HCCSA brought three teams to compete in the Cougar-tamen Certamen Tournament hosted by Hill Country Middle School of Eanes School District. We competed in Middle School, Intermediate and Advanced and took home three trophies for our efforts.
In each division, our team advanced to the final round. Schools represented at the tournament included St. Andrew’s Upper School, Westlake, St. Michael’s Academy, Hill Country Middle School, Paragon Prep, Kealing, Crockett, McCallum and Westwood.
One of our middle school teams, made up of Adam K. , Matthew R., Nathan B., Elizabeth S., Zac R. and Seth J., advanced to the final round and placed third. This was their first Certamen of the year, and for many of them the first Certamen ever! It was a strong showing and we’re proud of their achievement.
Our second middle school team, made up of 6th graders Holden B., Collin R., Jonathan I., Noah P., Grant B. and Ricky T, have been practicing with our team manager and assistant coach HCCSA junior Josh A. to prepare for their first Certamen tournament. We are proud of their first efforts and look for many years of Certamen fun for them in the future.
Our advanced team, consisting of Aidan A., Jesse J., Kyndal P. and our adopted teammate Laura M. advanced to their final round convincingly. They placed third against the St. Andrew’s team which represented Texas at Nationals in July, and Westlake whose players advanced to State in 2009. It was a great start to the year and the team is looking forward to an exciting rematch against our rivals in December at the Crusader Classic.
Our intermediate team, consisting of Jonathan M., Shane J., Sara J., Thomas E., Steven B. and Chloe P. advanced to the final round and took first place against perennial Texas and National powerhouses St. Andrew’s and Westlake. They are looking forward to friendly, but intense, competition against the excellent teams in the San Antonio area at November’s Clark Certamen Tournament.
Our region of the Texas State Junior Classical League is not only one of the strongest in the state, but also one of the top regions in the nation for secondary Latin education. For HCCSA students to have the opportunity to compete in scrimmages against these excellent programs is a great privilege and it highlights the significance of their hard work and achievements.
Certamen is the Latin word for “struggle” and anyone who has observed a tournament knows that this name is appropriate. Students compete in a Jeopardy-style quiz bowl on topics related to Latin and Classical history and mythology. There are three rounds of twenty toss-up questions. Teams can have up to four players. HCCSA students practice regularly as part of our Certamen elective, during study halls and sometimes after school. It is a big commitment for them and for their parents.
If you’re curious about seeing an academic struggle in action, join us at one of our upcoming tournaments to cheer on the home team and witness some amazing brainwork. Our schedule is:
Saturday, November 7 Clark Certamen, San Antonio 10:30am - 3:30pm
Saturday, December 5 Crusader Classic, St. Michael’s Austin 8:00am - 12:00pm
Saturday, January 30 Westwood Certamen, co-hosted by HCCSA 8:00am - 12:00pm
Friday/Saturday, February 20-21
Area Tournament (determines State participation), St. Andrew’s Upper School.
Pax Christi vobiscum,
Erin Davis-Valdez
Chair, Department of Foreign Languages
0 Responses to “Three Teams, Three Trophies for Certamen”