The National Classical Etymology Exam is administered to students worldwide and tests command of the Latin and Greek roots that underlie the English vocabulary of medicine, law, science, and formal writing. This year the competition drew 2,815 participants and was organized into three categories — Advanced (Grades 11–12), Intermediate (Grades 9–10), and Novice (Grade 8 and below) — each with five divisions within it. Thirteen Emerson Latin students placed across all three categories. The full record is set down below.
- Seungwoo Lee
- Jonghyun Seo
- Jaewon Yoon
- Joanne Kim
- Jeongho Woo
- Andy Hong
- Charles Cho
- Gyuyeon Park
- Evelyn Lee
- Jehyeong Suh
- Gio Hyung
- Riley Yoo
- Seojun Lim
The three-category structure is worth attending to, because it makes something visible that a single ranked list would obscure. Gold Medals in the Advanced category and Gold Medals in the Novice category are won against entirely different fields — juniors and seniors competing at the top of the examination, and students in eighth grade or below competing at their own level. Placing well in either requires genuine command of Latin and Greek etymology at the appropriate depth. Placing across all three in a single year means the formation is not concentrated at one stage but distributed throughout the academy — from the youngest students up through the most advanced.
Gio Hyung, Gold Medalist here in the Novice category, is the same student who achieved Perfect Papers in the National Mythology Exam in 2023 and again in 2024. She is in eighth grade or below and has already accumulated a record that spans multiple competitions and multiple years. We note it, as we have noted the other names in this record that arrive early and keep returning, with quiet satisfaction. We congratulate all thirteen placing students.