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What's 'News' at St. Thomas the Apostle School

St. Thomas the Apostle School in Delmar has kicked off their second year using a distance learning program through Middlebury College allowing its seventh and eighth grade students to study Latin. Latin has been making a small resurgence in schools across America as educators reconnect with the value of learning this “dead” language with its profound impact on our language, culture, and history. Principal Thomas Kane stated, “We want to give our students the benefits of learning this classical language. It seems like a good fit to study Latin in middle school as students of Latin will increase their English vocabulary as well as their understanding of grammar. When a student has a basic understanding of Latin, it makes it easier to learn the modern Romance languages, e.g., Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, since about 80% of their vocabulary comes from Latin.” Mr. Kane also noted that studies indicate that students who have studied Latin consistently outperform their peers on the verbal portion of the SAT as well as increase their analytical and problem solving skills.

The online course is provided by Middlebury College, a renowned language school in Vermont. The students will follow online instruction under the guidance of middle school teacher Matt Swensen but will also be provided an instructor “at a distance,” who will answer e-mail, grade assignments, provide written and audio feedback via the program’s learning management system, and meet with the students through live online sessions. Students taking the Latin program can satisfy the Regents foreign language requirement. Principal Kane noted, “We are excited to be offering our second year of this online program. This continues to open up a world of learning and possibilities for our school that would not have been possible even a few years ago. We are also excited to be able to provide an informal interaction for our students with a college and the learning opportunities available to them.” St. Thomas also offers traditional Spanish instruction to all students beginning in Kindergarten.