Student shock and support

Six years, 12 semesters, unwavering dedication. AP Latin 5 students begin their journeys in the Latin curriculum in seventh grade and follow through to their senior year of high school. Unfortunately, the decision to remove Latin from the middle schools has disappointed many who have taken the course during their enrollment, primarily current AP Latin 5 Students. 

“Having Latin A and B in middle school is a very important introductory element. In A and B, it took me a while to get into the mindset of how to approach Latin. These skills helped me later in Latin 2, 3 and 4,” AP Latin 5 student and senior San Kumar said. “Before you can even start to learn the vocabulary or the grammar, learning how to approach a language is the most important step to learning and understanding the language. [By] removing these into introductory elements, we’re essentially throwing people into the fire. Nothing against Latin 1 students at the high school level, but it will be a lot more difficult for students without [an introduction in the middle school].” 

In addition to feeling that removing Latin A and B limits middle schoolers’ interest in the language, students such as AP Latin students and senior Kaplan Evans think that the decision prevents high-level students from fully comprehending the content. 

“[Removing Latin] takes away an opportunity for middle schoolers. When I was in middle school, German didn’t sound interesting, Spanish didn’t sound interesting, and French didn’t sound interesting: while the cultures are fascinating, that’s not my cup of tea. I liked the idea of a curriculum that focused on not only the language but the history and literature of the culture,” Evans said. 

Evans’ freshman and sophomore year schedules prevented her from taking Latin in the classroom. Instead, she completed an independent study, impeding her from a collaborative in-person atmosphere that promotes student retention, high-level thinking skills and further understanding of diverse interpretations of topics.   

“[Removing Latin] removes the opportunity to work collaboratively [in high-level classes]. An unfortunate side effect of my freshman and sophomore year class schedule was that I wasn’t able to sit in a Latin 2 or 3 class. I had to teach myself. While there are good online programs for that, you need a teacher – someone in the room — to explain what the passages are saying,” Evans said.“That is the hardest thing I have ever done: teach myself Latin 2. Not even AP Latin 5 compares to teaching myself second-year Latin. There are still kids who want to study Latin, and I don’t think they should be relegated to having to teach themselves.”

AP Latin 5 student and senior Owen Arneson finds that his experience in the program has allowed him to develop important skills. For example, he notes that learning the roots of the English language has expanded his vocabulary and improved his comprehension. 

“Latin is seriously one of my favorite classes I have ever taken. It has enriched so many different parts of my education. My understanding of English after taking Latin has gotten so much better. My ACT scores and SRI tests have shot up dramatically,” Arneson said. “The class feels like a community. I’ve been taking a class with these people for five years and it has always been a constant in my life. You never know what is going to happen the next day in class because it could be a challenging but fun translation or a new and interesting activity just introduced to the curriculum. It’s one of those classes where you can tell everyone is engaged.”

Hurt yet inspired by the removal at the middle school, Kumar and other students connected to incoming freshmen have resolved to introduce them to the program – hoping to raise future high school enrollment numbers through Link Crew events and curriculum nights. 

“One of the important things I did when I realized Latin was being cut from the middle school was deciding I wanted to help. We did a [Link Crew] tour with the eighth-graders. During this tour, I had a goal to try and convince some of them to pursue Latin 1, so we could keep a strong foundation at the high school. I got the opportunity to bring my tour group into Herpel’s room where they could see the mural painted on the ceiling with the Roman gods and goddesses and his suit of gladiator armor,” Kumar said. 

Kumar views the study of Latin as an important tool when evaluating current events. Through author studies, comparison of past and current events, and themes in literature, he finds studying the language provides valuable insight into the present day.

Stay tuned for developing story.