Every year, St. Andrew’s Latin students take the National Latin Exam. While their classwork is not specifically aimed at preparing them for this standardized test, St. Andrew’s students consistently “achieve glory” for their high performance. Students who received this recognition for the 2020 or 2021 exam—many of whom were learning remotely during those school years—were honored in person at a recent School Meeting:

Cum Laude

Zadoc Bond ’21, Andrew Park ’21, Cole Kay ’21

Magna Cum Laude

Piper Jackman ’21, Riley Baker ’21, Julian Pawlowsky ’21, Marvi Ali ’21

Maxima Cum Laude

Jack Cross ’23, John Teti ’23, Harry Murphy ’23, Adele Auchincloss ’23, Cleo Ray ’22, Elizabeth Rainey ’22, Leila Warren ’21, Will Vogel ’22, Pearl Mallick ’22, Adelaide Dixon ’22, Sophie Xu ’23, Jack Vogel ’24, Sonal Bhatia ’22

Summa Cum Laude

Elyot Seger ’23, Jun Choi ’22, Helen Kerr ’23, Tracy Yuan ’22

“This is not an insignificant achievement because these National Latin Exams are [difficult and] we don't test to the exam," said Classics Department Chair Philip Walsh. "We don't prepare our students for the exam. That's not our business—these are just students who know Latin, love Latin, and achieve on a national standardized test.”

Walsh noted that, shortly after seeing students recognized for their achievement, a III Form in one of Walsh’s current classes set a goal to earn at least a 35 on the exam—a score high enough to win an award. “To me, that's a win,” he said. “As a teacher I want that enthusiasm. I want that excitement.” Ultimately, Walsh hopes that the study of Latin will “spark students' imagination and foster a fascination with a time, a place, and a culture that is so far away and yet so similar to our civilization.”