June 11, 2024 | Announcements
PCS Students Excel in Classical Competitions
Not surprisingly, the Latin word virtus translates to our word virtue. But–as with many Latin words–it has additional translations that deepen our understanding of how the Romans viewed the concept of virtue. Valor, excellence, and resoluteness all give this word shades of meaning and nuance.
Indeed, the PCS Latin students demonstrated virtus in two of their recent undertakings: the Philadelphia Classical Society’s annual art competition and the National Latin Exam. Creating a piece of art and giving it up to be scrutinized and criticized certainly requires a kind of bravery. Undertaking a lengthy exam in a foreign language necessitates resoluteness–an insistence on maintaining focus and clarity. And excellence? Well, their results speak for themselves: 91% of PCS students who took the NLE this year won awards! PCS students’ impressive results are below.
Philadelphia Classical Society Art Competition
Every February, students from twenty schools across the five-county area submit their artistic and literary creations–all on a Classical theme–to be judged on their own merits and to compete against several hundred other submissions for Best in Show.
Three students received Best in Show, along with a summa cum laude ranking:
- Ethan Lee, for his pencil drawing Zeus Contemplating
- Kylee Martin, for her tile mosaic Cave Canem (Beware the Dog)
- Harry Bibas, for his Latin prose Dies in Vita Romani Servi (Day in the Life of a Roman Servant)
Eleven additional students received a summa cum laude ranking:
- Victoria Choo Quan, Artemis at Sunset (colored pencil)
- Nico Kwon, Curse of the Hydra (pencil)
- Carrie Johnston, Phoenix Nighttime Rising (pen & ink)
- Ezra Lawrence, Wanderings of Odysseus (colored pencil)
- Noah Kwon, Pandora’s Demise (pen & ink)
- Sophia Wang, Purple Hydra (oil painting)
- Andrew Jones, Roman Domus (model)
- Jonas Riley, Roman Sword (military costume)
- Jack Butler, Europa (paper mosaic)
- Cassidy Martin, An Alley in Pompeii (model)
- David Jones, Marcus et Tabellarius (Latin prose)
Eight students received a magna cum laude ranking:
- Jaina Chong, Birth of Aphrodite (colored pencil)
- Graham Weger, Lighthouse of Alexandria (colored pencil)
- Ella Bibas, Gardens of Pompeii (colored pencil)
- Sofia Hailu, Athena (colored pencil)
- Susannah Savage, Toy Horse (wooden model)
- Charlie Buhl, Mt. Olympus (tile mosaic)
- Joelle Chong, A Cloudy Day at the Colosseum (pencil)
- Grace Martin, Roman Helmet (mixed media)
- Preston Cho, Greek Soldier Study (colored pencil)
- Carrie Johnston, Ancient Garden (colored pencil)
- Andrew Wang, Bident (model)
- Eva McMahon, Roman Necklace (clay)
National Latin Exam
This annual exam “covers general knowledge of Latin grammar and vocabulary, mythology, Roman culture, derivatives, and translation abilities.”
This year, three students received perfect scores for their respective testing levels:
- Max Bibas (Latin I/Beginning Latin)
- Andrew Jones (Intermediate Latin)
- Harry Bibas (Intermediate Reading Comprehension)
Introduction to Latin/Latin I
Gold Medal
- Alithea Fantuzzo
- Cole Amaker-Willis
Silver Medal
- Ezekiel Lawrence
- Gabriel Savage
Bronze Certificate
- Owen Shin
- Caleb Lester
- Isaac Hailu
Beginning Latin/Latin II
Gold Medal
- Max Bibas
- Kiana Glick
- Rocco McMahon
- Evan Wenger
Silver Medal
- Ella Bibas
- Abigail Voboril
- Sofia Hailu
- Ezra Lawrence
- Zoe Olsen
- Emma Lee
- Sydney Settelen
Bronze Certificate
- Hanan Davis
Cum Laude Certificate
- Harmony Bennett
Intermediate Latin
Gold Medal
- Andrew Jones
- Sophia Wang
- Susannah Savage
- Charlie Buhl
- Kylee Martin
- Noah Kwon
- Jack Butler
- Grace Martin
- Andrew Wang
Silver Medal
- Joelle Chong
Bronze Certificate
- Eva McMahon
- Ethan Lee
Intermediate Reading Comprehension
Gold Medal
- Harry Bibas
- Elihu Lawrence
Silver Medal
- Cassidy Martin
Bronze Certificate
- David Jones
Advanced Reading Comprehension
Bronze Certificate
- Nathan Kwon
Macte virtute! Well done!
