Why Take Latin?  How Could You Not!?!

If you have been through High School, think about your own experience, or lack thereof, with Latin!  Nine times out of ten, the person who took Latin in High School is incredibly grateful that he or she had taken it and, nine times out of ten, the people who did not take Latin in High School wishes that they would have!  Why is that, do you think??

Latin at North Gwinnett High School puts its students heads above the rest!!  Mr. Yaggy's students will score better on the SAT, make better grades in their other classes (especially English, Social Studies, and Science), enjoy school just a little bit more, and be better prepared for college!

Here is why:

• Increased SAT scores - It has been proven time and time again that taking at least two years of Latin will increase verbal SAT scores on average by 100 points. This is even over students who take other foreign languages. Latin students do this year after year because they are constantly learning how to think analytically and critically.  The curriculum emphasizes learning the Latin words and prefixes which show up today in over sixty percent of the English that we speak daily!  To prove this, all of the words highlighted in the previous sentences are derived from Latin!

• Success in other classes - Our language, system of thought, political system, and much of our culture is based on the classical tradition.  The Latin curriculum bleeds over into almost every other discipline.  In fact, Mr. Yaggy has been seen in several other classrooms throughout the year guest lecturing in World History classes about Rome and Greece and also in English classes enlightening students with the background of Julius Caesar and the Roman Republic.

• It looks good on transcripts - As the competition gets heavier and heavier each year, colleges are looking for that extra qualification to separate the acceptances from the rejections.  The stigma alone that Latin is a difficult language says a lot about the prospective applicant. Latin can be and often is that extra push that applicants have.

• Preparation for a multitude of careers - The benefits of Latin in preparing students for a future in the legal profession, the medical field, and in writing are well documented, but did you know that employers in Silicon Valley, who must train their employees on the job, are now looking for college graduates who have proved their worth in school with a Classical education?

• Appreciation of Life! - This is Mr. Yaggy's personal favorite!!  A classical education offers its students insight into the finer points of life.  Suddenly, legal references, allusions in literature and in movies, and our own language, make complete sense!  Let High School Latin supply the firm foundation for making the right decisions in college and beyond!