Tips and Tricks
(For all contests, please see the White Book for specific rules and important information.)
Preconvention Contests:
Slogans
Tips
- The best slogans are short and easily rememberable
- Rhyming can often make a great slogan
- Playing off of famous quotes or slogans can be a good place to start
- Remember that the goal is to publicize JCL and Latin
Examples:
English:
It all comes back to Latin.
Don’t be like Zeus. Have your only love be Latin.
Latin isn’t dead, it’s still Roman around.
If Latin is a dead language, why does it make us feel so alive?
Latin:
Disce ab Graecis, vive Romanis, Spera Anglis.
Learn from the Greeks, live for the Romans, hope for the English.
Latina est mater linguarum.
Latin is the mother of all languages.
Solitare naturae non sumus, nam habemus latinam.
We are not of a solitary nature, for we have Latin.
Publicity
The publicity contest is a chance to showcase all the work your club has done to promote JCL or the classics. There are seven categories for publicity: Media Outside of School, School Affiliated Media, Posters/Displays at School, Posters/Displays outside of school, Miscellaneous, Best Club Swag, and Best Recruitment Presentation. Together, your entries in each category make your portfolio. You can only have one entry per category, so pick your best one! However, you don’t need to have an entry in every category -- even just doing one category is great! The contest is judged on creativity, impact, and originality.
With any questions about the publicity contest, please reach out to [email protected].
Tips for Publicity
- Be creative! Try different ideas, and try to come up with things that no one has done before.
- Look around you! See what attracts your attention, and try to mimic it. Think about what would make you interested in JCL.
- Take your time! Work hard on each publicity project you do to make sure it is as good as possible. Remember, quality is more important than quantity.
Publicity Examples
Academic Contests:
Academic Testing
See resources here.
Dramatic Interpretation, English/Latin Oratory, Sight Latin Reading
All of these contests are performing arts. The minor differences are shown in the table here.
General Tips
- Take time to memorize if you need to -- don’t try and cram it in at the last minute
- Make eye contact with the judges
- Practice, practice, practice!
- Speak clearly and slowly
- English Oratory: Strive to be as conversational and personable and possible
- Latin Oratory: try reading with a character based on the translation (sarcastic, angry, happy) and keep that tone throughout
Creative Arts:
Costume Contest
In the costume contest, you will dress up as a given character. The character changes every year, and is the same for all entries. You can dress up either in pairs or alone, but make sure you keep track of the prices of everything you use and don’t exceed the limit!
Essay
In the essay contest, you will have one hour to write an essay on the spot based on a prompt you are given.
Tips
- Know that you only have a limited amount of time -- it doesn’t need to be perfect!
- Try and include as many examples and pieces of evidence as you can, and find a way to relate them to each other
See example essays here.
Graphic Arts:
For all of the information and rules, please check out the white booklet page 16 - 22. For some examples and inspiration, please see this.
Chapter Contests:
Scrapbook
The scrapbook is a chance to show off your creative side and highlight all the events that chapters have done throughout the year. You can make either a digital scrapbook or a paper scrapbook.
Tips for Scrapbooks
1. Keep a cohesive theme
It is important to maintain a cohesive idea throughout your scrapbook. Pick a central theme, and expand on it. Find different interpretations and various ways to express your concept (possibly using quotes or different design elements), but make sure it's connected and consistent with your main theme.
2. Bring your memories to life
Let your scrapbook tell a story. These are your memories, so make sure your pictures and captions express the importance of the events in your scrapbook and draw everyone in. Also, don’t forget that pictures speak louder than words, so show the importance of your memories and express your theme using words only when necessary.
3. Personalize your scrapbook and be creative
The most important aspect of any scrapbook is its individuality. Bring yourself into your scrapbook and express your personality and design style. Make sure to follow the rules, but also think outside of the box, in the end, your hard work will look beautiful!
T-Shirt
Each chapter should design its own t-shirt related to the convention theme. You will wear the shirts on Saturday afternoon of convention and you can also enter them in the t-shirt competition! CustomInk is an easy way to design and print shirts, but there are others to explore.
Spirit
The spirit competition is a fifteen-minute period at the beginning of General Assembly #2 where each chapter has the chance to show their school spirit and enthusiasm for JCL! Chapters are encouraged to be cheering and yelling the whole time. The cheers can be anything -- cheers specifically for JCL or just cheers that your student section uses at sports games. The goal is for an entire chapter to be in unison, shouting cheers and making small choreographed movements. You can also get costumes for your chapter to wear over your toga.
The spirit competition is judged on school unity, participation, adherence to convention theme, and creativity.
Example of Spirit -- California at NJCL Convention
Tips for the spirit competition:
1. Participation and coordination is key
Make sure everyone in your chapter is participating by scattering unenthusiastic delegates among enthusiastic ones, and hyping each other up. Coordinated movements, such as a wave are eye catching and help your chapter gain points. Also, using latex gloves make your claps sound louder, which keeps your voice from getting too hoarse and is a more effective way to stand out. (Typically used alongside shouts, but can make up for the lack of sound coming from people who are quiet or lost their voice).
2. Hype up your chapter before the competition
Remind your fellow delegates that spirit is supposed to be fun, and it’s important as it’s one of the few competitions the whole chapter participates in together. Remember to arrive a few minutes early to get excited, or practice cheers before convention to make sure everyone knows what to do.
3. Remember the Rules
Many delegates get super excited during spirit, but it’s important to follow the rules to avoid being disqualified. Stomping is allowed, but, as it can easily turn to jumping, please remind your fellow delegates of the rules if they forget. The main rules include no jumping, no running, and no musical instruments or artificial noisemakers. Please see the white booklet for all up-to-date rules.
Slogans
Tips
- The best slogans are short and easily rememberable
- Rhyming can often make a great slogan
- Playing off of famous quotes or slogans can be a good place to start
- Remember that the goal is to publicize JCL and Latin
Examples:
English:
It all comes back to Latin.
Don’t be like Zeus. Have your only love be Latin.
Latin isn’t dead, it’s still Roman around.
If Latin is a dead language, why does it make us feel so alive?
Latin:
Disce ab Graecis, vive Romanis, Spera Anglis.
Learn from the Greeks, live for the Romans, hope for the English.
Latina est mater linguarum.
Latin is the mother of all languages.
Solitare naturae non sumus, nam habemus latinam.
We are not of a solitary nature, for we have Latin.
Publicity
The publicity contest is a chance to showcase all the work your club has done to promote JCL or the classics. There are seven categories for publicity: Media Outside of School, School Affiliated Media, Posters/Displays at School, Posters/Displays outside of school, Miscellaneous, Best Club Swag, and Best Recruitment Presentation. Together, your entries in each category make your portfolio. You can only have one entry per category, so pick your best one! However, you don’t need to have an entry in every category -- even just doing one category is great! The contest is judged on creativity, impact, and originality.
With any questions about the publicity contest, please reach out to [email protected].
Tips for Publicity
- Be creative! Try different ideas, and try to come up with things that no one has done before.
- Look around you! See what attracts your attention, and try to mimic it. Think about what would make you interested in JCL.
- Take your time! Work hard on each publicity project you do to make sure it is as good as possible. Remember, quality is more important than quantity.
Publicity Examples
Academic Contests:
Academic Testing
See resources here.
Dramatic Interpretation, English/Latin Oratory, Sight Latin Reading
All of these contests are performing arts. The minor differences are shown in the table here.
General Tips
- Take time to memorize if you need to -- don’t try and cram it in at the last minute
- Make eye contact with the judges
- Practice, practice, practice!
- Speak clearly and slowly
- English Oratory: Strive to be as conversational and personable and possible
- Latin Oratory: try reading with a character based on the translation (sarcastic, angry, happy) and keep that tone throughout
Creative Arts:
Costume Contest
In the costume contest, you will dress up as a given character. The character changes every year, and is the same for all entries. You can dress up either in pairs or alone, but make sure you keep track of the prices of everything you use and don’t exceed the limit!
Essay
In the essay contest, you will have one hour to write an essay on the spot based on a prompt you are given.
Tips
- Know that you only have a limited amount of time -- it doesn’t need to be perfect!
- Try and include as many examples and pieces of evidence as you can, and find a way to relate them to each other
See example essays here.
Graphic Arts:
For all of the information and rules, please check out the white booklet page 16 - 22. For some examples and inspiration, please see this.
Chapter Contests:
Scrapbook
The scrapbook is a chance to show off your creative side and highlight all the events that chapters have done throughout the year. You can make either a digital scrapbook or a paper scrapbook.
Tips for Scrapbooks
1. Keep a cohesive theme
It is important to maintain a cohesive idea throughout your scrapbook. Pick a central theme, and expand on it. Find different interpretations and various ways to express your concept (possibly using quotes or different design elements), but make sure it's connected and consistent with your main theme.
2. Bring your memories to life
Let your scrapbook tell a story. These are your memories, so make sure your pictures and captions express the importance of the events in your scrapbook and draw everyone in. Also, don’t forget that pictures speak louder than words, so show the importance of your memories and express your theme using words only when necessary.
3. Personalize your scrapbook and be creative
The most important aspect of any scrapbook is its individuality. Bring yourself into your scrapbook and express your personality and design style. Make sure to follow the rules, but also think outside of the box, in the end, your hard work will look beautiful!
T-Shirt
Each chapter should design its own t-shirt related to the convention theme. You will wear the shirts on Saturday afternoon of convention and you can also enter them in the t-shirt competition! CustomInk is an easy way to design and print shirts, but there are others to explore.
Spirit
The spirit competition is a fifteen-minute period at the beginning of General Assembly #2 where each chapter has the chance to show their school spirit and enthusiasm for JCL! Chapters are encouraged to be cheering and yelling the whole time. The cheers can be anything -- cheers specifically for JCL or just cheers that your student section uses at sports games. The goal is for an entire chapter to be in unison, shouting cheers and making small choreographed movements. You can also get costumes for your chapter to wear over your toga.
The spirit competition is judged on school unity, participation, adherence to convention theme, and creativity.
Example of Spirit -- California at NJCL Convention
Tips for the spirit competition:
1. Participation and coordination is key
Make sure everyone in your chapter is participating by scattering unenthusiastic delegates among enthusiastic ones, and hyping each other up. Coordinated movements, such as a wave are eye catching and help your chapter gain points. Also, using latex gloves make your claps sound louder, which keeps your voice from getting too hoarse and is a more effective way to stand out. (Typically used alongside shouts, but can make up for the lack of sound coming from people who are quiet or lost their voice).
2. Hype up your chapter before the competition
Remind your fellow delegates that spirit is supposed to be fun, and it’s important as it’s one of the few competitions the whole chapter participates in together. Remember to arrive a few minutes early to get excited, or practice cheers before convention to make sure everyone knows what to do.
3. Remember the Rules
Many delegates get super excited during spirit, but it’s important to follow the rules to avoid being disqualified. Stomping is allowed, but, as it can easily turn to jumping, please remind your fellow delegates of the rules if they forget. The main rules include no jumping, no running, and no musical instruments or artificial noisemakers. Please see the white booklet for all up-to-date rules.