Latin studies are still alive at La Entrada Middle School in Menlo Park. It is one of the last remaining public middle schools with a Latin program in the state. On Saturday Oct. 18, the local school also became the first middle school campus to host Ludi, a California regional Latin competition.
Over 500 students from across 20 schools, as far north as Redding, joined La Entrada to celebrate Latin and Greek history, language, literature and games. The school’s Latin teacher Eleanor Stuart described the event as academic, fun, community service-oriented and sporty.
“Ludi” is the Latin word for games and this annual gathering brings together Northern California schools to compete in contests inspired by ancient Rome. The competition is part of the California Junior Classical League, an organization that promotes the study of Latin and Greek studies.
On the day of Ludi, participating schools kickstarted the morning with a breakfast treat and a general assembly where they recited the Junior Classical League creed, sang a song and said the Pledge of Allegiance in Latin. Afterward, students took a test, created by La Entrada students, which were graded throughout the day.
La Entrada has two eighth graders, Christopher Hintz and Avi Buxbaum, who currently serve on the California Junior Classical League Board as the northern representatives. They said Latin studies is one of the most challenging classes at their school.
Hintz, who has been taking the class since sixth grade, said he’s been able to understand English better through lessons on Latin roots.
“The teaching of Latin and the Greek roots is backed up by many studies in being helpful for reading comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, all of the things for wonderful brain development for not only for English only speakers, but also English learners as well,” said Stuart, who has been teaching Latin at La Entrada for nine years.
Miramonte High School seniors wrap toilet paper around Kadence Yim, center, during the Toilet Paper Toga Contest at Ludi on Oct. 18. Photo by Karina Patel 
Students from around the Bay Area participate in Certamen, a quiz-bowl style competition during Ludi on Oct. 18 in Menlo Park. Photo by Karina Patel 
Dr. Patrick Hunt, a lecturer from Stanford University, speaks to middle school and high school students from around the Bay Area at Ludi, the long-standing California tradition of celebrating Latin language and culture through games, competition, and community, at La Entrada Middle School in Menlo Park on Oct. 18. Photo by Karina Patel 
Middle school and high school students from around the Bay Area play dodgeball during Ludi, the long-standing California tradition of celebrating Latin language and culture through games, competition, and community, at La Entrada Middle School on Oct. 18 in Menlo Park. Photo by Karina Patel
Plans to host Ludi in Menlo Park had been in the works since last school year. According to Buxbaum, it was a collaborative effort between the seventh and eighth grade Latin classes in preparing and scheduling everything for the annual event.
The opportunity for the school to host the event offered the young scholars a chance to grow student leadership, communication, professionalism and organization skills. The students were in charge of all event planning details including decoration designs, registration, organizing different activities, staffing and more.
“It felt really nice to kind of give back to the (California Junior Classical League) and to help make an awesome experience for the next generation of Latin students,” said Buxbaum.
The event featured 15 different activities including Certamen, a quiz-bowl style competition about classical studies; art and costume contests; dodgeball and Latin sight reading.
Hintz said his favorite activity was Roman speed dating, where students have the opportunity to ask each other questions about their favorite aspects of Latin language and history.
“It was a relatively small classroom, but we had about 50 kids in there, and it was a really good time and there was a ton of energy, ” he added.
Ludi attendees were also able to take part in a community service activity to write get-well cards for children at the Ronald McDonald House in Palo Alto. The activity was organized by a La Entrada student, said Stuart. By the end of the day, they had about 250 cards written in both Latin and English phrases.
As a longtime Latin teacher, Stuart said she was grateful for the opportunity to host such a large event for the classical studies community and to bring more awareness to the La Entrada campus and its decades-long history of teaching Latin.
While many schools across California are removing Latin education from its curriculum, La Entrada remains committed to sharing the discipline to future generations.
“English isn’t a Latin-derived language but over 60% of our vocabulary in English comes from Latin and Greek groups. So it still is there. And you know, Latin is not dead. We use it every day,” Stuart said.
