Moorestown Latin student writes one for the books
MOORESTOWN – Fifth-grade students at Moorestown Friends Middle School jumped at the chance to pen a pithy motto to appear prominently on the Moorestown Library — even if it had to be in Latin.
The motto would replace one with a disputed translation on the classically designed building that opened last year. Two exterior wall medallions currently trumpet the motto, “Nos Secundus Coniecto Omnia.” Latin scholars generally agree it means “We Confirm All Things Twice” though some people point to a Google translation of “We second-guess all things.”
The contest was appropriate for the students, who were already studying Latin this year.
When Latin teacher Linda Vizi asked if they wanted to work as a team and create one short phrase or have each student write one, they determined the school had a better chance to win if all 40 students came up with separate entries.
That proved to be a winning strategy Wednesday when classmate Lauren Articolo of Marlton took the prize with her motto, “Scientia Incipit Hic,” or “Knowledge Begins Here.”
After much vetting by Latin scholars, the library board of trustees and the town hall architect, township council chose her entry from 65 submitted by the middle school, Moorestown High School and a few individuals.
The happy news was a bit overwhelming for Lauren, who was cheered and presented with a bouquet of roses at a surprise party. As soon as she saw her beaming parents Glenn and Amy Articolo walk in after the announcement, she ran over to hug them.
After the excitement and cutting of a cake that carried a photo of the town hall with the new motto written beneath it, the 11-year-old talked about her winning words.
“I love books and I love the library. When you read you get knowledge ... no matter how old you are,” she said in explaining why she chose the phrase.
She also adores Latin. “There are so many words that connect with it in English and when I see them I say, ‘Wow! They sound a lot like the English words!’ ”
Vizi told the students the motto should be short with simple words that carry a deep meaning. After they wrote down a saying, she assisted them with some of the more difficult words and proper verb forms.
“We couldn’t be prouder of them all for a great job. It was not only a good educational lesson in Latin but a civics lesson as well,” the teacher said. “This is an honor for the school and for Lauren because the motto will be up there forever. She’ll be able to show her children and grandchildren what she wrote.”
Moorestown Library Director Joseph Galbraith said a board of trustees subcommittee whittled the number of entries to 10 finalists. He said the final entries were reviewed by Latin scholars before submission to township council to select the winner.
“Personally, the winning motto was my first choice,” said Galbraith, calling it a perfect fit that is “brilliant, succinct and summing up in a nutshell what a library is all about.”
Among the other finalists was “Aperite Libros. Aperite Mentes,” meaning “Open Books. Open Minds.”
Galbraith said the current lost-in-translation motto on the building was “well-intentioned but less meaningful” and not as well vetted as the contest entries.
Medford Design Group President Rick Ragan, whose architectural firm designed the building, is replacing the two medallions at his cost and, coincidentally, two others that carry the wrong Roman numeral date — 1653 — for the library’s founding in 1853.
“I’m happy the township selected a motto that is meaningful and the contest was a great opportunity to involve the community,” Ragan said.
Fifth-grader Lily Buthdahl said the contest was fun because the class learned some challenging words and a new language “that will help with other things in life.”
“Someone from our class won and that is something we can all remember,” said classmate Ryan Gorman.
Lauren never told her parents about the project.
“She did it on her own. We knew nothing about it until the school called us ... and told us she had won,” her mother said. “To have an inscription on the library is so meaningful because of her love of learning, reading and languages. It’s an honor for her and the school.”
Reach Carol Comegno at (856) 486-2473 or ccomegno@courierpostonline.com or @carolcomegno