Formed in 1936, the National Junior Classical League (NJCL) is an organization of junior and senior high school students sponsored by the American Classical League. Composed of local and state/provincial chapters across the United States, Canada, and Australia, it is the largest Classical organization in the world today with over 50,000 members.
The earliest recorded JCL chapter in Virginia was sponsored by Flora Lynn at Clifton Forge High School in 1952. Over the next decade, the Torch: US contained many references to the activities of various Latin programs and JCL chapters across the state. The 1961 NJCL convention was the first to be attended by delegates from Virginia, with a delegation totaling six in number.
During the first half of the 1960s, Virginia state conventions spanned one Saturday morning and consisted primarily of electoral procedures. The late 60s and the 70s saw many changes and firsts for Virginia: the state convention was extended to a span of two days; various tests were added to the VJCL canon; in May 1971, the Collegiate School of Richmond hosted the first Certamen tournament in the country; and the summer of 1972 saw the first national convention hosted in Virginia.
The 80s brought with them great increases in VJCL membership, the addition of several competitions, a move to the Greater Richmond Convention Center, where VJCL conventions are held today, and the first annual Virginia Governor’s Latin Academy, held in 1988. The 90s saw similar growth and success.
Today, the Virginia Junior Classical League enjoys great popularity, with over 100 chapters and thousands of delegates. As we progress through the 21st century, we look forward to seeing similar growth and success across the state.
Goals
The goals of the Virginia Junior Classical League are to promote a more thorough knowledge of and a greater appreciation for Greek and Roman culture, tradition, language, and literature, and to interest other students in the study of the Classics.
