On Thursday 26 upper and middle school students will head to Universal in Orlando, Florida, for the Latin States Competitions, where over 1,000 students will compete in competitions both academic and athletic. 

On Friday, students will take tests and compete in contests such as Certamen and athletic Olympic events. On Saturday, there will be closing ceremonies and awards, followed by a trip to the Universal theme park. 

Mr. Revard, the Modern & Classical Languages Chair, has been attending the Latin State competition for 28 years, and Saint Stephen’s as a school has been a part of program for even longer. He commented on why the school must take part in competitions like Latin States.

“It allows pursuing a topic that can be very profitable,” Revard said. “It is a way of showing what you know beyond the classroom.”

Although Mr. Revard believes that the academic and test-taking side of the competition is the most beneficial, his favorite aspect is the creativity that the students can show. He mentioned that no matter what the students are interested in regarding the Ancient world, there is something they can pursue at this competition.

“I like the most that there’s such a wide variety of things that students can pursue both intellectual and artistic,” Revard said. “Every part of what our lives are is what the study of the ancient world is.”

One of the participants, Riccardo Baretta ‘26, commented that the most important thing to him in these competitions is his teammates.

“I’m looking forward to spending time with my teammates in between events,” Baretta said. “I’m also excited to cheer them on during the awards ceremony on Saturday.”