Latin in public high schools? (Boston, Burlington: public schools, colleges, versus)

[Moxie]

We are looking to make a move to MA and wondering if Latin is generally offered in the public high schools. One of my sons is very involved in Latin and we hope he'll be able to continue.

[robr2]

I can't speak for other towns, but Burlington offers Latin in high school.

[CaseyB]

I think the majority of towns do. You also have to take another foreign language in addition to Latin because Latin alone does not satisfy the graduation requirement.

[jayrandom]

Originally Posted by Moxie

We are looking to make a move to MA and wondering if Latin is generally offered in the public high schools. One of my sons is very involved in Latin and we hope he'll be able to continue.

I don't think it's offered everywhere, but I do know Westwood offers Latin.

[Moxie]

Interesting Latin doesn't count towards foreign language requirement. Do state graduation requirements differ from town ones? In other words, would a town have more requirements?

[CaseyB]

You usually have to have 2 years of a modern, spoken language.

I guess it's possible some schools haven't implemented them all yet, but as far as I know, these are the core requirements:

Graduation Requirements - Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System

[FCMA]

I'd say at least half of high schools offer Latin. The only school I know of that REQUIRES Latin is Boston Latin school. It's a dead language that is better for English grammar learning than it is for communicating in a foreign language, though it also helps one learn Romance languages since they are in fact Latin descendants evolved over nearly 2,000 years. Ergo, to me it makes sense that the state would require a contemporary spoken one to satisfy a foreign language requirement. State curriculum is the over-arching structure. I suppose a town could add to it, but must satisfy all state requirements at a minimum.

[CaseyB]

My husband went to Boston Latin so that was 6 years of Latin, but he also had to take a few years of French.

OP, keep in mind that it's not just local requirements for graduation that you should be looking at, but also what kind of colleges your son would want to attend and the courses that they require for admittance.

[newmassphd]

Originally Posted by FCMA

I'd say at least half of high schools offer Latin. The only school I know of that REQUIRES Latin is Boston Latin school. It's a dead language that is better for English grammar learning than it is for communicating in a foreign language, though it also helps one learn Romance languages since they are in fact Latin descendants evolved over nearly 2,000 years. Ergo, to me it makes sense that the state would require a contemporary spoken one to satisfy a foreign language requirement. State curriculum is the over-arching structure. I suppose a town could add to it, but must satisfy all state requirements at a minimum.

Boston Latin School and Boston Latin Academy both require Latin.

Boston Latin School a long time ago was an all boys school.
Boston Latin Academy a long time ago was an all girls school.

They have been coed for some time.

They are both, so called, "exam schools" in Boston.

I am a graduate of Boston Latin Academy (BLA).

There are two tracts for students to enter, one in the 7th grade and the
other in the 9th grade. Depending the tract in which a student entered,
the requirement for Latin is different simply because of time (6 years versus 4 years).

Learning Latin for the 5 years required of me at BLA has helped me immensely
in life. One thing it did is instilled discipline through the necessary time, engagement,
practice, and repetition it took to succeed in learning it. In addition, it gave me a complete
understanding of how the English language works as well as mastery of grammatical
constructs and their use. Simply put, Latin is good for the soul. Depending on
one's college/grad school area of study, Latin is useful, for example, in philosophy
and the law.

When you learn Latin, at least at Boston Latin Academy, you also learn the
culture and historical construct associated with the works studied.
These include

- Jason and the Argonauts
- Cicero
- Julius Caesar
- The Anaeid
- Ovid
- Catullus
- Stories about Hannibal Africanus
- the Metamorphoses
- and many others I can't remember

All of this as well as formation of governmental constructs attributable
to ancient Rome. You also learned about the geography, history, the
conflicts, etc. It was fantastic!

They also tried to make it fun by translating songs into Latin and having
us sing them. Like "Santa Claus ad oppidum venit" and many others.
After such an experience, you understood the words to the graduation
song, "Gaudeamus Igitur juvenes dum summus" that is usually played
at graduation ceremonies. As memory serves me, oddly enough it is
a Roman Soldier's drinking song "Let us rejoice whilst we are young."

[Moxie]

Newmassphd, my mother grew up with Latin in Portland public schools. She was amazing at learning languages and was an English teacher for 50 years. She even taught French. My son loves all things Latin and missed only one question on the international Latin exam. He was so proud of himself. I want to make sure he can continue in something he feels so successful at.