by Steffi Carrera ’14

Latin, the language of the Roman Empire, was once part of high school curriculums across the country because of its many benefits. Students had an advantage when learning new languages and their knowledge helped to improve standardized test scores.

After controversy concerning the usefulness of spending time and resources studying a “dead language,” it was removed from the majority of schools nationwide and has been neglected since. Some schools still offer this course but it is not very popular; in Montgomery County, only six high schools offer Latin as an option to their students. Sherwood, however, is not among these schools. Only students attending Blair, Walter Johnson, Magruder, Richard Montgomery, Quince Orchard or Wootton have the opportunity to benefit from this language elective.

Latin is the root language for Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Catalan and Galician. If Latin were taught in schools, students would have a better foundation of knowledge to prepare them for learning other languages many now struggle with, like Spanish and French. It is easier for them to learn a new language once they can recognize words from the start, as opposed to having a bunch of words and phrases thrown at them in hopes that some will stick. Learning new languages even goes beyond the classroom; bilingual individuals are open to more job opportunities and cultural interactions. Knowing English is great, but knowing multiple languages is even better because it gives students an advantage over others.

Many benefit from learning Latin, particularly students who plan to go to college. A major argument for bringing Latin back to schools is the fact that it improves SAT scores. Data taken from the 2007 College-Bound Seniors-Total Group Profile Report indicates that students who had studied Latin (for two or more years) scored generally 140-160 points higher in the verbal section than their peers who had not studied Latin at all. These students are able to identify the roots of various words by drawing on their knowledge of Latin and then skillfully deducing what the meaning of the word is, even if they do not know the explicit definition of the term. For example, the word “concatenate” can be broken down into the Latin prefix “con-” and root word “catena.” Since the prefix means “with/together” and the word translates to “chain,” the definition must have something to do with bringing things together with or in a chain; this is very close to the actual meaning of the word: to link (things) together in a chain or series. It is unlikely students will know every word on the SAT, so knowing their Latin roots, prefixes and suffixes is a useful tool to help them pick the right answer.

Sherwood needs to add Latin to its list of language electives so that students can reap its benefits. Though classes such as SAT Prep are helpful, this is another effective step on the path toward a higher SAT score. Students can also strengthen verbal skills in both English and another language they choose to take.