P.V.C.A. CLASSICUS DIĒS MMXIV – What to Expect
FRIDAY JANUARY 17TH

ARRIVAL / CHECK-IN: Mount Holyoke College is located on Route 116 in South Hadley. I will
include a link to a map of the campus. Plan travel schedules to arrive by 8:45-9:00AM. Students
will need time to set up artwork and to get ‘settled in’. All students should have name badges to
wear for the day (provided by teachers) and personal schedules.

SCHEDULE: 8:50-9:00
9:05-10:00
10:05-10:45
10:45-11:25
11:25-12:15
11:25-11:55
11:55-12:35
12:35-1:15

ORIENTATION: Orientation will begin promptly at 8:50 in Hooker Auditorium, which is
attached to the southeast corner of Clapp Hall. Workshops and contests will be held in rooms
nearby. Lunch will be served in Blanchard Student Center, which is a short walk from Clapp.

WORKSHOPS: There will be 7 workshops running contemporaneously having 25 students in
each, with two overflow slide lectures with larger numbers. We will also start the museum visits
during the workshop hour, which will accommodate another 20 students. UMASS graduate
students (two per workshop) and teachers from various schools will lead the workshops.
Teachers should distribute students evenly among the workshops so everyone attending will
have a diverse exposure to what is being offered. The names of the workshops and distribution
numbers for each school will be forthcoming.
Orientation
Workshops
Certamina: Lat. I / II; Adv. Oral Inter.: Poetry/Prose/Greek
1st Lunch Block. Cert.: Lat. III / Myth; Oral Inter.: Novice/Inter.
2nd Lunch Block
Certamina Finals: Latin I // II; Costume Contest
Certamina Finals: Latin III / Myth; Awards Presentations
Final Assembly: “The Face That Launched a Thousand Ships” by
Amherst students
CONTESTS: PLEASE MAKE SURE STUDENTS ARE AWARE OF THE SCHEDULE FOR THE
CONTESTS! All students should enter at least one. Since some students may want to enter more than
one, they will have to adhere to the schedule and manage their time efficiently. Students entered into
more than one contest that have time conflicts should make sure to go to the quiz certamen at the
scheduled time. The other contests are more flexible and will wait for students to show up; make sure
they are registered and that we have their name. Likewise, we need to be informed if they drop out. The
second lunch block is longer and should be able to accommodate students with complicated schedules.
Even if they are on a team that goes to the finals, they should be able to eat during second lunch, which
runs until 12:15. They don’t need to begin lunch precisely at the starting lunch block time.
GUIDELINES FOR CONTESTS:
COSTUMES: $40 maximum spent on creating costume (including borrowed items). Students
will also be required to give a 1 minute description about their character.
ORAL INTERPRETATION: Student must memorize and recite passage fluently and accurately.
CERTĀMEN: (Teams of 4 students). Enter in the appropriate levels. Novice: Middle School / Latin
I; Intermediate: Latin II; Advanced: Latin III and up; Mythology: Grades 7-9 only.
ART: Students may enter pieces in any of these six categories: Mosaics, Models (non-military),
Posters, Paintings/Drawings, Military, and Sculpture. Fill out an entry form for each piece.


LUNCH: The cost of lunch will be included in the registration fee and will be served to students
in Blanchard Campus Center. The college insists that students eat the lunch provided and not bring
their own, unless they have medical reasons. It’s a fine lunch and is always popular with the
students.
FINAL ASSEMBLY: Our final gathering in Hooker will include a presentation by the Amherst
Middle and High School students entitled “The Face That Launched a Thousand Ships”. We will also
hold an awards ceremony directly before.
 EXPECTATONS OF STUDENTS: ALL students MUST wear name badges ALL DAY. All
students must attend workshops and take part in contests. TEACHERS: Please be sure that
students are supervised and behave responsibly. Students should be made aware that their
support of fellow students at the certamina is welcomed as long as it is positive and within
reasonable limits (brief applause and encouragement but no beating on tables, etc.). No criticism
or negative reaction should be voiced or shown toward any contestant or team. The desired
atmosphere is one of healthy competition but not that of a high school football game. We all
should be smarter than that.
P.V.C.A. CLASSICUS DIĒS MMXIV– How to Register
Please read these guidelines to guarantee proper registration for Classics Day!
DEADLINE : Saturday, Dec. 21st by email attachment (barnold@mtholyoke.edu)
1.
CONTESTS: Please make sure that you read the contest descriptions carefully, and students are
aware of the scheduling. Fill out the contest entries on the Registration form completely. We
understand that it can be difficult to get students to commit to contests, but having all the entry
information in advance will ensure that the contests run smoothly and on time. We do allow
some changes of contestants after the deadline, where it is feasible to make them, but the earlier
these matters are secured, the better it is for everyone. N.B: Art Contest entry forms are to
accompany the art pieces when displayed at Classics Day. Photocopy the original sent to you and
distribute to students as necessary.
2.
CERTĀMEN: Please indicate on the registration form the teams you will have for any of the
levels of Certāmen with students’ names. You may enter two teams per level (one is guaranteed
entry, though we are often able to accommodate more), but need not have a team for every level.
3.
WORKSHOPS: ALL STUDENTS WILL ATTEND WORKSHOPS.
4.
MUSEUM VISITS: You may sign up in advance with groups of 10 students and at least one
chaperone (up to 3 adults can attend in addition to the 10 students). There are three times offered:
1) 10:10-10:50; 2) 10:50-11:30; 3) 11:30-12:10. Indicate what time you would prefer, and I will try to
accommodate you. Students and chaperones should gather at the top of Hooker auditorium near
the T-shirt sales five minutes before their designated time. Since we are limited in numbers,
please register those who have a strong interest. Students involved in the team certamina should
generally register only during the workshop times (two per school), as there are too many
potential conflicts. Latin 3 Certamen contestants may be able to register for the 10:10-10:50
session. I need to know ahead of time to accommodate them. The other contests are more flexible
as long as the student is not missing the entire block.
5.
PAYMENT: All payments for Classics Day should be made in the form of a check or money
order payable to PVCA. The money may be sent to Sean Smith or brought to the site, unless other
arrangements are made. Actual contest and museum visit registrations should be sent to me by
email or snail mail.
6.
CHECKLIST FOR REGISTRATION: Have you provided the following information for proper
Registration?
______ General Registration Information
______ Number of students attending (x $15 each)
______ Number of chaperones ($9 each for those who are not teachers, includes lunch)
______ Names of students in Costumes, Oral Interpretation Contests; levels indicated
______ Certāmen teams (with student names) and at what levels indicated
______ Registration Fees
P.V.C.A. CLASSICUS DIĒS MMXIV—REGISTRATION FORM
School Name: _____________________________________________________________
Teacher(s) Name(s): ________________________________________________________
Number of Chaperones (including teachers): __________ (one chaperone per 15 students recommended)
Number of Students ____________ X $15 each registration fee*= $____________
*Teachers do NOT pay registration fees.
Number of chaperones _________ X $9 each
= $____________
TOTAL AMOUNT included: $____________
(Make sure all checks are made payable to PVCA.)
Please send or email all registration materials to:
Bruce Arnold (barnold@mtholyoke.edu)
Department of Classics and Italian
Mount Holyoke College
South Hadley, MA 01075
Registration fees can be sent to: Sean Smith, PVCA Treasurer
Amherst High School, 21 Mattoon St.
Amherst, MA 01002
COSTUME CONTEST: (use additional sheet if necessary. Costumes represent a mythological or
historical character, about whom students will give a one-minute speech. $40 total may be spent to create
the costume—this includes any borrowed items.)
STUDENT NAME:
CHARACTER
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
ORAL INTERPRETATION CONTEST: (use additional sheet if necessary. Please indicate at
which level each student will participate: Novice, Intermediate, Advanced Prose, Advanced Poetry.
Costumes and props WILL NOT be a factor in judging. Students are expected to MEMORIZE entire
passage and recite fluently to show comprehension of the passage.)
LEVEL:
STUDENT NAME:
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
LEVEL:
STUDENT NAME:
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
CERTĀMEN: (Indicate in which level(s) you will be entering students and how many. Each school is
allowed provisionally at least two teams per level, especially if you’re bringing 15 or more students. A
team (usually) consists of 4 members. You can always check with me about numbers.)
# of Teams
LEVEL TEAM
________
________
________
________
Myth Certāmen (Grades 7-9 only)
Novice (Middle School / Latin I students)
Intermediate (Latin II)
Advanced (Latin III and up)
ART: Please use the separate entry forms, found on the last page (duplicate as necessary), which should
accompany each piece entered. All art should have some type of classical theme. All students are
responsible for setting up and taking down their art work. Familiarity with MJCL art contest guidelines
may be useful to help set parameters for students, though we do not strictly adhere to those guidelines
when judging. (This could be especially helpful if students are also going to participate in MJCL activities
in the spring).
PARKING: Car parking will be in the Kendall Sports and Dance Complex parking lot, which is a few
minutes walk from Hooker. We recommend that students be dropped off directly in front of the entrance
to Hooker before vehicles are parked. Please let me know how many buses will be staying on campus so
that we can make arrangements for their parking.
Directions to Mount Holyoke College
From the Mass Pike:




Exit north on Interstate 91 to Route 202 (Exit 16, Holyoke/ South Hadley).
Head north on 202 through Holyoke across the Connecticut River, and around the rotary
to the exit marked South Hadley Center-Amherst, Route 116 north.
The College is approximately 2.5 miles from the exit.
Hooker Auditorium is on Gateway Road, which is best reached by turning right from
Route 116 (College Street) at the ceremonial gate just before Mary Lyon Hall. Follow
Gateway Road around to Hooker Auditorium to let students off. Drivers can then proceed
forward and left onto Church Street and back to Route 116. After turning right onto
Route 116, the Kendall Parking lot can be accessed by turning right onto Dunlap Street.
Please be aware that Gateway Road is now one-way for a stretch, and you should not
enter from Church Street, as you did in past years. Turning a bus around in this area
would be unadvisable.
Link to campus map: http://www.mtholyoke.edu/cic/map/index.shtml
Art Contest Entry Form: One Per Entry
Student Name: __________________[Print Legibly!]
School: __________________________________
Description of Materials Used or Artistic Conception:
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
Category (circle one!):
Mosaic
Military
Sculpture
Model
Painting & Drawing
Poster
Art Contest Entry Form: One Per Entry
Student Name: __________________[Print Legibly!]
School: __________________________________
Description of Materials Used or Artistic Conception:
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
Category (circle one!):
Mosaic
Military
Sculpture
Model
Painting & Drawing
Poster