Maryland Junior Classical League

Spirit in the MDJCL is a contest that takes place over the course of the year. At (and outside of!) events, chapters will compete against each other to earn spirit points. At the end of the MDJCL year, final spirit standings will be announced at the State Convention. Until then, you can find chapter standings right here on the MDJCL website!

There are three main ways to earn spirit points:
    First, there will be times when chapters are asked to write and perform cheers or introductory skits (known as roll calls!). In those instances, chapters will be judged in categories such as unity, effort/volume, cheer quality, and interpretation of a given theme. If you need any inspiration or an idea of what this looks like, check out some of the photos and videos of the MDJCL at previous National (NJCL) Conventions.
    Second, at events, there may be opportunities to bring in donations, to participate/compete in icebreaker contests, or something else of the sort. In these cases, points will be awarded at the discretion of the MDJCL board to chapters who contribute to projects or win certain competitions.
    Finally, you will also earn points for participation in the MDJCL outside of events. For example, attending virtual events, submitting to the Torch, or sending submissions to contests such as the Instagram Contest. If your submission wins a contest, your chapter will receive additional points as well.

Although these exact examples and points earned are potentially subject to change, the following information should give you a sense of what can earn your chapter spirit points! The chants rubric will hopefully also give you a sense as to what judges are looking for in a spirit cheer.

Some examples of miscellaneous ways to earn spirit points for your chapter:

• Attendance at virtual events (5 points)
• Submissions to the torch (5 points)
• Submissions to IG contests (5 points)
• Winning an IG contest (10 points)
• If applicable, bringing donations for a drive (5 points)
• If applicable, winning an icebreaker activity/small contest at events (5 points)
• 5 points won for their chapter (regardless of how many people in each group are from the same chapter)

Check the MDJCL Torch and the website for spirit updates, and feel free to contact your VP Johanna at pittsj@brynmawrschool.org with any questions. We hope that spirit will be a fun part of your MDJCL experience, and that you will look forward to engaging with the MDJCL this year!