Students from Crown Point High School were among 24 teams from nine schools from across Indiana who competed at the 36th annual Indiana Junior Classical League Indiana Certamen Invitational on February 10, 2024, at Classical Studies of Indianapolis in Indianapolis, IN.

Certamen is an academic competition for students of Latin that involves questions about all aspects of the classical world in a quiz competition with buzzers. It provides a way for students to extend their learning outside of the classroom, to compete against their peers, to gain recognition, and to socialize with other students who share their interests. Students compete in three divisions based on their level of Latin.

Crown Point’s novice team placed 6th in their division; the novice level is only open to students in Latin 1. The team members were Henry Euteneier, Shaun Ipema, Annie Jacobi (captain), and Asher McAlvey. The novice coach is Mr. Jeremy Walker.

Crown Point had two intermediate teams at this event; the intermediate level is for students in Latin 2. The team of Lincoln Vickers and Luke Waldschmidt (captain) placed 1st; the team of Jillian Boren, Joe Stewart, and Jack Watson (captain) placed 4th. The intermediate coach is Ms. Angela Taraskiewicz.

Crown Point also had two advanced teams at this event; the advanced level is for students in Latin 3 or AP Latin. The team of Nic Collier, Logan Pauley, and Hayden Smith (captain) advanced to the final round and placed 3rd; the team of Ashley Grindey, Sammie Ipema, Gibson Mehrle, and Jackson Vrlik (captain) placed 9th. The advanced coach is Mr. Ryan Collier.

The CPHS Certamen teams will next compete in the state Certamen tournament at the IJCL State Convention on March 7-9 at Indiana University, Bloomington. Future competitions include the IJCL Floralia Certamen Invitational on April 27 at The Stanley Clark School in South Bend, and the national competition on July 22-27 at the NJCL National Convention at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, TN.