Despite having a reputation as a “dead” language, Latin has deep influences on modern education. From English vocabulary to medical sciences, Latin phrases and words are still used commonly today. This year, however, students hoping to explore those classical roots have been met with disappointment as Latin 1 was removed from the course offerings.
“Latin is the blueprint to all the other Romance languages, so it’s similar to looking at a house. You can’t see the wood and everything that goes in the framework, but it’s there, just like Latin is in our English language,” Latin teacher Brandi Byrum said. “I think it’s sad that the district isn’t pushing the importance of understanding the structure of our own language, but I also think the Latin department has failed to inspire students to learn Latin.”
Latin levels 2, 3, and AP are still available for students to take. However, this means current freshmen are unable to start the language. Freshmen who selected the course for the 2025-26 school year received an email that they had to choose a new language.
“My parents wanted me to take Latin this year, so I was disappointed when I found out that it wasn’t available,” freshman Charlotte DeClerck said.
Latin Club’s triumvirate, the three club leaders, believe that Langley’s Latin program might face the same fate as the now fully phased-out German course.
“Since there’s no Latin 1 this year, the program might fade out completely if interest doesn’t pick up,” senior Veera Anand said. “If the numbers keep dropping, […] that would pretty much end Latin here.”
Latin 3 and AP have now transitioned into being combined classes for the year, meaning that Mrs. Byrum now has to split up the students and teach two different curriculums at once. This brings a lot of new challenges for the students, such as having to divide the class during tests and figuring out how to balance the coursework.
“I call [the combined block] my ‘adventure class’. I’m very fortunate my students have been able to be flexible and we’ve been able to work together to figure out the best way to get the most out of each class, despite me having to teach two different curriculums.” Byrum said.
Students in this class expressed their experiences with persevering through the challenges.
“Latin 3 and AP Latin are totally different curriculums, so combining them makes it hard for everyone. Our teacher is amazing, she’s really doing her best, but it’s a lot for her to balance. It’s difficult, but we’re making it work.” Anand said.
It is unknown if the course will be revived for the coming year. The program has had many different teachers throughout the years, all of which had different teaching styles and areas of focus.
“[The teacher changes] have been challenging, because every teacher has a different way of teaching, so it’s been a little disjointed across the levels. Now, with our current teacher, things are better, but the program itself is shrinking.” senior Amenah Rashid said.
The cause of the decision to cut the Latin 1 course is unclear. It might have been made due to budget cuts, lack of interest from the student body, or something entirely different. However, it is clear that both the students and their teacher are passionate about doing everything they can to prevent the language from being phased out.
“I’m absolutely trying [to revive the course]. It’s definitely my number-one goal to take this program and make it one of the largest programs in World Languages. That would be my dream.” Byrum said.
