September 2021 | The Evergreen, Greenhill School by The Evergreen, Greenhill School

18 Views

Evergreen Ever the

the

Evergreen Staff Ever

How to Be Successful in AP Latin Diane Lin

dvanced Placement Latin is one of many courses offered by Greenhill’s Modern and Classical Languages Department. To take this course, students must be recommended for the class by their teacher. Students read excerpts from Caesar’s “De Bello Gallico” and Virgil’s “Aeneid” in English as well as AP course syllabus selections. AP Latin students should be able to accurately translate from Latin into English the texts they are reading to demonstrate their understanding of grammar and vocabulary. Students learn how to discuss passages within the scope of each work as a whole. Stylistic analysis and interpretation, which develop from a student’s ability to read Latin, are integral parts of this course. Readings from modern critical commentaries and other ancient texts help students place their thoughts and ideas into context. We’ve asked some AP Latin alumni about the class, and here is what we learned: Should students do anything during the summer to prepare for AP Latin? “Yes – it’s good for you to know the grammar structure going into the

class. I think you need to be able to pick vocabulary up fast; know how you learn vocabulary best going into the course. And if you took Latin 4, your essays will help you out a lot.” – senior Rachel Wegener What is the workload like in AP Latin? “Every single night there are lines to prep. Depending on how you prep, it can take anywhere from a half hour to an hour and a half. Out-of-class essays are supposed to be done in an hour, so look back on the stuff you did in Latin 3 and Latin 4 for those.” – senior Varsha Gande What kinds of projects did you do in AP Latin, and which ones resonated with you the most? “There weren’t a lot of projects as much as individual translations. A lot of group projects are coming together to figure out translations or chapters, so while there might not be massive group projects, there is a lot of group work to do.” – senior Aimee Stachowiak How did you prepare for major projects or exams in AP Latin?

Evergreen Print

because they were proportionate to the AP exam, in terms of multiple choice and free response questions. The best way to prep for exams is to prep every day so that, by the end of the unit, you can glance at your notes before the exam. The learning is very much so based on everyday work over tests or exams.” – senior Shruti Siva What methods did you use to improve your skills in AP Latin? “For my notes, I tried to translate the passages the best I could, but instead of writing translations, I wrote hints about vocabulary and grammar – just the minimal amount so that I could translate it in my head. Whenever you’re looking at lines, always break them up into small chunks.” – senior Shruti Siva How did the AP Latin exam compare to the class? “The AP Latin exam was so much easier than the class – way easier. I studied a lot of passages that were a lot harder than the ones that appeared on the exam. If you’re doing well in AP Latin, you should do fine on the exam.” – senior Rachel Wegener

“I liked the exams in AP Latin actually

Managing Editor - Content Saara Bidiwala

Managing Editor - Design Khushi Chhaya

Creative Director Nate Stitt

Director of Graphics Emma Nguyen

Associate Editors

Isabel Martinez and Valerie Xu

News Editor Pooja Sanghvi

Views Editor Emily Hu

Features Editor Sophia Li

Arts Editor Ava Iwasko

Sports Editor Josie Arbuckle

Front and Backpage Editor Emma Hoffman

Staff Writers Gabi Appel Christan Park Sydney Chien Zara Paul Eitan Hahn Kathrin Peterson Aria Kutty Mayer Sidikaro William Maher Anisa Walji

Editors-in-Chief

Sumana Kethu and Spencer Jacobs

Managing Editor - Content Ria Agarwal

his last school year has been the most draining of our entire school career. Last year’s graduating class was unable to participate in many of the traditions that make senior year special here at Greenhill. Freshmen had to experience their first year of high school from afar. Sophomores and juniors, having experienced a taste of normal high school, had to settle for less-than-ideal circumstances. Communities are supposed to stay together, and we have sacrificed much of our physical togetherness to stay safe. We endured this past year with the hope that once we could get vaccinated, things would get better. We could go back to school, socialize and learn the way we’re meant to. The pandemic would be over. Now we have a vaccine, and better yet, a vaccine that is fully approved by the Food and Drug Administration for people ages 16 and older. While over 2.5 billion people outside the United States have been unable to access their first dose, most Americans can get vaccinated. In fact, we can get vaccinated for free if we’re eligible for the vaccine. And yet, the pandemic isn’t over in the U.S. because people who have had every opportunity to be vaccinated have chosen not to. To be clear, we know most students and faculty members have been vaccinated. To these people, thank you. Our high vaccination rate is the reason we were given more freedom on campus this school year. But there are still some students that have yet to be vaccinated. To these students: Please get vaccinated.

First of all, it works. Not only is the vaccine proven to reduce the severity of COVID-19, it reduces the risk of transmission considerably. If you don’t care or aren’t worried about getting COVID-19, get vaccinated for the sake of everyone around you. Not being vaccinated is selfish. It places the people around you at risk. Every unvaccinated student contributes to the variant problem: more cases cause more mutations, which cause more variants, which means more of a likelihood that vaccines are ineffective, and thus more risk to the members of our community. Since Aug. 24, at least 18 people at Greenhill have contracted COVID-19. The danger of being unvaccinated has already been shown. For each one of these COVID-19 cases, dozens of vaccinated community members had to be tested and had to worry about the safety of their family and friends. Teachers and administrators sermonize about it every year, but Greenhill truly is a community. We all bear the responsibility to help each other, and at the very least, provide whatever amount of safety we can for each other. We share this campus with over 1,300 people. Many of them are simply too young to be vaccinated. If you are eligible to be vaccinated, doing so is doing the bare minimum as a member of this community. Teachers deserve to feel safe in their

classrooms and to come home safely to their too-young-to-be-vaccinated children. Students need to feel that, when they sit down to do a group project, you, as a peer, have done as much as they have to keep inperson learning a reality. And don’t forget, we could still move to virtual learning at any moment. We could end up not having a prom, The Buzz could close again, or maybe we won’t be able to eat in the cafeteria. Everything that has returned this school year – all the people, soft furniture and Buzz snacks – is a testament to the privilege Greenhill provides us with. The choice to be unvaccinated comes from a place of privilege. To be able to not worry about family members that cannot be vaccinated and people who cannot afford to contract COVID-19 is a privilege. To have confidence in your access to healthcare, that you will be treated seriously by healthcare providers should things take a turn for the worse, is a privilege. To be able to pay for your healthcare is a privilege. The choice to be unvaccinated is not as simple as two shots in the arm after waiting in a line of cars for fifteen minutes. The choice to be unvaccinated is a choice to risk the well-being of the people around you. At the Evergreen, we believe that the right choice is to be vaccinated. Vaccines are free and widely available. They make our campus a safer, healthier place. For students who are unvaccinated, we urge you to rethink your decision and the risk it poses to our community.

Our Editorial Policy

national and international events through articles and editorials written and edited by students. The Evergreen welcomes letters and emails from readers. We reserve the right to edit submissions for accuracy, grammar and length. The Evergreen will not publish material that we judge to be libelous, obscene, invades privacy or constitutes hate speech. Anonymous letters will not be published. The Staff Editorial represents the opinion of The Evergreen staff, not necessarily that of Greenhill School.