When people ask me why I take Latin, I usually say because my mom made me, but that’s not the whole truth. When I started it in the 7th grade, I thought I would try another year, and then that turned into the rest of my high school career.

And it’s not just the language, I also love learning about the ancient Roman culture. In year three of the Latin curriculum at BSM, a history component is added to the curriculum, and so far, it has been my favorite. In that history unit, we talked about all the kings and rulers of Rome, and it gave me a better understanding of the history of our world. Like how the military was run during Roman times, it is very close to how we organize our military today. In class, we have many discussions about where Latin comes up in pop culture as well. For example in Harry Potter, most of the spells they use are Latin based words. Also in the TV show, The Chilling Adventure of Sabrina, the spells they use have Latin-based words too.

When I talked to Mr. Robert Epler, the Latin teacher, about why he pursued Latin, I was surprised when he told me he wanted to go into medical school at first. But he understood and enjoyed the Classics so much more, he decided to major in Latin. Epler also made the point of how Latin is kind of the basis of a lot of languages and rules of society. “To me, the interesting part isn’t how different the ancient world was, but how similar peoples’ thinking was, and how similar their mindset was,” Epler said.

Over my five-plus years of taking Latin, I have really enjoyed the experience of learning Latin and studying under Mr. Epler. Although it is a dead language, Latin has proved to be useful in many ways in all aspects of my life. When I write for a class or learn new words, I can connect Latin to it all. I take Latin because of those connections I can make every day, it helps me think more logically, and I am a smarter person for taking it.