By Samuel Campbell

The Certamen Club is not well known but is doing some amazing things! What is Certamen exactly? Mr. Hansen describes it as “a quiz bowl-like competition in which teams of students answer questions about Latin, Greek, and classical cultures.” After a series of complex trivia rounds, the team with the most points wins!

Tempe Prep’s main Certamen team earned third place in the state Certamen convention last year and is shooting for first place this year. Noah Frazier, a returning Certamen competitor, is “excited for the upcoming season!” Certamen has two different teams: the first includes Noah Frazier, Grace Diehl, Annie Meacham, and Ethan Stojanowski (the team who  placed third in state). Tempe Prep’s second team is made up of Zeke Shaw, Connor Clark, Ben Moriarty, and Eowyn Stojanowski.

In the competitions, each team member has their own individual strengths. For instance, Ethan Stojanowski is the team’s mythology master, while Grace Diehl is the team’s Greek guru. Mr. Hansen believes that “the competitions are extremely friendly and welcoming.”

To paint a fuller picture of the annual convention, he further invites us to, “Imagine all of the biggest Greek and Latin nerds in the state gathered at one place!” People dress up in togas and armor, make and perform chants and cheers, do fun activities like skits and animal (i.e. pinata) sacrifices. Food is always part of the gathering, and of course, they play Certamen!

Everyone taking Greek or Latin is welcome to join. The Certamen teams practice three times a week learning new material, working in particular on their individual strong suits. The teams then have practice Certamen games each Friday after school.

With more competitions coming up, the teams are looking strong and shooting for victory. Good luck to our Certamen teams!