Monmouth College will be the site of the Illinois Latin Tournament for high school students on April 27. In conjunction with the tournament, Christine Ayers, a Monmouth resident, will receive the CAMWS (Classical Association of the Middle West and South) Award for Outstanding Service in Promotion of Latin.

The CAMWS Service Award provides formal acknowledgement for specific accomplishments that have been done “above and beyond the call of duty” for the profession and/or for the promotion of the classics in the CAMWS territory.

When the Latin program at Monmouth High School was on the verge of being eliminated, Ayers took a special interest in saving the program because her daughter was an incoming freshman looking forward to taking Latin. Ayers sent members of the school board a variety of Latin materials, met with the superintendent and high school principal, and attended school board meetings. Because of Ayers’ efforts, the board decided to allow Latin I to be taught to only six students when the official minimum was 10. The program was put on probation with the understanding that a failure to have 10 students enroll in Latin for the 2000-2001 school year would lead to the elimination of the program.

Again Ayers took the challenge by organizing letters to eighth graders encouraging them to take Latin, educational programs on Latin and a Classics Bee modeled after spelling and geography bees already held in the school district. The following year 22 students enrolled in the Latin program, and eliminating the program was no longer considered.

The state tournament begins with the presentation of Ayers’ award at 9 a.m. in the college Auditorium. The event will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Wallace Hall. A recognition luncheon will follow in the Highlander Room in the Stockdale Center. The guest speaker will be Monmouth College graduate Duncan McPherson, who will discuss “Computer Games and the Classics.”