Classics Club

Certamen – Latin quiz bowl

A game of knowledge and speed in which teams of up to four students compete to answer questions about Latin grammar and literature, classical culture, history, and mythology. 

The club ranges from just for fun to more competitive teams that compete at various local tournaments including SPS-Exeter-Andover Certamen, Yale Certamen, Boston School Certamen, Harvard Certamen, and more.

Concilium Conloquentium Latine (LCC)

singulis hebdomadibus hora sexta postmeridiana die Veneris in triclinio Wetherell convenit ut sodales cenam sumentes de rebus variis – e.g. ludo, athleticis, cibo, tempestate – Latine comiter loquantur. Adventus omnium discipulorum et discipularum – et tironum et veteranorum – gratissmus est.

New Hampshire Junior Classical League

The Kirtland Society is a chapter of the New Hampshire Junior Classical League. Every April Exeter hosts the NHJCL Forum, which draws Latin high school students from all over the Granite State to compete not only in Certamen but also in academic, artistic, and athletic contests, including chariot racing and gladiatorial combat. State officers elected at the Forum lead the New Hampshire delegation at the National Junior Classical League Convention in July.

Other Events

Other Kirtland events include the Annual Latin Carol Celebration, field trips to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the Harvard Museums, and the quinquennial performance of the Roman comedy Miles Gloriosus by Plautus. The year ends with a Roman Banquet, in which students and faculty wear Roman attire, cook authentic Roman cuisine inspired by Apicius (minus the garum sauce), and dine al fresco while listening to music and recitations of Latin poetry. Gaudeamus igitur!