Three Things I Learned at Latin Con

Two weeks ago, I went to Latin Con as a student from Stanford OHS. Previously, I had been to Latin Con with my friends from traditional school and had enjoyed unspeakable antics. This year, despite not knowing any of my OHS classmates when I arrived, I had just as much and, if possible, more fun than in my previous years of attendance. But, since what happens at Latin Con stays at Latin Con, I shall just discuss what it was like meeting my OHS classmates IRL. 

First off, I discovered how tall (or not tall) my classmates are. This sounds like an odd discovery, but it composed much of our lunch discussion on the first day.  While traditional schoolers take this information for granted, online schoolers don’t think about it until we actually meet. When you know your classmates as floating heads, seeing the remainder of your classmates is disorienting. For example, some of the people who seem so big on camera are in reality making up for a lack in size. I guess it’s the unsurprising stereotype of small people having big personalities. 

Second, Stanford OHS is the nerdiest of the nerds. We are the kingliest of nerd kings. Imagine Latin Con. A collection of the nerdy students who have chosen to devote time to a dead language. Now add Stanford OHS Latin students. Students who don’t see daylight, live in webcam classrooms, and have additionally chosen the nerdiest language.  With only six representatives compared to the typical 80 representatives that each other school brought, we were the lurking hermits who saw all but were never seen. 

In the end, amongst all the awesome winnings in Ancient Fashion and the academic competitions, I learned that Stanford OHS is just like brick and mortar schools.  Except that, their homecoming was at MIT, their prom is at Stanford, and the campus is made up of houses across the world. My classmates are hilarious, progressive, self-aware, intelligent, and passionate about their clubs, academics, and extracurriculars. 

I also learned that at OHS, grade levels are very fluid. Graduation dates? what are those. Just estimates.