On November 7, the Benet Certamen team competed once again. They traveled to Victor J. Andrew High School in Tinley Park to meet and challenge three other schools. Certamen is a type of quiz bowl, but what makes it unique is the fact that the sole subject is the Latin language and the ancient Roman Empire. The competition begins with a toss up question. This question can be answered by any player on any team and is simply judged by who buzzes in first to answer the question. If the person who buzzed in is able to answer the question, they, along with the help of their team, are able to answer for three bonus points. These points are related to the toss up question and allows a team to continue to gain points.

At the competition, Benet was joined by the other high schools in their region: Hinsdale South High School, Lyons Township High School, and Victor J Andrew High School. Each of these teams is divided into three divisions to allow players to face opponents with a similar amount of Latin experience. The lowest level is the Novice Division, which is made up of students who are in their first year of taking Latin. The next level is the Lower Level, where freshman and sophomores who are in Latin II compete. The final level is the Upper Level, a playing field made of students who are in Latin III and above. Benet did rather well in this last meet, with the Novice Team in second, the Lowers taking third, and the Upper Level bringing in a first place win.

Certamen is not just an opportunity to increase one’s understanding of Latin, but it also allows the team to meet people from other schools. Freshman Casey Goldman, a member of the Lower Team, said about Certamen, “Getting to know people afterwards and see how many people love Latin is really cool.” Certamen brings people together and enhances the overall knowledge of a new language. As the Benet team brings home another win, it is certain that they had a good time doing it.