Latin is not a dead language in Sisters

A language thought by many to be dead - or at the very least irrelevant - is alive and thriving at Sisters Christian Academy (SCA), where 20 students are currently enrolled in learning the classical language Latin.

In 2001 Josephine Davis was asked by Dan Cole, acting principal, to develop a Latin curriculum for third- and fourth-graders using the book, "English From the Roots Up." Since the program's creation, it has grown to include third through eighth grade. Students taking Latin learn not only the Latin and Greek prefixes and roots of English words, but also Roman and Greek mythology as well as some Roman history.

Because Latin is somewhat of a novelty these days, Barby Martin, SCA's acting principle and primary Latin teacher, often finds herself answering a familiar question: Why teach Latin?

"Parents often want to know why we spend our valuable education time studying Latin, when we could be using that time to study something that would be considered more practical," she said. "Studying Latin has numerous benefits; over half of the English language comes from Latin. Studying Latin gives a structure to language that helps students understand the grammar of the English language. It also helps and assists with writing the English language, both in creative writing, informative writing, and descriptive writing."

If pressed for more proof of Latin's relevance and overall worth in today's world, Martin will point skeptics toward research done by Cheryl Lowe, who firmly believes that "Latin is the master subject before which all others must bow."

Lowe's research states that "Latin students scored 159 points better than average on the verbal section of the 2001 SAT, and that 61 percent of colleges surveyed said they view Latin students as 'much stronger' or 'somewhat stronger' than other applicants.

Besides the academic benefits of learning Latin, Martin also wants parents to know that students are "enthusiastic about learning Latin."

One of those enthusiastic students, Daniel Stroemple, stated that he likes learning Latin because, "I like that Latin is the starting language to other languages such as Spanish and English; I am starting to see and recognize Latin in a lot of places, like books about constellations."

Brianna Bachmeier said, "I like learning a new language, it's different for me and I like to quiz my brother with it."