The National Classical Etymology Exam tests command of the Latin and Greek roots that underlie the English vocabulary of medicine, law, science, and formal writing — knowledge that is not studied for the examination so much as accumulated through years of Latin instruction. The competition is organized into three categories by grade: Advanced (Grades 11–12), Intermediate (Grades 9–10), and Novice (Grade 8 and below), with five divisions within each. Eight Emerson Latin students placed across all three categories. The full record is set down below.
- Jonghyun Seo
- Minkyu Koo
- Jackson Park
- Seungmo Kim
- Jay Yoo
- Joonwoo Back
- Min Yang
- Jaehyeon Jeong
Jonghyun Seo takes the Gold Medal in the Advanced category — the most demanding division of the examination, tested against students in their junior or senior year. His name has appeared in this record consistently across multiple competitions and multiple years: Perfect Paper on the National Latin Exam in 2024, World Champion on the NLVE that same year, Maureen O’Donnell Scholarship nominee in both 2024 and 2025. A Gold Medal in the Advanced NCEE is one more entry in a record that has been accumulating with some regularity. What is perhaps more telling is that Emerson Latin students placed across all three categories — Advanced, Intermediate, and Novice — which is to say across every level the examination offers, from the most advanced secondary students down through Grade 8 and below. The formation reaches the youngest students in the academy and holds there. We congratulate all eight.