more inspiring than susan boyle
I've had a dearth of positive blog posts this spring (stemming mainly from the stress and chaos of teaching a state-tested subject in the final countdown to the test!) so I thought I would repost an incredibly inspiring story for good measure.
I am in awe of AW's success -- something to inspire us all in the last few months of the school year!
Simmons brings home the Latin gold and more
Wednesday, April 22, 2009 12:36 PM CDT
HOLLANDALE - Less than a year after Simmons High School began offering a Latin class, students learning the ancient language are earning high marks for their efforts.
Instructor Austin Walker said nine students recently took the National Latin Exam and six scored in the top 40 percent nationally.“Simmons High School had a 67 percent award rate,” Walker said of the competition.
That is the highest in the state, tying with Clinton High School where six out of nine students received an award, and those teams beat Southern Baptist Educational Center, where 17 of 27 received an award; St. Andrews, where 63 out of 103 received an award, and the Mississippi School for Math and Science, where 16 out of 33 received an award - an award rate of 48 percent, Walker said.
Xavier Clay won a first place gold medal; Bianca Johnson won a second place silver medal; Alexis Hicks, Ulysses Aldridge and Horace Willice all won third place, Magna Cum Laude honors; and Kayla Patterson won fourth place, Cum Laude.
Simmons was the only public school in the Delta to take the National Latin Exam, according to Walker. He said that the private institution, Washington School, was the only other school in the Delta to take the test and won two awards.
“My students' success demonstrates that in every district there are students whose potential is not realized and who can compete with anyone in the nation when given an opportunity,” Walker said.Sharing the news with his students was an experience, too.
“My students were elated to find their results,” Walker said. “One student was in the cafeteria when the results came in. When I sent someone to tell him how he did, he refused to leave the cafeteria because he thought that they were making fun of him. He didn't believe that he could do that well.”
The success has given all of Walker's students a boost of self-confidence, he said.
“They have demonstrated that they are among the elite Latin students in the country,” Walker said.
The students are already talking about taking Latin II next year and other students have expressed an interest Latin I.
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