t the past Washington-British Columbia Junior
Classical League Convention in April of 2018, the JCL communities of Washington and British Columbia formally elected to unite with the State of Oregon. Although the choice was unanimous to combine forces with our nearby neighbors to the south, both the student leaders and adult administrators who work diligently to put on an enticing and thoughtful serious of classical events felt it necessary that the organization shift in response to this change. In order to better reflect the expansive nature of this incredibly fun convention across the geographic borders of current states and provinces, the convention board proposed a name change, which was widely supported by the youth population in attendance. True to the WABC JCL constitution in democratic practice, an election was held. The name “Cascadia Junior Classical League” prevailed as the victor, having defeated the opponents of “Washington-British Columbia-Oregon Junior Classical League,” abbreviated as WABCOR JCL, and “Pacific Northwest Junior Classical League,”abbreviated as PNW JCL. Nora McDonald noted “our proposed name, ‘Cascadia,’ would be much less divisive. In a lighter vein, ‘Cascadia’ is easy to pronounce, much less cumbersome…”
The name “Cascadia” was proposed during the Spring Planning meeting by the 2017-2018 Historian, Heather Madsen, now this year’s Cascadia JCL President, in an effort to bind together the diverse and unique attendees of the convention with two well-known geographic formations: the Cascade mountain range (to the east of Puget Sound) and the convergent fault line approximately 50 miles of the coast of the Northwest. Over 600 miles long, this subduction zone stretches from Southern British Columbia to Northern California. The “Cascadia” name beautifully embodies the unity the fault brings to the populations that radiate out to the east.
The organization is delighted to have chosen an official name that will not demand constant amendment in the future as more and more JCL chapters from various states continue to join them at the annual convention in Warm Beach, Washington. Vice President Mona Malone has made this clear: “ By renaming ourselves Cascadia, we are able to reach out to a more diverse audience and allow more people, who might not have been able to before, become involved within the Latin community.”
Cascadia JCL officials hope to incorporate additional Latin-related activities that may draw these classical enthusiasts into the greater Puget Sound Area more frequently. Only considering the future problems was not the end goal, but rather an efficient plan of action to provide a more inclusive environment for all those interested in classical studies. They are excited to welcome Oregon now and are eager to see where this new chapter in the history of JCL in the Northwest will take them.
If you are ever in the Puget Sound area in April, please feel free to drive out to Warm Beach Camp and Conference Center in Warm Beach, Washington, approximately 12 miles to the West of Arlington, a little under two hours North of Seattle, to observe the myriad of Cascadia JCL Convention offerings in action.
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Welcoming
"We are able to reach out to a more diverse audience and allow more people... to become involved within the Latin community."
by Heather Madsen
President of Cascadia JCL
CASCADIA JCL
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