The Classic Magazine

CLASSIC magazine

FEBRUARY 2014

the

The Ranking Games How the media determines which high schools rise to the top page 8

VOL. 30 NO. 6

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The purpose of The Classic Magazine is to take it slow; rather than trying to fit everything in, we want to give a limited number of topics as much depth as possible.

Photo by Fran Horowitz

From the Editors:

Introducing The Classic Magazine This month The Classic is taking a break from its standard format and trying out something new. Here’s what we have in mind.

This year The Classic expanded to a twenty-page newspaper, but even so, we find that there isn’t enough space for all the stories this school has to tell.

WIth twenty pages to cover an entire month’s news, culture, opinions and sports, more often than not we find ourselves trimming articles to fit the space. The purpose of The Classic Magazine is to take it slow; rather than trying to fit everything in, we want to give a limited number of topics as much depth as possible.

Rather than delivering hard news, this magazine focuses more on stories that people in the community have to tell. The stories in this first

collection are intriguing and intimate portrayals that might otherwise have been cut or greatly reduced in our normal paper, which emphasizes timeliness. In essence, this edition has allowed us to truly delve into the topics being written about, whether they spotlight a famous alum, the published works of teachers, or an inside look at how the high school ranking system works.

As the editors, we have been given the opportunity to pioneer a new aspect of The Classic that will hopefully be continued and produced more often. As this is the first edition of its kind--and an experiment--we anticipate your input. If there are to

be future publications of this magazine, we’d like to know how to make it as strong as possible.

Considering this is our last year here at Townsend Harris, being part of this endeavor has been a wonderful experience. We would like to thank the people featured in these articles for being so kind about sharing details about themselves.

We also extend our gratitude to the authors of each article for their time dedicated to drafting and writing such excellent pieces.

Asia Acevedo and Suswana Chowdhury Editors-in-Chief

February 2014

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Contents

Alumni Feature: Hari Kondabolu discusses his life as a comedian and how THHS helped him along his path to success. Left: Hari performs standup for the first time--at THHS in 2000.

Pages 6-7

Cover Story: A look at how media organizations rank high schools in their yearly features. Can any mathematical formula decide what makes one school the best?

Pages 8-11

Teacher Feature: An exploration of the published works that numerous faculty members have authored and shared with the world over the years.

Pages 12-15

The Classic is an open forum for the expression of student views. The opinions expressed therein should not be taken to represent those of the administration or faculty, or of the student body as a whole.

We welcome letters to the editor.

Townsend Harris High School 149-11 Melbourne Avenue Flushing, NY 11367

EST. 1984

The Classic reserves the right to edit letters for clarity and concision.

FEBRUARY EDITORIAL STAFF EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Asia Acevedo Suswana Chowdhury ADVISOR Brian Sweeney

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BREAKING THE MOLD A THHS Comedian

By Alexa Luciano, Evan Noblesala, and Ashif Ullah

Photo by Mindy Tucker

February 2014

D

uring the pep rally, the mascot of THHS always makes an appearance.

While many may know that the official name of this mascot is Hari the Hawk, few may know that Hari is named after alumnus Hari Kondabolu. A member of the Class of 2000, Hari has made a living doing something some at THHS would consider unthinkable.

Hari is a comedian.

More impressive is that he’s been quite successful. Hari has performed for Jimmy Kimmel Live, the HBO U.S Comedy Arts Festival, Comedy Central’s Live at Gotham, and John Oliver’s New York Standup Show. He has toured across the U.S., England, and Denmark. Recently, Hari finished work as a writer for the FX television show, Totally Biased With W. Kamau Bell. He also just finished recording his debut standup comedy album Waiting for 2042, which will be out in March.

“Comedy is about going on stage and being willing to fail and knowing that every time you get up there... good, bad or ugly...you’re going to learn something,” said Hari, speaking about the progression of his career.

A comedian also needs to prepare for vastly different lifestyles.

When he wrote for Totally Biased With W. Kamau Bell, Hari felt like he was back in school: “When I was writing on a TV show, my day was very regimented. I went to work in the morning, wrote all day and got home at night where I would write some more in preparation for the morning. It’s not that different from school, except instead of getting bad grades, if I didn’t work hard, I’d lose my job.”

When touring, Hari’s days are spent mostly traveling from venue to venues.

When working in New York, his schedule is far more open: “I sleep,

wake up and write whenever I want.

However, I really try to be more focused when I have free time since you very quickly regret not being more productive when the pressure wasn’t on.”

Hari cites two teachers from his time at THHS who helped him make such a life for himself: current social studies teacher Chris Hackney and retired English teacher Arthur Boulanger.

A lot of Hari’s first comical performances came in Mr. Hackney’s class. During class time, Mr. Hackney used to conduct Global Studies press conferences, which gave Hari the opportunity to perform his commercial skits during intermissions in front of a “live audience.” Borrowing from Saturday Night Live sketches, Hari found a receptive audience in his peers and grew to crave the laughter even more.

Hari began to devote himself more and more to stand up, which caused a downturn in his once impeccable grades. Although Mr. Hackney was supportive of Hari’s creativity, he began to fear for Hari’s fate as a student. “I thought I ruined his life,” Mr. Hackney said.

Both Mr. Hackney and Mr. Boulanger were Hari’s advisors when he decided to put on a Townsend Harris “Comedy Night,” which gave Hari his first real chance at standup.

“I’m really grateful for Mr. Hackney and Mr. Boulanger and so many other teachers who put in time after school. Also, Dr. Malcolm Largmann, the founding Principal, let me get away with a lot more than he could have. That trust meant a lot.”

As for the name of the mascot, it came about when the school created a competition to determine the mascot’s name.

Marc Floorman, a good friend of Hari and a sophomore at the time, nominated “Hari.” Victorious, Marc

performed as “Hari the Hawk” for the last two years of his THHS career and the name still lives on today.

In 2012 Hari, along with two other comedians of Indian heritage, traveled to seven different parts of India for a program known as “Make Chai Not War.” The State Department Funds, which often funds international public diplomacy trips such as this one, sponsored this tour and held a budget of 100,000 dollars. Along with the two other funny men, Hari worked to “promote religious harmony abroad” by connecting with the audience through laughter.

“We wanted to make people laugh, promote love, and to share what’s in our hearts,” Azhar Usman, one of the leaders of Make Chai Not War, told Filter Magazine.

In 2012, Hari was the guest speaker at the THHS’s graduation ceremony.

“It was surreal and I felt extremely old! However, it was a big life moment. I’m still shocked I was asked to do it, and it was amazing to see lots of my former teachers, some of whom came back to watch my speech.”

Amanda Sewanan, graduate from the class of 2012, said “I remember hearing that a comedian would be our keynote speaker. I was excited since it would be someone young that would probably make our graduation ceremony more interesting.”

Sugam Manocha, stated that Hari’s speech was effective because “it didn’t sugarcoat the truth.” Sugam explained that she gained a new “appreciation for diversity of opinion and ideology. Listening to someone who has been successful in a nontraditional career really affirmed my belief in pursuing passion.”

The speech, which focused on the value of diversity and risk-taking, is available in its entirety on YouTube.

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COVER STORY

THE HIGH SCHOOL

ALGORITHIM

By Frankie Nicolazzi and Harry Petsios

Every year Townsend Harris receives publicity as a high-ranking school from numerous publications’ yearly features, but such rankings are complex and controversial. Can any mathematical formula decide what makes one school the best?

T

he day the New York City Progress Report comes out is the most stressful for a principal; it is Progress Report day that shows how a school stacks up against other schools in the New York City area.

Similarly, the High School rankings issues of publications like US News and World Report and Newsweek have a massive influence not only on administrations, but on parents and incoming freshmen.

These rankings, which exist on local, state, and national levels, often guide parents’ preliminary decisionmaking. They serve as a filter, directing parents towards a school that is appropriate for their child. Lack of a suitable alternative causes parents, students, and faculty to view these

rankings as the most concrete, accurate assessments of high schools.

Recently, however, the rankings have been subject to questions of accuracy and thoroughness. Numerous third-party journalists contend that the factors weighed in the rankings are opinion-based and have little relevance to academic quality.

Proponents of the rankings argue that they were never meant to serve in the capacity of make-or-break decision-making. Others contend that the education system contains too many variables to receive judgement by a third party.

The mechanisms and algorithms behind these systems are both intricate and perplexing. Publications employ a variety of factors in their calculations, among which are: col-

lege readiness, SAT/ACT mean grade, graduation rate, faculty to student ratio. Occasionally, the more indepth publications address socioeconomic factors in their algorithms.

Although different publications assess schools differently, certain factors remain constant throughout.

The statistic that weighs most heavily is college readiness. Publications assess college readiness using a mixture of AP courses offered, AP courses taken per student, AP courses passed, and SAT scores.

New York Post Reporter Susan Edelman, a key engineer behind her paper’s rankings, realizing the strengths and shortcomings of this system, asked, “Do the high SAT scores indicate if the school is great, or if the student is very smart? Right

February 2014

“Townsend Harris has a pass rate of 75%, whereas Stuyvesant has a pass rate of 97.2% on AP exams.

When discounting mandatory APs, the pass rate of Townsend Harris spikes to a similar rate of 96%.”

Photo by Asia Acevedo

there, I feel, is a shortcoming.”

She added, “The NY Post rankings are better in some respects. For example, unlike US News & World Report, we took into account “early college” schools that give no Advanced Placement tests, but instead let students take college courses for credit.”

Former Townsend Harris Principal Kenneth Bonamo said, “They typically rely on the percentage of seniors who graduate having taken AP Exams, which they call the ‘AP Participation Rate,’ and the percentage of seniors who have gotten a three or higher on the AP exam, which they call the ‘AP success rate.’”

Every May, the College Board administers AP Tests, which allow colleges to grant college credit to students based on their scores. Usually, a score of three out of five will receive credit. Some schools require mandatory APs, like Townsend Harris and Lehman High School for American Studies. Others schools, such as Stuyvesant High School and Bronx High School of Science, offer AP

courses to honors students. In one way, such schools have an advantage because they may select those who are more likely to do well on the exam. On the other hand, the AP Participation rate at a school with mandatory APs is 100%.

George Kitsios, vice president of the Stuyvesant Junior Caucus, questioned the emphasis on AP courses: “I personally don’t believe in systems that place a ton of weight on AP enrollment.”

He added, “As a school that does not force students to take AP classes, this is a more natural approach to education that should be rewarded, rather than used to penalize [schools] in rankings where the percentage of students enrolled in APs is a large factor.”

At Townsend Harris, the Humanities department provides students with two mandated AP courses: AP World History and AP United States History. Townsend Harris’s AP enrollment swelled to nearly 270 per grade, boosting the school’s ranking. Conversely, the addition of more

students lowered the mean AP score.

In response to this, Mr. Barbetta commented, “I think that, when it was planned, you had to expect some drop.”

Townsend Harris has a pass rate of 75%, whereas Stuyvesant has a pass rate of 97.2% on AP exams.

When discounting mandatory APs, the pass rate of Townsend Harris spikes to a similar rate of 96%. Mr. Barbetta, affirming this with a solid nod, said, “If you only had the kids that wanted to take the course, then obviously our numbers would be even higher than they are.”

Many feel that an emphasis on standardized testing obscures an essential component of this algorithm: student quality of life.

Many students welcome the idea of offering their input in school rankings. George agreed, saying that “If a school offers more opportunities for students, and if these students are diligently working towards their goals and endeavors while in high school, both would say a lot about the quality of the school overall.”

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Francis Lewis High School junior and School Treasurer Angelo Grapsas explained the necessity for a student voice, stating, “Pure numbers aren’t reflective of a complex learning environment.”

He soon added, “Student life allows examiners to see where students excel outside the classroom. Their activities and leadership skills displayed within clubs and teams allows us to both earn a higher grade and reflect a student-based environment.”

“Safety and extracurriculars are two things that schools should be able to pride themselves with when they get rated well,” said sophomore Max Lacoma.

New York City students often draw a distinction between the school environment and the quality of their education. On one side, numerical grades determine the academic standing of a school. On the other, student club enrollment, team participation, and nightly homework load constitute qualitative data.

Karen Su, junior, argued that, “Part of going to school is not for the tests and grades--those are simply the quantitative aspects of one’s education.”

Francis Lewis High School Principal David Marmor admitted that student life would be difficult to quantify.

“There are student surveys that are meant to assess ’student quality of life,’ but translating that into quantifiable data is very tough,” he explained.

Although students may be enjoying their environment, he contended, this doesn’t necessarily reflect positively on the quality of their education.

Another aspect of the high school rankings is the relative equality with which they judge schools. Reporters and analysts construct rankings based off of an assumption that all schools exist on a level playing-field. Throughout the United States, many school designations exist, including zoned,

specialized, magnet, and rewards. The ranking system equalizes these varied denominations, which gives rise to a string of criticism.

The disregard for individual schools’ admissions processes surprised Principal Marmor, who said, “A school like mine, that admits everyone, is held to the same algorithm as Townsend Harris or other specialized schools, which all have screens.”

Angelo contends that “It proves unfair to assume that a zoned school is on par with a specialized school. In either case, one designation must conform to a specific rubric, which sways results.”

Whether or not the rankings focus on the best measures, many note that the system makes it easy for schools to skew the results. Despite recent attempts at reducing inaccuracy, it is possible for principals to alter their schools’ curricula to fit the grading rubric.

For instance, Ms. Edelman pointed out the correlation that exists between the number of AP or IB courses and a high rank.

“US News & World Report is all about AP and IB classes and tests – thus Brooklyn Latin comes out on top because every course is IB,” she said.

The International Baccalaureate Organization, based in Switzerland, “aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.”

International baccalaureate courses are considered to be equal in difficulty with advanced placement courses.

Despite the stress on AP and IB courses, Ms. Edelman remarked, “Many top NYC schools offer honors courses and challenging courses that are not AP, but prepare students for colleges just as well.”

Assistant Principal of Organization

Many note that the system makes it easy for schools to skew the results. Despite recent attempts at reducing inaccuracy, it is possible for principals to alter their schools’ curricula to fit the grading rubric.

February 2014

“The rankings offer a very limited view of a school,” she said, noting numerous other approaches to analyzing high schools.

Photo by Asia Acevedo

Ellen Fee explained that Townsend Harris has, for many years, been trying to have senior dual enrollment weighed in its rankings. Despite its efforts, senior college classes still receive no credit in the ranking system. At Stuyvesant, however, senior college enrollment does receive recognition from news publications, altering the results even more.

Mr. Bonamo noted that administrators could harness their student talent pool in the most efficient way possible: “One of the ways they can is to make more students take more AP Exams. Another would be to make students who are native speakers of a language take the AP Exam in that language.”

Mr. Barbetta added, “Data is important, but it can’t be the focus of a school. I still want the kids to have a good social life and a good high school experience. It can’t be all about testing and data.”

Year by year, top NYC high schools trade places with one another, often remaining one to two places within their previous locations.

This past year, Townsend Har-

ris earned a rank of seventh in the city from US News and World Report, trailing behind schools such as Bronx Science and the Brooklyn Latin School.

Despite administrative interest in rankings, the vast majority of New York City high school students pay little to no attention to them.

Oftentimes, however, the rankings for high schools find an audience in prospective applicants to high schools.

Although she weighed the rankings in her consideration, freshman Katerina Jou said, “We didn’t rely heavily on the rankings, but more on the students’ perspectives of the school.”

Freshman Matthew Mandel believes that Townsend Harris deserves its prominent position in the rankings, stating, “Townsend Harris very clearly prepares its students for further education and careers.”

Fellow freshman Mehrose Ahmed added, “I definitely think Townsend deserves its ranking. Although everyone is competitive at some point or another, the student body is very helpful.”

Freshman Sabrina Cheng, aware of the system’s shortcomings, said, “I honestly feel that we deserve a higher ranking.”

Although the shortcomings of the ranking system may lower its accuracy, Ms. Edelman emphasized that other factors must receive consideration in a high school decision.

“The rankings offer a very limited view of a school,” she said, noting numerous other approaches to analyzing high schools. Ms. Edelman indicated the existence of guides offering tips for properly selecting a high school based on qualities such as school size, average commute time, and numerous other nonscore metrics.

She further explained that students must also get a feel for the school itself and its community by experiencing it for themselves, mostly through open houses.

Principal Marmor stated, “So, do I think that the US News and World Report algorithm is a perfect system that accurately reflects the quality of schools? No, but then again, I don’t know that an accurate measure exists at all.”

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In the academic world, published authors frequently join classes, field trips, and assemblies as guest speakers, but at Townsend Harris some published authors address students every day: their teachers.

S

tudents everywhere complain about writing one or two-page papers, but can anybody imagine spending weeks, months, even years on one single paper?

Apparently yes.

Several teachers at Townsend Harris have published works of great lengths, including dissertations, essays, articles, and books.

Publishing texts is an impressive feat, considering the teachers are doing this on top of having the responsibility of educating young minds.

Tim Gillespie, a renowned teacher-consultant with the Oregon Writing Project at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, believes that teachers should become writers for various reasons.

According to Gillespie, it provides a good role model for students as well as ‘demystifying the act of writing.’ Teachers who write, he says, tend to have a higher empathy level when it comes to grading papers as well. * AMONG THE TEACHERS AT TOWNSEND HARRIS who have published works is Classical Languages teacher Dr. Marianthe Colakis. She is a successful author of three books, two of which are teaching materials.

The third is a basic guide to classi-

cal mythology.

In 1993, Dr. Colakis published her first book: The Classics in the American Theater of the 1960s and Early 1970s.

William K. Freirt, a writer who focused on the influence of the Classics on twentieth-century literature and the arts, reviewed this scholarly book, proclaiming it a “valuable contribution to our understanding of the archetypal appeal of Greek tragedy to creative minds.”

Her other two books include Excelability in Advanced Latin (A Path to Success on Latin College Entrance and Latin Placement Examinations) and Classical Mythology & More: A Reader Workbook.

Dr. Colakis published Excelability ten years after writing her first book. She wrote the book over the course of the summer of 2002, revised it over the school year, and published it in June of 2003.

Her first book focuses not on teaching Classics but on a series of essays exploring the relationship between the Classics and 1960s and 1970s theater. Dr. Colakis said that she has “always been interested in the theater and the Classics, and that it was such an interesting era [consisting of] many social changes going on, but at the same time, people were going back to some of the oldest and most traditional literature in the world.”

Initially, another author was in charge of creating this work, but lost interest in it, so Dr. Colakis decided to take on the project. The publisher who published her previous books suggested the idea for her third publication.

Dr. Colakis believes that writing these books was a rewarding experience: “I’ve gotten messages from teachers that say ‘thank you’ for the book and that they’ve used it, and that their kids enjoyed it.”

Amazon.com displays positive comments for her books, and she has even seen someone suggest one of her books to someone else online, which she says is “very exciting.”

Although she never aspired to become a writer, she pointed out that “anyone who gets a degree in Classics is given the idea that one should publish at some point.”

With a doctorate from Yale, she also published a work for the degree.

She also says that she has an idea for a future publication, possibly a work about “the readings that [she’s] bringing into the Latin classes this year on Romans and non-Romans and Europeans vs. non-Europeans.” However, she is not sure when she will write it. * EVERY PHD CANDIDATE MUST complete a dissertation and pre-

February 2014

THE PUBLISHED Teacher

By Kristin Cour, Ann Kochupurackal, and Hema Venkata Photo by Asia Acevedo

Mr. Scardino’s The Complete Idiot’s Guide to U.S. Government and Politics was published in 2009.

sent it before a thesis committee to get a degree.

Math teacher Dr. Stephen Mazza, wrote a dissertation while getting his Ed.D with a thesis about misconceptual math beliefs that students have.

In his essay, he addressed notions of misbelief such as “all math problems can be solved in three minutes.” Dr. Mazza mentions that he chose this topic because “it was the most interesting thing I was studying and it was something a certain kind of textbook or curriculum might address.”

Dr. Mazza also published an ar-

ticle in a Teacher Union Newspaper about methods teachers use to understand the thought processes of a student. “You can ask questions to students so that they tell you how they’re thinking.” In turn, he mentions that this information may be helpful to find out where the student is struggling. * ALONG WITH TEACHING THE AP U.S. Government and Politics classes at THHS, Mr. Franco Scardino is also the author of The Complete

Idiot’s Guide to U.S. Government and Politics. The series itself is intended for those who may want a general overview on a topic.

Though Mr. Scardino never envisioned himself writing a book, when the publishing company reached out to him in 2008, he was “flattered by the offer” and accepted gratefully.

He explained that the head of acquisitions of Alpha Books - the publishers of the Complete Idiot’s Guides - was the father of a Townsend Harris student. The

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The “first thing all students do is google their teachers, and the first thing I [hear] is everyone [saying] ‘Oh, you’ve published a book!’ and I say ‘That’s actually my cousin.’”

student never had Mr. Scardino as a teacher, but oddly enough suggested him to her father.

Although the book was published in 2009, it took Mr. Scardino longer than expected to research and write it. After 8 months, he published the Guide. Reviews on book-selling websites like Amazon contain numerous positive comments.

Though this book does give a basic overview of the history of the politics and government of the United States, Mr. Scardino says that he never intended for his students to read his book. “I actually cannot recommend it - it’s a conflict of interest.”

He explains that the “first thing all students do is google their teachers, and the first thing I [hear] is everyone [saying] ‘Oh, you’ve published a book!’ and I say, ‘That’s actually my

Photo by Asia Acevedo

cousin.’”

The book was intended for the general public who want an overview of the topic. In fact, the promotional materials say, “this book is designed to help anyone interested in learning about our government and the origins of its complex inner workings, our political system, and key elements that have affected our growth as a nation.”

Though the book may be written for general readers, Mr. Scardino did say that the book appears on the summer reading lists of several Political Science classes and a lot of AP Government classes.

As of now, Mr. Scardino believes that the publishers will not have to update the information or write a newer edition until the next presidential election, which may include the addition of new Supreme Court

cases and new terms added to the political dialogue.

When the Obama presidency does end, Mr. Scardino may not necessarily be the author of the new edition.

He mentions that the publishers may come back to him and ask for an updated version, or “they might go out and try to find out another author.” * BESIDES HAVING TEACHERS WHO PUBLISH BOOKS AND POEMS, Townsend Harris is also home to the musically talented.

Japanese and music teacher Dr. Mariko Sato Berger and her husband have composed a few original pieces and have put them together in a collection of CDs. As part of an acoustic instrumental track, Dr. Sato performs as a pianist in a quartet. The piece

February 2014

Photos by Asia Acevedo

Mr. Babstock and Dr. Mazza are two of Townsend Harris’s published teachers. Here they are at work in their offices.

was published in 2006, featuring a clarinet, violin, cello and piano.

In addition to the work with her husband, Dr. Sato has also created other musical tracks. * ENGLISH AND CREATIVE WRITING teacher Robert Babstock has much experience writing articles, poems, stories, and trials of novellas and novels. He explains that he became interested in writing as a teenager in high school, comparing his urge to write to the Little Richard song “The Girl Can’t Help It.” Mr. Babstock’s works focus on a wide range of topics such as “love, religion, history, and laughs.” When asked what inspired him to pick

such themes, he replied with “America’s fascinating and ever changing position in the world” as well as his own feelings and family.

In addition to fiction, Mr. Babstock has written for publications like New York Teacher. One of his articles, “Putting a stop to ‘educational violence,’” focused on the need for textbooks in New York City classes.

These works are generally meant for all audiences, and Mr. Babstock intends to write more poems in the nearby future. * THE AMOUNT OF EFFORT these teachers have put into these published works, along with the duties

Photo by Asia Acevedo

of teaching young minds, shows an outstanding work ethic and devotion to their area of study. This requires a lot of time which includes countless revisions, dedication, and commitment on their part, showing how passionate teachers can be about their fields of teaching.

The teachers profiled here are not the only teachers in the school with published works on the market. There are other teachers in this school who are published but prefer to keep their works and school life separate.

In addition, there are numerous alumni who have published books over the years and retired teachers who have as well.

“In 1993, Dr. Colakis published her first book. Her other two books include Excelability in Advanced Latin (A Path to Success on Latin College Entrance and Latin Placement Examinations) and Classical Mythology & More: A Reader Workbook.”

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