The GHS Torch

“…vote for Nikhil for 2nd Vice President. I’m clearly the best option aRAOnd!” said newly elected Texas Junior Classical League (TSJCL) 2nd Vice-President, Nikhil Rao in his candidate speech. This past weekend, Nikhil Rao, Greenhill sophomore, ran for TSJCL office in Amarillo, Texas. This makes him the first Greenhill student to ever run for TSJCL office. “I wanted to run for 2nd VP because I wanted to give back to an

organization that I really loved,” Nikh-il said. However, this was not a sudden impulse, running for office has been on Nikhil’s JCL bucket list since 8th grade. “Sometime in 8th grade [I felt like I wanted to run for TSJCL of-fice]… I just saw the [TSJCL] officers up there and I thought ‘ I want to be up there someday. I want to help and do something,’” he said. Before running, he helped

TSJCL State Co-chair and Middle School Latin teacher, Mrs. Joan Romanosky, with Area C convention for two years. “I helped Mrs. Romanosky [with Area C] because I felt like she needed [the help]… and I wanted to gain experience so I could run in the future.” Once sophomore year rolled around, Nikhil began the proce-dures required for running. First, he had to turn in a nominations form to State Co-Chair, William Lee, and [TSJCL] Parliamentarian Caren Valenciano. He then wrote his speeches, printed posters, and prepared an uncomfortable suit, which he would wear for an en-tire day before his official speech.

Right before the assembly where he would find out if he won, Nikhil gave his advice to anyone who was interested in running. “Par-ticipate as much as you can in your chapter… Try to do things that will later [qualify] you for the position you will be running for,” he said. Later in the convention, it was announced that Nikhil won the position of 2nd Vice-President. Nikhil’s current teacher and Upper School Latin teacher, Trevor Worcester, was one of the many who believed he was qualified for his posi-tion. “I think Nikhil is organized, efficient, he’s clearly engaged in all the JCL competitions... Not only does he have his heart in the right place, but also he has the actual other tools,” Mr. Worcester said.

The official publication of the Greenhill Junior Classical League“Per aspera ad astra”

April 2015

Page II Page III Page IV

Crossing the Finish Line:Story by Areeba Amer, GHS Torch Editor

Nikhil Rao Runs for TSJCL Office

#NIKHIL(LING)IT: Nikhil advertises his campaign by putting posters around the campus and putting posters on Greenhill students’ backpacks. (Left to right: Elizabeth Nuth, Ananias Hayes, Nikhil Rao, and Sam Bovard.)Photo Credit: Nami Rao, mother of Nikhil Rao

Recap of State and Area C Convention

A Tale of IV CitiesTravel with MS Staffer, Natalie

Neiman through Spain.

Announcements you do not want to miss!

Including the return of animals in togas!

If you missed it and are feeling left out or you are missing it....

Area C was a lot of fun for everyone involved, and proved to be as chaotic and exciting as we expected. Many people received ribbons and we look forward to State the weekend of the 30th. Jesuit was filled with people who were all excited by the classics. Greenhill entered a large range of con-tests, from the art competitions to the certamen to the classical civilization. We emerged from all of these, maybe not victorious, but we did emerge. Area C was very enjoyable for all involved, and hopefully State will be the same.

Page II The GHS Torch April 2015

Area C Recap By Sam Bovard, MS Staff

State-ing the FactsStory by Areeba Amer, GHS Torch Editor

At Amarillo High School, from Friday, March 27 to Sunday, March 29, 38 Greenhill students attended the 2015 Texas Junior Classical League Convention. This year, the conflict with ISAS, the annual Fine Arts Festival, prevented many Upper School JCLers from going and only two were able to attend. The middle school, on the other hand, had 36 JCLers attend. With 38, not including adults, on the bus, the 6 hour drive was compromised of many karaoke sessions from the back of the bus and sleep. Convention itself was eventful, with late nights and early mornings for breakfast. “I like the people [in JCL],” said Upper School JCLer, Nikhil Rao. Nonetheless, the Green-hill JCL came home with one 3rd place trophy from the Nov-ice Sweepstakes for the middle school, 48 top-10 certificates, middle and upper school com-bined, and one newly-elected 2nd

Vice-President. “I love that [the JCL] because it is such an experience, said middle school Latin teacher, Magistra Roma-nosky

Page III The GHS Torch April 2015April 2015

Selville, Spain

Selville, Spain, otherwise known as “The City of Fans.”

Photo courtesy of : http://www.fanpop.com/

Malaga, Spain

Photo courtesy of : www.worldalldetails.com

Madrid, Spain

The Royal Palace: Madrid, Spain

Madrid was the first city we went to. It is a somewhat more modern city, but there are still some beautiful old buildings. One of the most mem-orable parts of Madrid was the Royal Palace. The Royal palace is a huge building in Madrid that is where the royal family lives. One part of it is a sort of museum, with old rooms that you can tour. They even have the old plates and dishes set up in a dining/ballroom in the exact way that it would be in the times it was used. Madrid was also full of delicious food, and it introduced us to one of my new favorite food, jamon (ham in Spanish)

Merida, Spain

The Roman Amphitheatre: Merida, Spain Photo courtesy of : http://gospain.about.com/

Merida was next. Merida was a town founded by the Romans, and there you can see a very well preserved amphitheater and theatre. Timothy, a seventh grader at Greenhill, got to sing in the theatre

to prove that the architecture really did amplify sound. There was also a Roman bridge in Merida, which is one of the best-preserved

bridges in Spain. We got to walk across it, and it was a very long bridge. Merida was my favorite city in Spain, with all of the amaz-

ing ruins and architecture.

Seville was the city of fans. Timothy bought 18 fans here, taking his total amount of fans from Spain to 20. It was a beautiful city with lots of architec-ture and art. A lot of the shopping we did in Spain was done in Selville, and everyone ended up with at least 1 fan to call his or her own.

A Tale of Four CitiesBy Natalie Nieman, MS Staff

The Spain Trip Greenhill students took over Spring Break was amazing. There were lots of fun cities, art, and most importantly (in my opinion) amazing food. There were 4 main cities that we went to: Madrid, Merida, Seville, and Malaga.

Malaga was probably my second favorite city. It was absolutely beautiful, but one of the highlights of Malaga was the Picasso

Museum. Many of Picasso’s famous painting could be seen there, and it was amazing. Most of the day in Malaga was spent in a bull

ranch near the city. It was really fun, and we got to see the bull-rings and pictures of the bullfights. The house on the bull ranch was beautiful. It was a large house that was very decorative and

also had many different buildings that were from a long time ago.

Issue VI comes out... MAY 15 , 2015

The Torch StaffEditor/Graphics

Areeba AmerContributing Staff

Sam BovardVeda VelamuriNatalie Nieman

Page IV The GHS Torch April 2015

AnnouncementsThe Torch Staff for Next Year

If you are interested in doing ANYTHING for The GHS Torch next year, let me know as soon as possible by emailing me at amera@greenhill.org . I need to decide how I’m handling the GHS Torch next year based on how many are willing to par-ticipate. This is not a permanent staff list, however, I really need a headcount. Please specify what you are willing to do and how often you are willing to do it. (NB: I need upper school participation! So if you are going to be in the Upper School JCL next year, please consider participating.)

“Animals in Togas” Comeback Natalie Neiman, MS Staff, and I will be managing the “Animals in Togas” for next issue. If you want your pet photoshopped into a toga, email a picture (preferably standing!) of your pet to amera@greenhill.org by April 7th, 2015!

Find your way out of this maze!

By Veda Velamuri, MS Staff