Junior Classical League

The National Junior Classical League (NJCL) is a national organization of middle and high school students who are enrolled in a full-year classics course. At Sage Ridge, this includes Latin and Greek for students in grades 7-12. With over 50,000 members and 1,200 chapters, the NJCL is one of the largest academic youth organizations in the world. Sage Ridge is a chapter of the larger Nevada JCL, along with three other schools in Nevada.

The purpose of the National Junior Classical League, and in extension, the Nevada Junior Classical League, is to encourage an interest in and an appreciation of the language, literature, and culture of ancient Greece and Rome, and to impart an understanding of the debt of our own culture to that of Classical antiquity.

When I was in grade 6, I realized that all of the "cool" big kids at my school loved JCL. At the time, I had no clue what the JCL was, all I knew is that I wanted to take part in the fun. That drove my decision to take Latin, which turned out to be one of the most important academic choices that I have made...The JCL has had such a positive impact on my life, and I would highly recommend it to any student.

Ana Ohnersorgen ('18)

An Inside Look

If you ask our Latin students why they like Latin, they will likely tell you that one reason is the opportunity to participate in Junior Classical League. Latin is certainly a useful and thrilling language option on its own, but being a member of the Junior Classical League certainly nurtures a love of ancient language and civilization even more.

Any Latin or Greek student at Sage Ridge is welcome to join our local JCL chapter. Our members are also encouraged to join JCL club, during which Middle and Upper School students come together to plan local events and prepare for state convention.

A Unique Community

JCL members are a part of an incredible community of other scholars, artists, athletes, and leaders. Everybody in Latin or Greek is encouraged to join JCL, a place where they can meet other students in different grade levels from both Sage Ridge and Nevada as a whole.

Community Service

Community is a key element of JCL; while building the JCL community at events, students give back to, and better the communities they live in. All JCL events will feature a meaningful community service project, and service specific events will take place throughout the year.

Events

State Convention 
State Convention is an annual NVJCL event planned by the State Board. It takes place at one of the Nevada Chapter’s school campuses, where students from across Nevada gather for an unforgettable weekend of learning, games, fun, and camaraderie.

National Convention 
National Convention is an annual NJCL event planned by the National Board. It takes place at a new university every year. Students from across the nation gather for a week of classics love and fun.

Virtual State Events 
The State Board organizes virtual, smaller scale events throughout the year. These provide Nevada JCL Students an opportunity to gather online to participate in games or service projects, and to meet others from across the state prior to State and reconnect after it.

Regional/Chapter Events are hosted by individual schools where students from that school or region gather to participate in mini-convention type events, service projects, social events, etc.

NEW! Monthly Service
This year, NVJCL is organizing a series of 8 community service centered events monthly from September to May. Events will be in person by region, virtual as a state, and at home individually. These are announced monthly so stay tuned for more information! All information can be found here.

Leadership Opportunities

The Junior Classical League is largely a student lead and run organization. JCL Students have the opportunity to be one of these student leaders on the school, state, or national level.

SRS JCL Leadership - Club Leaders
JCL Clubs are open to all middle school and upper school students. Upper school JCLers often help to lead the middle school JCL club.

Nevada JCL Leadership - State Executive Board & Officers
Students in grades 9-12 are able to apply to be on the NVJCL State Board. If elected by the State Chair(s), they serve for a year on the state board as an officer. These officers are in at least one, but sometimes multiple, committees within the board. These include website, social media, publications, events, service, and outreach. The heads of these committees make up the Executive Board.

National JCL Leadership - National Officers
Any students that have attended at least one national convention are able to apply for a NJCL Officer position. These offices in hierarchical order include the President, First Vice President (membership & publicity), Second Vice President (service & spirit), Communications Coordinator, Parliamentarian, Historian, and Editor.

For more information about JCL, visit the National Junior Classical League website (njcl.org) or the Nevada Junior Classical League website (nvjcl.org).

A Look at JCL

I was in the Junior Classical League. We went to this competition in Southern California where for the after party they rented out Knott's Berry Farm...I remember I rode a roller coaster like fifteen times just looping back around because there was no line...I thought a lot about the history and the meaning of what it is to connect with a language that's more than 2000 years old while you're zooming around on a roller coaster.

David Adams ('06)