strategies worked and which ones didn’t. They relied on themselves and their teammates, collaborating to focus on certain aspects or sections to tackle and assigning certain people to specialize in different aspects of the competition. Quish had his history nailed, Sandler had her syntax and grammar sharpened.

The competition itself also added to their growth, pushing them to greater heights in the end. Sandler cites her race to MVP against Ben Olsen of Loyola as the reason for her growth, by making her take risks in order to get that little edge up. 

“The fact that he [Ben Olson] was there really helped get me out of my comfort zone and take riskier questions that I wouldn’t have taken before,” Sandler said. “It helped me answer more than I would have otherwise.”

The team leaned on each other during difficult moments. The lull that resulted in a first round loss in the state series would have shattered some teams, but not New Trier Latin Club. They pulled together, gaining momentum until the conquering heroes brought it home. 

Magistra means female teacher, or school mistress. It’s also what all the people quoted used to refer to Kerry Smith, New Trier Latin teacher and Certamen head coach. Magistra Smith acted as the perpetual guide and anchor for a team that sometimes needed a helping hand. She was a calming influence for the team, through organizing practice sessions, helping them review, and answering any specific questions. However, even when she struggled with staying positive, the team continued to believe in themselves.

“I was like, ‘You’re down? What’s happening?’ But they believed in themselves and I believed in them too, I think they just needed a round to get their sea legs about them and feel good,” Smith said.

Typically, in Certamen, it’s a one-horse race dictated by Northside College Prep, the champions each year. Not this year.

”Northside, for the bazillion years I’ve been doing this, usually dominates everything all the time,” Magistra Smith said. “I feel like at New Trier, we dominate a lot, so it’s interesting to have an experience where we’re the underdogs.”