Latin students will gather at the annual Southern California Regional Amici Madness (SCRAM) to share the culture, history, and the language of the ancient Romans. It is an event many Latin students look forward to every year.
This year, students will meet on November 5 at Glendale High School to share their common interest for Latin.


SCRAM is an opportunity for students to step back in time and experience life when Latin was a flourishing language. Students sign up for workshops and various competitions and are awarded prizes varying from jewelry and food to certificates and medals. These competitions include fun activities aside from work, such as the crowning of Mr. and Mrs. Rome, which is voted for by the participating students.
Another one of the non-academic events includes Fugepilam, a battle in the form of dodgeball, which gives these Latin students a chance to collaborate and have fun together. The Gladiator workshop allows students to apply their knowledge and artistic skills to create their own Gladiator armor.
Though SCRAM has many competitions and activities, which include mythology and Latin spelling bees, students participating do not spend much class time preparing particularly for these events.
“We really don’t prepare for SCRAM,” said participant Allison Yee (’07). “The classes alone are enough.”
AP Latin teacher Don Ashman feels that SCRAM calls for “less formal preparation than the state Latin Convention which we will be preparing for later on.”
Latin Oratory and Sight Reading is one of the few activities offered at SCRAM that actually helps students prepare for the coming convention.
SCRAM also gets students “pumped up for the Latin Convention,” and allows students to “see what Latin Club is like at other schools,” said Yee. She is also excited simply because “it’s fun!”
Ashman considers SCRAM a “great way to combine academics with art, giving students the chance for fellowship and fun.”
Students who do not participate not only miss the grand experience, but are also “not owning up to the brotherhood of Latin,” said participant Nairi Hartouni (’07). “Latin is dying in our school system.”

By Staff Writer, Melina Allahveridan