Pentucket Regional High School Recognizes Student Participants in National Classical Etymology Exam
Left to right: Students Yanni Kakouris, Stratton Seymour, Owen Tedeschi, Caitlin Armao, Kate Drislane, and Elizabeth Murphy with their certificates of recognition. (Photo Courtesy Pentucket Regional School District)
WEST NEWBURY — Principal Jonathan Seymour is pleased to share that six Pentucket Regional High School Honors Latin IV juniors were recently recognized for their achievements following the National Classical Etymology Exam (NCEE).
The NCEE is sponsored by the National Junior Classical League (JCL) and is designed to test a student’s ability to decipher Latin and Greek derivatives and their use in the English language.
Participation in the exam was voluntary for students in Honors Latin IV, but all 10 students in Honors Latin IV chose to participate.
The exam was administered in December 2021. The test consisted of 50 multiple choice questions and students had 45 minutes to complete the test. Students took the advanced level of the exam.
To prepare for the test, Latin teacher Leanne Villani incorporated NCEE topics into the Latin curriculum. She taught students how to approach and solve unknown words through derivatives with a variety of methods, including online derivative games using Kahoot and Quizlet, and playing traditional Latin Scrabble.
JCL presented students with gold, silver and bronze awards based on their NCEE scores.
The following students were recognized for their achievements:
- Gold medal: Owen Tedeschi and Caitlin Armao
- Silver medal: Kate Drislane and Yanni Kakouris
- Bronze medal: Elizabeth Murphy and Stratton Seymour
Along with their medals, students also received a certificate of recognition.
“The NCEE exam was optional, but all of my students welcomed the challenge with enthusiasm,” Villani said. “The exam required a lot of practice and preparation, and I commend the students for their hard work. I could not be prouder of the results.”
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