On February 24 and 25, fifteen Latin club members traveled to Samford University to partake in the state Latin convention. The Certamen team, otherwise known as Latin Quiz Bowl, won second in the state. They also won a variety of art, academic, and athletic events while they were there.

Gabby Perkins, winner of an art contest and newly elected historian for Alabama Junior Classical League, described the experience as “fun and invigorating. It is such a great experience to connect with other Latin students and represent Mr. Congo.”

Latin is one of the rare foreign languages that has a state convention and national convention. Nationals will be from July 24 to July 29 at Troy University. This is a special occasion because The Alabama Junior Classical League is hosting this fantastic event. With state convention ending, Mr. Congo and his students are gearing for the event and hope to comeback with ribbons.

On March 2nd, German Club conquered German Day, taking 31 students to the University of Alabama to compete. One of their biggest achievements was senior Paige Bounds winning the Donald Hall Excellence in German scholarship, worth $1,000. The students won a total of 36 awards across different categories and class levels, including the “Best School” award.

Mrs. Bruni, the German Club sponsor, said she was, “so inspired and encouraged by all of the hard work, energy, and enthusiasm of our German students.”

French Club took 17 students to their state convention on March 3. This competition, like the others, is being held at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

French Club president, Annie Sieja, said, “ [I am] excited to go to convention because it really lets you experience the language in a way you cannot in the classroom.”

This will be her first experience at competition, and the rest of the club is ready to show other high schools their talent.

The only foreign language convention that has not already occurred, or in progress, is Spanish Convention.

Jazi Atassi, the president of Spanish Club, said, “It’s really cool to see a big celebration of cultures, and the emphasis is more on learning and appreciating than it is on the competition. We say we go to win, but we also really value the fun experiences.”

This year, 40 students from Bob Jones will be attending Spanish convention on April 21st at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Elisa Castaneda, the president of Spanish Honor Society, is excited to go to convention and defend the Bob Jones two-year winning streak in the T-shirt contest.

All of the foreign language programs have been a great source of pride for Bob Jones. They not only win at competition, but spread the awareness of diverse culture and the importance of languages.