More than any other activity, or award, or statistic about West Albany, none will ever be as interesting as the true, unique quality of our school. West Albany is the only public school in Oregon with a Latin class. And it’s slowly dying out. 

Not enough students are taking Latin as a secondary language, preferring Spanish and French. But why should students take Latin? Well, it provides the framework for learning other languages incredibly easily. Latin Students don’t have to take oral assessments (OA’s). And besides all of that, Latin almost seems necessary if someone would want to go into a career in law, medicine, or English. It provides a sturdy base for not only learning languages, but for memorization and systems of learning. 

Latin is not any harder than any other language class, I would argue that in some aspects it is even easier since it is the root of many English words that many would already recognize. The class is also interesting and engaging because of the mix of literature, history, politics, and linguistics that you learn in the class. 

When students learn Latin, it shows them just how important grammar is for what you are trying to tell. Learning a second language in general can help expand your mind, but Latin trains your brain to recognize patterns and to have a more detail oriented perspective.  Trying to focus on a letter that might change the meaning of a sentence is an important skill. It teaches you not only to read, but to read skillfully, and consider everything in your understanding of a statement. That’s why Latin is a skill that colleges might view more favorably than a modern language. Learning dead languages forces you to confront the origins of language and, more than that, the meaning behind the words you speak every day. 

While Latin may be seen as outdated, the skills that you would learn from it have real modern uses. Latin is not useless, it is helpful in learning computer coding, in editing, in communication, all of these skills can be improved upon by learning Latin.

Also, learning Latin makes not only learning other Romantic languages like French, Spanish, and Portuguese easier, but it even makes the learning of non- romantic languages easier as well. 

So why is West special? Why are we the only public school in Oregon that teaches Latin? Well maybe it’s because of the strong traditions that are held to such a high regard here. But still, the amount of students taking Latin is steadily declining, especially in the advanced classes. This year there wasn’t even a Latin I class, with the idea of there being one next year still up in the air. It is dependent solely on the amount of students that forecast for it next year. Latin is a strong West Albany tradition, it sets us apart, it promotes excellence in students, it is a part of this school, and for some reason, has not been separated from our school when so many others have. 

Latin is a part of West. It is a language that can help in your life, and will give you as much, or more, skills than what another language class might give you. Not for speaking, but for living. 

Salve.