BUTLER TWP — Butler High School Latin students took second place at a recent statewide contest at Penn State University.

A total of 108 Butler Latin students competed in the 65th annual Pennsylvania Junior Classical League State Convention May 20-22, and claimed the second place overall trophy, winning 85 awards in the academic, athletic, graphic and creative arts categories.

They also won the overall chapter spirit competition for the third year in a row.

The students compete in athletic, academic, and creative arts competitions. These range from track events, to academic tests, to dozens of categories of creative arts projects and performances.

The main reason for this weekend of competition is for Latin students to celebrate their love of all things classical — Latin, Greek, classical art and culture.

The Butler Junior Classical League, BAJCL, which is the official name of Butler's Latin club, is the largest chapter in the state with 206 students.

As a language, Latin is studied by more than 400 students at Butler from 8th through 12th grades.