Last year, a concern about the Moorestown Library motto was brought up when a citizen revealed to council that Google Translate said the words “Nos Secundus Coniecto Omnia” meant, “we second guess all.” The motto was meant to say “We confirm all things twice.”
Due to the ambiguity of the phrase, the township decided to change it and held a contest for students in Moorestown schools to come up with a new motto for the library.
Out of all of the entries, the phrase “Scientia Incipit Hic” was chosen, which means “Knowledge Begins Here.” That will be the new Latin motto on the Moorestown Library, thanks to a winning contest entry from Moorestown Friends School fifth grader Lauren Articolo.
The township didn’t hold an official ceremony to announce and honor Lauren, so the school decided to hold one. It ordered a cake, gave certificates signed by the mayor to all students and brought in Lauren’s parents, Amy and Glenn, and grandmother Arlene Arrow, along with all fifth-grade students and teachers to celebrate Lauren’s achievement.
“It was a great honor. I love the library,” Lauren said.
“It’s a tremendous honor and it’s wonderful that she was able to contribute to the community,” Amy said.
Moorestown Friends fifth-grade students take a full year of Latin as part of the school’s World Languages curriculum. They learn the basics of grammar and understanding derivatives, and they acquire a greater sense of the study of language through Latin.
When Latin teacher Linda Vizi learned about the contest through an email, she felt this was a great way to get students involved and used to the language.
“It was a wonderful lesson to use to teach the students Latin. Also they became a part of this civic project,” Vizi said.
In class, students talked about famous mottos, how simple they were and how they meant something about the institution they represented. Then Vizi had them write their motto in English and gave them a list of vocabulary words they could search through and put mottos together. They worked on them for about three weeks, along with other lessons, before submitting them to the contest.
“It was a really great beginner experience to enter the contest. We had to come up with a saying that would come to mind to us when we would go to the library. It was a good learning experience for Latin,” fifth grader Ella Miller said.
“It was a little hard in the beginning because we were using a lot of words we didn’t really know because we just started in November. And the waiting process was kind of long and difficult, with the suspense. But in the end, it felt good to learn new words and to say that we entered the contest,” fifth grader Peter Tummarello said.
Forty fifth-grade students in Vizi’s Latin classes submitted entries. Sixty-five total entries were submitted, with the remaining 25 coming from Moorestown High School. Submissions were reviewed by classics professors at the University of Pennsylvania to ensure their accuracy. The 65 phrases were then narrowed to eight finalists. Moorestown Town Council selected the winner.
“I just thought it was really a fun contest to enter. I feel pride that someone from our class won. You’re always going to remember that because it is a big milestone,” fifth grader Ryan Gorman said.
Lauren chose the phrase when she thought about how she felt about the library and what it felt like stepping into the building. Her thought was you gain knowledge from the library and how important it is for people to do so.
“When I read books, there is a guarantee that I am going to learn something. So when you’re walking in a library, the knowledge that you’re going to check out with is going to begin when you enter,” Lauren said.
“I am thrilled for her to be a part of history, and I think it was a great experience for the class to share in. She is an excellent student and works really hard. It just goes to show if you take a risk and put effort into it that good things can happen,” Vizi said.
