Amherst’s Latin Students Shine at UMass Classics Day
Roman emporer Marcus Aurelius. Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
High school Latin teacher Will Roundy told the Amherst-Pelham Regional School Committee (RSC) at its June 17 meeting about the impressive success of Amherst Regional High School (ARHS) and Amherst Regional Middle School (ARMS) students at the recent Classics Day at UMass.
Ninety-one ARHS and ARMS students participated in the event, along with students from 10 other Western Massachusetts schools. Amherst middle schoolers won first prize in the cultural trivia competition, competing against high schoolers. Two ARHS teams of mostly ninth-graders tied for first place at the intermediate level, and the advanced team took second place.
Amherst high school students won first and third place in a competition reciting Latin dialogue from a Roman play; another student took second place in intermediate-level recitation.
The National Latin Exam is one of the world’s most respected assessments in classical language education, measuring students’ knowledge of Latin language, literature, vocabulary, mythology, and Roman culture. This year, 60 Amherst Regional Public Schools students participated in the examination, with 42 students—70 percent of participants—scoring at or above the national average.
Collectively, Amherst-Pelham students earned:
- 12 Gold Medals
- 9 Silver Medals
- 12 Magna Cum Laude Certificates
- 3 Cum Laude Certificates
Latin Club members also devised a program for elementary students and brought it to all the elementary schools that feed into the region.
Beyond competition, Classics Day provides students with an opportunity to connect with fellow Latin scholars while celebrating the enduring relevance of classical languages and cultures.
“The accomplishments of our Latin students reflect far more than academic success,” said Superintendent Dr. E. Xiomara Herman. “Their achievements demonstrate curiosity, perseverance, collaboration, and a genuine love of learning. Classics Day offers students an opportunity to challenge themselves while building connections with peers who share their passion for language and history. We are incredibly proud of every student who represented Amherst-Pelham with such excellence. The Amherst-Pelham Regional School District congratulates all participating students and thanks Latin educators Olivia Blais and Will Roundy for their continued dedication to cultivating a thriving and nationally recognized Latin program. “
Roundy concluded: “Our Latin program is doing well. Latin students have so many opportunities to learn, thrive, and achieve, and they’re building up pretty impressive résumés for job and college applications. This program is something that we as a district should be really proud of.”
The Amherst Regional Latin program is a gem. It has provided impressive language instruction, and it also gives students an invaluable learning experience about history, culture, politics, social movements, and art. We have been amazed at what our children bring home to dinner time conversations that originate in the ancient classics and are relevant to our current “interesting” times.