Boston Latin School - Extracurricular Activities

Extracurricular Activities

BLS Youth CAN

Started in 2006, BLS Youth CAN is the original Youth Climate Action Network group, and now as over 15 over groups. Youth CAN is, as of 2010, working on funding for a green roof, that will service schools in the area with interactive classrooms. A signature Youth CAN event is the "Climate Change Summit", held in May. So far, Youth CAN has raised thousands upon thousands of dollars towards the green roof. Youth CAN has received attention from the likes of Al Gore, as well as local Boston politicians.

BLSTV

The internal television station of Boston Latin School is BLSTV; it has been broadcasting since 2003. Every day BLSTV broadcasts the daily bulletin to all of BLS. All of the broadcasters are students, in either their junior or senior years, and the crew generally ranges in age from freshman to seniors. BLSTV also appears at most school events, filming and archiving all of their footage.

Boston Latin Theatre Company

Boston Latin School's Theatre Company produces three to four plays per academic year, including a spring musical. Traditionally, the school also showcases a one-act play in the Massachusetts High School Drama Guild Festival. The 2007 entry, Jordan Harrison's Kid Simple: A Radio Play in the Flesh, advanced to the semi-final level of the festival where it won multiple awards for acting, lighting design, and sound design. In 2004, the student director was awarded for Excellence in Directing, for Jon Klein's Dimly Perceived Threats to the System. Other BLS entries in the MHSDG Festival have included Tristine Skyler's The Moonlight Room (2006), Craig Lucas' Reckless (2005), A.R. Gurney's The Dining Room (2003), Jean-Claude van Itallie's T.V. (2002) and Interview (2001), Elaine May's Adaptation (2000), Steve Martin's WASP (1999), Peter Shaffer's Black Comedy (1998), and The Romancers (1997). In Winter 2008, the Boston Latin Theatre Company produced Tilt Angel, which reached the State Finals of the 2008 MHSDG Festival, the first finals appearance since 2004. Tilt Angel won numerous awards for individual and ensemble acting, as well as for sound, makeup, and lighting design. Tilt Angel was also selected by the MHSDG to be one of two Massachusetts representatives at the 2008 New England Drama Festival, the first time BLS has advanced so far. In Spring 2008, the company produced The Secret Garden. In 2009, they produced Dark Play or Stories for Boys, which was their production for the MHSDG. In 2009, the company was also chosen to present at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The Boston Latin Theatre Company currently has alumni studying at Harvard College, Emerson College, New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Northwestern University, Boston College, Boston University, Scripps College and the University of Southern California's School of Theatre. In addition, Boston Latin School has its own student-created, student-run improvisational theater group, the Yellow Submarine Improv Troupe, known for its practice of letting any student join without an audition.

Junior Classical League

Since 2000, Boston Latin School has been an active participant on the local, state and national levels of the National Junior Classical League, formed in 1936, fostering a tradition of deeper academic study of the classics, along with creative expression through visual and creative arts. Boston Latin School hosts a certamen scrimmage (much like a quiz bowl competition) each year in late November or early December, and sends delegates to the State Convention in April, and often the National Convention, which takes places in July or August. In the past years, Boston Latin School's JCL chapter has grown substantially since its founding; Boston Latin School often contributes dedicated certamen players to represent Massachusetts on a national level in certamen.

Mock Trial

Boston Latin has participated in the Mock Trial program sponsored by the Massachusetts Bar Association since the programs' founding in 1987. The team has since won the State Championship twice: the first in 1987 and then again in 2006. BLS went on to rank 24th in the Nationals at Oklahoma City in 2006. The team receives a mock case each year and prepares drafts of openings, directs, crosses and closings for both prosecution and defense. They then compete at regionals in order to advance to the Championship series. In 2006, the team advanced and won the State Championship.

Musical arts

Boston Latin School also has an extensive music program. Introductory, Junior, and Senior Concert Bands, Seventh Grade Chorus, Eighth Grade Chorus, Repertory Choir, Concert Choir, and String Orchestras are elective classes (although these grades do not contribute to GPA). After-school vocal ensembles include the a cappella Wolftones and Wolfettes, Show Choir, Gospel Choir and Chamber Choir. Instrumental ensembles include Football Pep Band, Big Band, Junior Big Band, Flute Ensemble, and the Honors Orchestra. There are also fully academic music classes (whose grades are factored into the GPA), such as Introduction to Music Theory, and an Advanced Placement Music Theory class.

The Wolftones and Wolfettes are the only completely student-run musical groups at Boston Latin. The two groups annually organize and perform at a concert called STAND in Harmony. All of the proceeds of the concert are donated to STAND, an anti-genocide group at the school.

The Boston Latin School Gospel Choir was a popular extra-curricular ensemble in the 1990s. It was eventually phased out due to lack of leadership and inconsistent student attendance, but was revived during the 2010-2011 school year.

Each year, all of the musical groups display their talents at Boston Latin School's Holiday Concerts and Music Nights. The former is two nights in mid-December and the latter two nights in Spring, where students perform several selections of music that they have been working on for those who wish to attend.

Musical groups from Boston Latin School also perform at the Massachusetts Instrumental & Choral Conductors Association festival in April. In 2006, the Boston Latin School Senior String Orchestra received a gold medal for the second year in a row while the Senior Concert Band and Concert Choir received bronze medals. In 2007, the Senior Strings received a gold medal while the Wind Ensemble received a silver medal. The Boston Latin Big Band has made it to the International Association for Jazz Education State Finals six years in a row and has placed as high as first in the Berklee College of Music High School Jazz Festival. In 2007, the Big Band won a gold medal at the IAJE state finals.

NUTRONS robotics team

Founded in 1998, the NUTRONS FIRST robotics team is a high school robotics team based out of Northeastern University, which competes world wide, designing and building robots over a six week period to compete in a specific task. In 2001 the NUTRONS won the National Championship with students from Boston Latin School. In 2007 the NUTRONS won the Boston Regional Competition and received the Delphi Driving Tomorrow's Technology Award in 2008 and 2009.

Wolfpack Volunteers

Founded in 2004, Wolfpack Volunteers is a student body organization designed to engage Boston Latin School students in volunteer activities. The organization provides student members with volunteer opportunities in and around the greater Boston community, and encourages student members to participate within neighborhood events.

Club leaders sacrifice leisure time to organize members and provide opportunities to earn community service hours in the school. With events such as Alumni Tours and College Fairs, students gain experience in applying their leadership, organization, and communication skills while working as a team. Other opportunities are less formal and provide students with a chance to relax and have fun while earning community service, such as the Run to Remember, Walk for Hunger, and Aids Walk.

The Wolfpack Volunteers were recognized as the winners of the 2009 Nally Award. The school collected over 2,000 pounds of food from their food drive to benefit city residents.