Frequently Asked Questions
Can I still join Latin Club if I'm not enrolled in a class?
Of course you can! You can partake in LASA Latin Club events, whether or not you're in a Latin class.
However, you may not be eligible to compete in competitions. In order to be eligible to compete, students must:
A) Be enrolled in a Classics-related class (which would be Latin at LASA) or
B) Have taken at least 3 levels of Latin prior to dropping the course (you would be considered a Veteran, but as a Veteran, you're limited to which contests you're allow to take).
Students must be enrolled in a Latin class to join Certamen (Latin Quiz Bowl).
Is Initiation required if I want to join Latin Club?
Like any other Latin Club event, no it's not required.
What are the yearly Latin Club events?
Initiation, Brown Santa (volunteering event), Broomball (at North Chaparral Ice ~midnight), and the Area and State conventions
There are multiple local certamen tournaments throughout the year, but these vary annually.
Why should I compete in a Latin Competition(s)?
Latin competitions are a great place for students to test their knowledge on Classical subjects! From Certamen, an intense team-based buzzer trivia game, to academic contests covering a range of Classics-related topics and art contests, to just for fun events like Scrabble, Olympika and even a talent show where winners can win money, there's dozens of events that students can compete in with other schools to show off that they learned.
Other than competition, the Texas State Classical League (TSJCL for short) is an awesome community to be a part of.
What is Area F and State? And what's the difference?
These are both Latin competitions that LASA competes in. Area F is a competition against other schools in Austin, while State, also known as TSJCL Convention, is a competition against other schools in Texas.
Area F is a much smaller competition that only takes place on Friday night and Saturday. Friday night is known as Certamen night, so if you aren't in Certamen, then there is no need to come Friday night. On Saturday, if you're done with all your contests in the morning, then you can leave early or stay the entire day for award ceremonies.
TSJCL, on the other hand, is a much larger competition and takes place on Friday and Saturday, no matter if you're in Certamen or not (you get to skip school on that Friday). Usually these competitions take place in a different city, therefore, we take a charter bus and stay in a hotel overnight.
What are the different contests I can take at Area F/State?
* indicates contests that can only be taken at State
~ indicates contests that cannot be taken by Veterans
Academic: Grammar, Latin Derivatives, Greek Derivatives, Vocab, Myth, Roman Life, Latin Literature, Roman History, Greek hISTORY, Greek Life and Literature, Mottoes, Geography, Reading Comprehension, Decathlon, Classical Art, Sight Recitation~, Dramatic Interpretation~, and Latin Oratory~
Art~: Monochromatic Drawing, Polychromatic Drawing, Watercolor or Pastels*, Oil or Acrylic Painting*, Mosaics*, Mixed Media*, Sculpture*, Pottery*, Models*, Electronic Artwork*
Classical Civilization~: Costume Male, Costume Female, Couple's Costume, Vocal Solo, Vocal Ensemble, Traditional Photography*, Computer-Enchanced Photography*, State T-Shirt Design*, Club T-Shirt design*, Traditional Scrapbook*, Digital Scrapbook*, Illustrated Quotations*, Poster*, Cartoons*, English Oratory, Multi-media contest*, Play, Poetry*, and Creative Writing*
Olympika: 50 yd dash, 100 yd dash, 200 yd dash, 440 relay race, Frisbee throw, Softball throw, Running broad jump
Other: Talent Show*, Open Certamen*, and the Ludi games (Volleyball*, Basketball*, Scrabble)
How many people can compete in each contest? And how many tests can I take?
At Area, 4 people per each level can compete in the same academic test.
At State, only one person per each level can compete in a test (for example, if 2 students in Latin 2 want to take the Mythology test at State, only one of them can).
For the art/Classical Civilization contests, only one person can compete in a category.
Each student can take up to 2 academic tests.