WHS Latin Students Celebrate Successful Year with Chariot Races

Windham High School Latin students have accomplished some amazing feats this year, including one senior who earned a perfect score on the National Latin Exam.

That senior – class of 2013 valedictorian Paul Maravelias – joined his fellow Latin students on teh WHS baseball field Thursday for some unwinding and celebrating of hard work after a long year.

"It was just a day about coming out, having some fun in the nicer weather and celebrating what was a tradition from classical antiquity," said Maravelias.

The kids brought out traditional chariot creations to race them across the diamond. The activity paid homage to the traditional Roman past time.

Amongst the crowd of Latin students were eight graduating seniors, all of whom were described by WHS Dean of English and Latin instructor Lisa Roeder as "like her adopted children" after working with them for four years.

"It's just a wonderful group of kids," said Roeder. "That's the great secret to Latin teachers is you get to work with some of the best kids in the community. Windham knows that Latin is going to help them. We have kids that are taking two years simply because they want to pursue a career in medicine or law and they know that's going to give them a foundation in language that helps."

She said that students who take Latin traditionally score 150 points higher on the verbal section of their SAT tests.

A total of 70 percent of WHS students who participated in the National Latin Exam earned awards, according to Roeder.

Also worthy of note – the all-female squad of four juniors, Mary Garside, Clairee Putnam, Richelle Joseph and Ashley Gendreau – took home the chariot race championship.

Below are the Windham High Students recognitions from Latin I through Latin IV.

LATIN I

Summa Cum Laude

Athena Chan

Mariam Siddiqi

Maxima Cum Laude

Justin Missert

Cum Laude

Jonathan Ferri

Mary Fennessey

LATIN II

Summa Cum Laude

Joseph Federico

Maxima Cum Laude

Brandon Smith

Magna Cum Laude

Madeline Riese

Timothy Stap

Cum Laude

Kelsey Federico

Olivia Estes

LATIN III

Maxima Cum Laude

Bethany Fennessey

Haley Pereira

Nolan Hansen

Marie Pillidge

Magna Cum Laude

Meghan O'Connor

Vallen InDelicato

Taia Tieland

Tucker Lippold*

Cum Laude

Clairee Putnam

Megan McNamara

LATIN IV

Summa Cum Laude

Paul Maravelias*

Richard Driscoll*

Morgan Barry*

Magna Cum Laude

Danikel Rubery*

Cum Laude

Nica Aquino*

Cathryn Sansoucie*

* These students also won medals on the National Etymology Exam.