This page was last updated on Sunday, February 13, 2011.
The items listed below IN GRAY are for reference to past options only.

Riverbend Latin Poster Contest
Eta Sigma Phi Essay Contest
Optional, Extra Credit Classical Literacy Test - First Semester
Riverbend Certamen Tournament
Classical Literacy Exam
CAV Classical Essay Contest
NJCL Creative Writing Contest
Illustrated Classical Literacy Project
National World Language Week Poster Contest
Bernice L. Fox Classical Writing Contest
National Latin Exam
Creative Latin Media Contest
CAV Latin Essay Contest
ACL Poster Contest
Optional, Extra Credit Classical Literacy Test - Second Semester

More items will be added as they become available. Check back often.

Spotters, Scorekeepers, Runners, and Fillers at the Riverbend Certamen
Saturday, December 11, 2010

The 6th Annual Riverbend Certamen will be held on Saturday, December 11, 2010, at Riverbend High School. In order to make this tournament a success, we will need approximately 60 Latin students to spot, keep score, run, and play on filler teams. All students who participate during the entire required time will receive an extra 100 test grade. Only students who are willing and able to help run this certamen should sign up.

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Riverbend Latin Poster Contest
Due to Mr. Keith by Friday, December 17, 2010 (Late submissions will not be accepted)

The Riverbend Latin Club is sponsoring a poster contest open to all Latin students at RHS. Students will create a poster promoting the study of Latin at RHS. The purpose of this contest is to encourage students to sign up for Latin for the 2011-2012 school year. Posters must be submitted on plain white, 8 1/2 x 11 inch paper. All writing and artwork should be done in black ink and/or black pen or marker. Computer-generated posters are acceptable. The poster can have a border but be sure that the artwork and/or words do not extend all the way to the edges of the paper so that the posters can be copied. Selected posters will be duplicated and hung up around the school. Be creative! Show support and love for Latin! Remember, the posters should encourage students to sign up for Latin! All posters selected for use will earn an extra credit 100 quiz grade. Not all submitted posters may be selected. Limit of three posters person, please. Only serious submissions should be considered.

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Optional, Extra Credit Classical Literacy Test
Given during the week of January 3-7, 2011

An optional, extra credit Classical Literacy Test is offered to all Latin students at the end of each semester. The test contains all the items covered in Classical Literacy for the semester with each one answered correctly worth one-tenth of a point toward the semester exam grade, i.e., if a student answers 67 items correctly, he/she will receive +7 points on his/her exam (rounding up, of course). The format of the test is fill-in-the-blank with no word bank. Each item will be described, defined, translated or otherwise questioned and it is up to the student to come up with the correct answer.

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Eta Sigma Phi Essay Contest
Due to Mr. Keith by Friday, January 7, 2011 (Late submissions will not be accepted)

The Beta Nu Chapter of Eta Sigma Phi, the Classics Honorary at the University of Mary Washington, sponsors an annual essay contest open to Latin students in the Fredericksburg Area. Students write an essay on the specified topic and submit it for consideration. There are two divisions: "A" for students in grades 7-9 and "B" for students in grades 10-12. Essays will be graded by Mr. Keith after they are submitted to UMW and will count as a test grade. Only serious submissions should be considered

Download the flyer for specific information: MS Word | pdf

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Classical Literacy Exam (CLE)
Registration due to Mr. Keith by Friday, January 7, 2011 (Late registration cannot be accepted)

Albuquerque Academy in New Mexico sponsors the annual Classical Literacy Exam (CLE). Students answer fifty questions about Roman history, culture, mythology, and language by filling in the blanks. A list of material to know, from which questions on the exam are drawn, will be provided to each student prior to the exam so that he/she can prepare appropriately. Students will be assigned by Mr. Keith to an appropriate level when they register.

N.B. I: Students must get at least 20 out of the 50 questions correct in order to receive extra credit.

N.B. II: This exam is NOT the same thing as the Classical Literacy quizzes and tests we take at Riverbend, but there is similar material. The content, as you will see from the study guide, contains Latin, Greek, and classical material any liberally-educated individual should know.

The registration fee is 75 cents per person and due by the deadline on Friday, January 7, 2011.

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CAV Classical Essay Contest
Due to Mr. Keith by Friday, February 6, 2009 (Late submissions will not be accepted)

The Classical Association of Virginia offers an annual essay contest, written in English, and open to Latin students whose teachers are members of CAV (Mr. Keith is). Students write an essay on the specified topic and submit it for consideration. There are separate divisions for Latin I, Latin II, Latin III, and Upper Level students. Essays will be graded by Mr. Keith after they are submitted to CAV and will count as a test grade. Only serious submissions should be considered.

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NJCL Creative Writing Contest
Due to Mr. Keith by Friday, February 6, 2009 (Late submissions will not be accepted)

The National Junior Classical League sponsors an annual creative writing contest open to Latin students who are members of the NJCL (if you are a member of the RHS Latin Club, you are already a member of NJCL). Students write a story, poem, essay, etc. on the specified topic and submit it for consideration. Creative works will be graded by Mr. Keith after they have been submitted to NJCL and will count as two quiz grades. Only serious submissions should be considered.

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Illustrated Classical Literacy Project
Due to Mr. Keith by Friday, February 25 (Late submissions will not be accepted)

This project is an opportunity for creativity and is open to any Latin student at RHS. Students create up to two posters illustrating any item of classical literacy from the first semester. The artwork must be original and by the student submitting the posters. The poster(s) will be graded based upon a rubric and will count as a quiz grade for each submission.

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National World Languages Week Poster Contest
Due to Mr. Keith by Friday, March 4 (Late submissions will not be accepted)

This contest is open to any foreign language student at RHS. Students are asked to design and create an attractive poster on the theme "Language Make the World Go 'Round!" Latin students are required to make their design reflecting a classical or Latin-related theme. The poster will be displayed and judged at the 2011 Culture a la Carte Festival to be held at RHS on Saturday, March 4. There will be gift certificates awarded to the top posters on the elementary school, middle school, and high school level.

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Bernice L. Fox Classics Writing Contest
Due to Mr. Keith by Friday, March 11, 2011 (Late submissions will not be accepted)

This contest is open to any student enrolled full-time in high school during current school year. An award of $250.00 will be given to the author of the best entry written in English on a specified theme. The entry may be an essay, a short story, a play, a poem, or any original literary work. Creative works will be graded by Mr. Keith after they have been submitted and will count as a quiz grade. Only serious submissions should be considered.

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Creative Latin Media Contest
Due to Mr. Keith by Friday, March 13, 2009 (Late submissions will not be accepted)

The Free Lance-Star is sponsoring a Creative Media Contest (2008 information posted, but the information is basically the same) for all Fredericksburg area students in grades 6-12. The categories include Personal Column, Comic Strip, Commentary, Editorial Cartoon, Photography, and Feature Story. In order for this activity to be counted as extra credit in Latin, your submission must support, promote, advertise, or otherwise encourage the study of Latin. Be sure to take a look at these tips from the FLS Staff. All items will be graded by Mr. Keith after they are submitted to FLS and will count at least one quiz grade per item. Students may submit only one item per category. Only serious submissions should be considered.

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National Latin Exam
Thursday, March 17, 2011 (There are no make-ups for this exam)

All Latin students at RHS have been signed up to take the National Latin Exam. The examination will be given on Thursday, March 17, 2011, during A-1 on the Commons. All students who take the 2011 NLE will receive extra credit.

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CAV Latin Essay Contest
Due to Mr. Keith by Wednesday, March 25, 2009 (Late submissions will not be accepted)

The Classical Association of Virginia offers an annual essay contest, written in Latin, and open to Latin students whose teachers are members of CAV (Mr. Keith is). Students write an essay on the specified topic and submit it for consideration. There are separate divisions for Latin I, Latin II, and Upper Level students. Essays will be graded by Mr. Keith after they are submitted to CAV and will count as two quiz grades. Only serious submissions should be considered.

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ACL Poster Contest
Due to Mr. Keith by Friday, May 29, 2009 (Late submissions will not be accepted)

The American Classical League offers an annual poster contest based upon the theme of the annual Institute. This contest is open to students of members of ACL (Mr. Keith is) and only three posters per member may be submitted. Posters for submission will be selected by Mr. Keith. All serious submissions will be graded.

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Optional, Extra Credit Classical Literacy Test
Given during the week of May 31-June 3, 2011

An optional, extra credit Classical Literacy Test is offered to all Latin students at the end of each semester. The test contains all the items covered in Classical Literacy for the semester with each one answered correctly worth one-tenth of a point toward the semester exam grade, i.e., if a student answers 67 items correctly, he/she will receive +7 points on his/her exam (rounding up, of course). The format of the test is fill-in-the-blank with no word bank. Each item will be described, defined, translated or otherwise questioned and it is up to the student to come up with the correct answer.

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This page has been created and is maintained by Mark A. Keith for the Latin program at Riverbend High School in Fredericksburg, VA. The content herein is solely the responsibility of the website editor and does not imply promotion, sponsorship, or endorsement by Riverbend High School or Spotsylvania County Public Schools.
Created: November 4, 2008. Last Revised: February 13, 2010.