To further boost their college applications, 110 Latin students students took the National Latin exam (NLE), a voluntary test on March 17. Since 1983, the NLE has been an established part of the Latin world and AHS.

“I took it because it only cost $4 and if I do well I could get an award,” sophmore David Vo said.

Latin teachers believe that taking the NLE has many benefits. Academically, the exam looks good on college applications and awards are given afterwards for various categories. And as a personal benefit, some students just enjoy taking the test for the challenge.

A student can be awarded for numerous things, from receiving a perfect paper to just taking the exam. According to nle.org, 942 seniors won gold medals for top scores and are now eligible for a $1,000 scholarship.

“I don’t make it a requirement, but I use my power of persuasion, and that usually works pretty well here at AHS,” Latin teacher Mary Morgan said. The participation rate at AHS has vastly improved since the test was first given.

“When I came to AHS in the school year 1990-91, we had a very small Latin enrollment, three very small classes, and only the ‘A’ students usually took the test,” Morgan said.

“We are doing lots of worksheets and repetition and we have a ‘Fast Facts’ booklet with material from the test,” sophomore Gabriel Kuhl said. “I felt I was well prepared for the test and feel the same about it this year.”

“Some students excel at foreign language, just as some students are great in math or athletics or visual arts or music. So naturally, those people who excel at language studies have an opportunity to compete with other excellent language students around the world,” Morgan said.