By Zahra Jones ’23 and Megan McCann ’23

At Oak Knoll, students are eager to take on new challenges that will broaden their academic and cultural perspectives. The National Latin Exam gives students the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge of the historical language. Nineteen Upper School students participated in the exam this spring. The NLE focuses on Latin and Roman culture and is offered at a variety of different levels. Nine students in the Oak Knoll community were awarded either the Magna Cum Laude or Maxima Cum Laude awards. The recipients of the Magna Cum Laude award include: Gianna Mazzoni ’27, Reagan Moore ’27, Oceana Li ’27, Kiley Reape ’24, and Emma Walters ’26. The recipients of the Maxima Cum Laude award include: Aleena Ahmed ’24, Abigail Han ’26, CeCe Honeker ’26, and Kaitlin Wincko ’26. We sat down with Latin teachers, Ms. Mull and Dr. Kapteyn to talk about the significance of the exam. 

The exam is composed of 40 multiple choice questions based on culture, history, and basic grammar. The questions are given in accordance with the level of Latin the student is taking. “Students can use this optional exam as a way to test their knowledge on what they have learned throughout the year,” said Dr. Kapteyn, Upper School Latin teacher. She offered time in and out of class to meet with students and help them prepare for the exam. 

“While studying Latin, I have learned so much about the history of the beautiful city of  Rome and have expanded my knowledge of the not-so-dead language,” said junior Latin scholar, Kiley Reape ’24. 

Dr. Kapteyn, along with fellow Latin teacher Ms. Mull said that the opportunity to teach Latin is thrilling, as it is a subject they are both incredibly passionate about. 

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Zahra Jones ’23 and Megan McCann ’23 have chosen to work in Oak Knoll’s Marketing and Communications Department for the month of May to complete their senior Capstone Project. Stay tuned for more contributions to our web news and social media channels. We are excited to have them join our team!

As the final “cap” to their high school experience, seniors independently explore different areas of interest to them, whether it is academic, creative, career or service-oriented, and students are challenged to demonstrate their passion for discovery beyond the limits of the curriculum.