May 22, 2025  4:35pm CT

 

Evanston Township High School Latin students recently participated in three major national assessments: the 2025 National Etymology Exam, the North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad (NACLO), and the National Latin Exam. These annual competitions showcase the skills and knowledge of Latin students across the country and around the world.

 

The National Etymology Exam draws approximately 3,400 participants with varied backgrounds in Latin and Greek. Scores are categorized based on whether students are enrolled in Greek or Latin classes and by their grade level. This year, 66 ETHS students took the exam with 32 earning awards.

 

The NACLO competition is an international linguistics decoding contest with 1,500 to 1,900 high school participants each year. It features an open round accessible to all non-college students, followed by an invitational round for top performers. At ETHS, 25 students competed this year, and two—junior Alastair Keely-Walker and senior Charlie Spangler—advanced to the invitational round. Alastair received an honorable mention for his performance. Each year, only the top four students in the U.S. move on to the final round.

 

The National Latin Exam is taken by about 154,000 students worldwide. It consists of 40 questions tailored to students’ Latin level (e.g., Latin I, II, AP Latin). Awards include certificates of merit and medals based on performance. Of the 61 ETHS students who took the exam, 26 received awards, and over half scored at or above the national average. Five students earned Summa Cum Laude (gold medals), 15 earned Maxima Cum Laude (silver medals), two received Magna Cum Laude, and three earned Cum Laude honors.

 

Award winners by level are listed below:

 

National Etymology Exam

AP Latin
Gold: Danny O’Connor
Silver: Charlie Spangler, Rivka Mordka, Maya Vincent, Elizabeth Potosnak, Daniel Dligach, Stuart Keely-Walker, Max Matsis
Bronze: Grace Cummins, Micah Cherkasky

Latin 4

Silver: Kala West
Bronze: Sarah Skey, Wren Cohen, Megan Hughes, Eleanor Pavich, Neva Whitcomb

Latin 3
Silver: Alastair Keely-Walker, Ruby Dold, Robin Rauscher
Bronze: Rae Crouse, Thomas Glew, Lila Mancini, Ethan Martin, Jacob Martin, Rory McKee, Amia Huber, Joaquin Leon, Mira Walsh

Latin 2
Bronze: Naimah Sanni, Kai Lundeen-Chen, Ariana Valavanis

Latin 1
Silver: Sojourner Tanner
Bronze: Aviya Barlevy

 

NACLO Invitational Round

Alastair Keely-Walker (Honorable Mention)
Charlie Spangler

 

National Latin Exam

Latin 1
Gold (Summa Cum Laude): Sojourner Tanner, Colgan Baron, Arsenij Kravcuk
Silver (Maxima Cum Laude): Gavi Nessel
Magna Cum Laude: Bennett Reed

Latin 2
Silver: Ariana Valavanis, Naimah Sanni, Kai Lundeen-Chen, Abby Rosenblum, Tomas Lovrinovic, Abby Quail

Latin 3
Gold: Robin Rauscher
Silver: Jacob Martin, Alastair Keely-Walker, Amia Huber, Ruby Dold, Joaquin Leon
Magna Cum Laude: Thomas Glew
Cum Laude: Nikolai Tyurin

Latin 4
Gold: Kala West
Silver: Eleanor Pavich, Wren Cohen

AP Latin
Silver: Danny O’Connor
Cum Laude: Rivka Mordka, Grace Cummins

 

Congratulations to all the ETHS Latin students for their hard work and exceptional achievements!