As the school year comes to an end, the Townsend Harris Latin Club has a lot to celebrate: they finished in the top ten at the Yale Certamen, a quiz bowl-type competition among some of the best schools in the Northeast, and they received first place at both the beginner and intermediate levels at the regional certamen held at our school.

Adding to this list, the club was invited to attend a regional certamen at the Bronx High School of Science. However, there were issues associated with its organization.

Reflecting on the certamen at Bronx Science, sophomore Hema Venkata said, “All I can say is that I feel it was incredibly unfair. Teams we beat multiple times made the finals while we didn’t.”

Angel Song, junior, said, “Bronx Science organized their rules and competition in a way that we were not familiar with, so we had the disadvantage.”

Junior Jonathan Chung reasoned that “In entering competitions at Yale and even in our own school, our club is cognizant of the usual level of difficulty relative to each level. Intermediate and novice teams were intermixed at Bronx Science, so the questions were fair game to all teams. It became a matter of who raised his hand first, and I think that’s when it became a matter of fate.”

Latin teacher and Latin club advisor Jonathan Owens praises the team’s accomplishments. “The students run the club, really. They have a real sense of ownership of the club that I find commendable. I know the students were frustrated with the results of the Bronx certamen, but I don’t think it should tarnish an otherwise exemplary year.”