A Hoggard legacy 57 years in the making, the Latin Club provides a welcoming space to explore ancient passions, compete against other schools at state and national conventions, and gain volunteer experience.
The club is led by students who are lovers of classics and want to bring life to a dead language. It is overseen by Mr. Naylor, the World Languages Department Chair and world language teacher, who has been with the club for the last 20 years.
The Latin club hosts meetings where students are able to practice for the Latin Quizbowl, referred to as “Certamen”, and other non-Latin categories like track or various arts. Students spend weeks crafting elaborate paintings, sketching detailed maps, practicing skits, reading up on literature, and even practicing various sports like volleyball or frisbee to become the best in their chosen competition category. As the Hoggard Chapter of the Junior Classical League, students put these explored passions into practice in competitions against other chapters from across the state during annual conventions. In March, the club attended the State Convention, placing 3rd overall, and hopes to travel to Tennessee and compete on the National level in July.
In February, the club volunteered along the Wilmington Marathon route and joined a couple of community-conscious, Italian-language students as they assisted runners. Similarly, Latin Club members had the opportunity to volunteer at ‘Ironman NC’ earlier in the school year and assist along the race route. These volunteer opportunities allow students to positively impact the community, build up their resume, and foster peer-to-peer connections.
When asked about the benefits of learning the Latin language at a high-school level, Naylor says, “60-65% of English vocabulary derives from Latin [...] Latin students have consistently outperformed students of any other language on the SAT”. Because of the English Languages' foundational roots in Latin, students are more easily able to perform highly on standardized tests and prepare for the higher level terminology used in various careers, such as medicine and law, after studying the language.
There's a place for everyone in the Latin Club (and class!) whether your interests are in mythology trivia, running the 100m dash, or building up SAT knowledge. For more information on the Hoggard Latin Club, email james.naylor@nhcs.net!
Photo of the 2023-2024 school year Hoggard Latin Club.