Classics Scholars Win Prestigious Competition

Published by Malvern St James Girls' School on Thursday 10th of April 2014

On Thursday 18 February selected MSJ girls from Years 8, 9 and 10 went to Cheltenham Ladies' College to take part in the Gloucestershire Classical Association Latin Reading Competition.

The girls who took part were Naya Sanphanit, Lucy Macaulay, Emma Wadman, Liberty Wilkinson, Ellie Manns, Eve Garland Hellewell, Rachel McKie, Maria Ahued Vazquez, Monica Ahued Vazquez, Charlie Sambrook, Rosie Baird and Lucinda Hobden. Mrs Baird and Mrs Shepherd were very impressed by the time they spent in preparation for this event and the improvement that each girl made in her pronunciation. For the Junior Competition, students had to perform a lively duologue from the Cambridge Latin Course. All of our girls performed extremely well and we are very pleased that Ellen Manns and Eve Garland Hellewell were rewarded with first place, beating off stiff competition from St Mary's Calne, Cheltenham Ladies College, Cheltenham College and St Edward's Cheltenham.

Reading ancient languages aloud, both to show accuracy and to convey meaning, enables the beauty of Latin and Greek to be appreciated. Rosie Baird and Lucinda Hobden had a very inspiring afternoon listening to different renditions of Latin and Greek poetry and prose. Lucinda Hobden came third in the Intermediate Latin, with a reading of Virgil and Rosie Baird came second in the Intermediate Greek, reading Herodotus. This is very impressive as both girls are only just beginning their study of Literature.

There was more good news later that day, when it was discovered that Eve Garland Hellewell in Year 9 had come third in the junior section of a competition organised by the ARLT (Association for Latin Teaching). Students were invited to submit a recording of a passage of Latin. Recordings of the prize winners can be heard at http://www.arlt.co.uk/results14.html where the results are listed in full.