National Latin Exam Results
Every year, well over 100,000 students from all 50 states and 26 other countries take the National Latin exam. The very best receive gold and silver medals. And every year, Martin Saints is pround to announce our results. This year, pictured above, our small school had thirteen students receive honors.
Why is Martin Saints committed to teaching Latin? Yesterday, when the students received their certificates and medals, we emphasized two words: patrimony and professionalism.
"Patrimony," because Latin is our heritage. The memory and learning of western civilization is predominantly in Latin. A student literate in Latin is at home with his or her cultural inheritance.
Latin is beautiful. Latin poetry has rhythm, meter, and mosaic effects. Latin literature expresses the ache and aspiration of the human heart. When Aeneas flees Troy with his father on his back and his son at his side, he moves forward in piety, bearing both the past and the future. It is not unlike our civilizations's situation today - in some ways, our culture is burning and in peril, but classical schools are protecting our memory and carrying it forward.
"Professionalism," because learning Latin makes you smarter. Latin's structure and grammar make it a cousin to math and philosophy class. Latin nobly hones the mind, teaching language and logic. A student with an instinct for Latin will be able to think clearly and write well in English.
The liberal arts are a gift, a patrimony that we're pleased to give our students, as well as a professional formation, equipping our students intellectually. Thank you to our Latin teachers, Mr. Matthew Ryan and Dr. Erika Harnett. Congratulations to these students:
Kathryn Stewart, Gold Summa Cum Laude
Paul Nijs, Silver Maxima Cum Laude
Marco Avigo, Cum Laude
James Byler, Magna Cum Laude
Elijah Tomko, Cum Laude
Claire Pellathy, Gold Summa Cum Laude
Liam Hallowell, Magna Cum Laude
Ruth Roberts, Magna Cum Laude
Micaiah Andrejczyk, Cum Laude
Patrick Corozo, Cum Laude
Carina Fiorella, Silver Maxima Cum Laude
Elijah Rojas, Cum Laude
Keira Watters, Gold Summa Cum Laude
Pictured in these three photos, Dr. Harnett gives awards to our most advanced Latin students: Carina Fiorella (left), Elijah Rojas (center), and Keira Watters (right). As Dr. Harnett emphasized, as you progress in years, the exams get progressively more difficult and honors become progressively rarer. Nevertheless, all three of our Latin III/IV students won honors.
