MICDS Latin students, Nick Jones ’18 and Arjun Ramakrishnan ’20, have earned a rare honor – they achieved a perfect score on the National Latin Exam.
Nick Jones was one of approximately 1000 students out of 140,000 worldwide who took the National Latin Exam to record a perfect score. What makes this accomplishment even more noteworthy is that this is the third year in a row Nick has accomplished this feat.
His teacher, Jim Llufrio, says, « Nick has established a reputation in Latin for his extraordinary motivation and willingness to go beyond the course work. He exemplifies the meaning of ‘love of learning.’ Nick is more than a serious student; he takes pride in everything he does, but he is able to laugh and enjoy what he is doing. »
For Nick, this incredible honor is especially rewarding because it is a tangible outcome of his passion for Latin, one of his favorite courses. « The language is something that not only incorporates linguistics, but also logic, poetry, and centuries of history; it encompasses everything that I love about learning, and Mr. Llufrio and Ms. Griffin teach it to incorporate the entirety of these things, » he says. « Consequently, I’ve grown to absolutely love The Classics, so I always try to represent this passion and keep developing as a learner. It feels incredibly rewarding for that work to have paid off, and it continues to make my interest in Latin grow exponentially. »
After only one year of studying Latin at MICDS, Arjun Ramakrishnan achieved a perfect score on the Introduction to Latin National Latin Exam. Approximately 500 students out of the more than 19,800 who take the exam worldwide earn a perfect score.
Arjun describes the achievement as his reward for hours of dedication to studying Latin this year and motivation to keep up the good work. « I’ve decided it would be really cool to earn this next year, too, » he says, adding, » I enjoy studying Latin because I have always loved learning about mythology and ancient civilizations. The language itself is also not very strict and orderly like English. This casual sense makes the language more enjoyable overall. »
Arjun’s Latin teacher, Natalie Griffin, appreciates his active and thoughtful participation in class. « He genuinely enjoys learning and is not intimidated by a challenge. I am very proud of Arjun for achieving a perfect score and I look forward to watching his continued success in 8th grade Latin next year, » she says.