Seven students at Emerson Latin earned Gold Medals in the 2019–2020 National Classical Etymology Exam, and two earned Bronze. The results are set down here as a matter of record.
The NCEE tests command of English vocabulary derived from Latin and Greek — an examination whose difficulty lies not in rote recollection but in the kind of precise etymological reasoning that a classical education cultivates as a natural habit of mind. Students who have spent time with Roman authors, attending to the life of a word from its Latin origin through its passage into English, find the examination’s demands familiar. These nine did.
The National Classical Etymology Exam is administered annually to students across the United States and abroad. Its vocabulary draws from Latin and Greek roots, with particular emphasis on academic and SAT-range English. At Emerson Latin, it is one occasion among several for students to demonstrate what classical study, pursued with seriousness, has made possible.
- Jian Hong
- William Kim
- Esther Lee
- Aileen Ryu
- Ethan Shin
- Suina Suh
- Kelly Sung
- Sung Won Cho
- Thomas Oh
The etymological knowledge these results represent is among the natural consequences of the work done at Emerson Latin — not a separately cultivated skill but the residue of having read the language with care. The record stands. The work continues.