6 CROSSROADS SCHOOL FOR ARTS & SCIENCES
AROUND THE SCHOOL
Latin Flourishes at Crossroads by Jamie Meyer, Upper School Latin Teacher
On Saturday, Nov. 12, a comfortable and festive atmosphere pervaded the Alley as the colossal event unfolded, namely S.C.R.A.M.: the Southern California Regional Amici Madness. More than 800 high school and middle school Latin students from 31 Southern California schools and one Las Vegas school came to our unique campus to compete in various academic, athletic and artistic contests, and to participate in workshops and other worthwhile and fun events. These enriching experiences included the wild and wet Battle of Actium: Water-Balloon Battleship; the creative and glamorous Project Runway: Mythology Edition; the intense and fast-paced challenge of Fugepilum (dodgeball); the thrilling Open Certamen Finals (a Latin-related quiz bowl competition); the interactive workshop on Staging the Comedy of Plautus by UCLA professor Amy Richlin; and the thoughtful creation of paracord survival bracelets and
handwritten notes for our military and first responders through Operation Gratitude. Crossroads’ Upper and Middle School Latin students and teachers put in Herculean efforts over six months to plan, prepare for and put on this event. Those students included senior Jack Sadoff, who was elected the southern representative for the California Junior Classical League board at the spring State Convention. Every step of the way, support was given by parent volunteers and the School administration, faculty and staff—especially Facilities and Security personnel. Even alumni Howard Han ’98, Brandon Smith ’98 and Ian Martyn ’04, who all had been stellar leaders of the Latin Club, came back to help out. In fact, in November 1996—the only other time Crossroads has hosted S.C.R.A.M.—Howard and Brandon were juniors and provided essential leadership to support the event.
S.C.R.A.M. has been hosted many times by large public schools and private schools with larger campuses and athletic facilities. This year, it was important that a new school step up and take on the responsibility. S.C.R.A.M. is an opportunity for the community of Latin learners in Southern California to gather and celebrate the Latin language and Greco-Roman culture. The success of all these Latin programs demonstrates that Latin and its legacy are thriving in the 21st century. The State Latin Convention will be at St. Ignatius School in San Francisco in April. Scientia est potestas. Knowledge is power. For Crossroads students, the knowledge of Latin empowers them to become more articulate speakers, more erudite writers, deeper thinkers and more sensitive world citizens.