The National Classical Etymology Exam tests command of the Latin and Greek roots from which a substantial portion of the English lexicon descends — the vocabulary of law, medicine, science, philosophy, and literature that educated readers encounter throughout their lives. More than 3,400 students in the United States and abroad sat the examination this year. Fourteen students at Emerson Latin placed among the recognized. The full record is set down below.
- Hailey Kang
- Alexander Lee
- Rachel Lee
- Victoria Park
- Jehyeong Suh
- Charles Cho
- Riwon Hwang
- Hyunjun Kim
- Yerim Lee
- Q-ry Baik
- Esther Chae
- Jian Hong
- Ariane Lee
- Daniel Park
The NCEE is, in one sense, a test of English vocabulary. In a more important sense it is a test of whether a student has internalized the classical inheritance well enough to navigate language itself — to recognize, on sight, that a word’s meaning is not arbitrary but is inscribed in its origins, and to read that inscription without effort. A student who has spent time with Latin and Greek does not study for this examination so much as arrive at it already prepared. Fourteen placing students from a single academy is the kind of result that reflects not examination technique but the depth of the formation behind it.