Kirtland Society
Down to the final question of the championship round of the 2015 Granite State Certamen, Exeter’s advanced team sits on the edge of their seats. As soon as the question is read, upper Bliss Perry buzzes in. “Dative of Agent,” he says and in dominating fashion—the round is won. Exeter’s Kirtland Society has claimed its third straight Granite State Certamen title.
The Kirtland Society is a club that fosters the study of the classics outside of the school’s curriculum. They meet on Friday nights, first as the Latin Conversation Club in Wetherell for a dinner where conversation is held in Latin, and then later in the Latin Study for Certamen, a quiz bowl style game centered on classical studies. Participants answer questions on Latin grammar and literature, classical culture, history and mythology. The Kirtland Society competes in Certamen tournaments every year, having travelled to Yale, Harvard, the Boston Latin School and Dover High School just in this past school year. The club is currently led by senior Andre Oravitan, upper Lyle Seeligson and upper Kofi Ansong.
Named for John C. Kirtland, who taught Latin at the Academy in the early 1900’s, the Kirtland Society has been active for over 50 years. In the past, the club had hosted lectures for members and convened to read works in Greek and Latin outside of the school’s curriculum. Former members include Mark Zuckerberg ’02.
According to classics instructor and advisor of Kirtland Society, Nicholas Unger, the history of Kirtland Society is “shrouded in the mists of time.” When Unger was a student at Exeter, John Kirtland’s text “An Introduction to Latin” taught him Latin.
“I got to meet a lot of other Latin students in New Hampshire, and it’s overall a great experience.”
As the advisor, Unger’s role is mostly “logistical and inspirational.” Along with working with the club-heads, he schedules the bus rides and gives motivational speeches. The night before the Harvard Certamen, he showed up to the meeting and gave a pep-talk in Latin modeled after Caesar’s address to his troops.
Perry became a regular member of Kirtland Society in his prep spring. “As a passionate student of the classics, I was attracted to the opportunity the club gave me to further pursue my interests in that area,” he said. The club has also contributed to his experience with the classics in numerous unique ways. Perry’s favorite events are when the club travels to other schools or colleges to compete in Certamen competitions.
“We’ve gotten a lot better lately, it’s true—but that’s not the reason why they’re so much fun. To be honest, it is just a great pleasure to spend a day with fifteen or so other invested classics students, from the early-ish breakfasts to late evening van rides back,” he said.
Lower Rachel Moberg joined Kirtland Society her prep winter after her Latin instructor Megan Campbell encouraged her students to attend a meeting. Moberg looks forward to each Friday night because she gets to participate in rounds of Certamen. “Some schools take Certamen really seriously and have coaches that train the kids—and they get super intense and competitive about it—but here, we really do it all ourselves ... We’re just a super dysfunctional group of people that all love being ‘classics nerds’ together, and it’s a really fun, special community to be a part of,” she said.
Lower Alexis Lee’s favorite aspect of the club is also the competitions. “For me, the most enjoyable events are Certamen competitions and New Hampshire Junior Classical League conventions—I got to meet a lot of other Latin students in New Hampshire, and it’s overall a great experience,” she said.
Seeligson’s favorite part about Kirtland Society is the friendships she’s created with her fellow club members, who all share the same love for the classics as she does. “While we have worked hard to establish a productive environment, and everyone who takes part in the club appreciates it and puts a great amount of effort into it, we also are able to relax and have fun with each other,” she said.
Perry said that during each meeting, whether it be a regular Latin Conversation Club meeting or a Certamen practice, he always feels the camaraderie between all of the members. “Ultimately, Kirtland is definitely among the highlights of my Exeter experience, and I can’t wait to see how the club will continue to develop during the rest of my time here.”