Latin Honor Society Inducts 19 West Caldwell Area Students

West Caldwell, NJ – Nineteen students from James Caldwell High School in West Caldwell were inducted into the National Junior Classical League (NJCL) Latin Honor Society on April 6.

“To become a member of the Latin Honor Society, students must maintain an ‘A’ average in the Latin course, be a member in good standing of the NJCL, and exemplify good citizenship,” school administrators stated in a news release.

Students must reapply for the honor each year, meeting strict society requirements, according to a school news release.

Of the 19 students inducted this year, 12 were inducted for the first time, school officials stated.

This year, the candle lighting ceremony includes a question and answer section conducted completely in Latin.

“All of these students demonstrate a strong desire to learn ancient languages and commit the time necessary to excel in their Latin studies,” said World Languages Department Coordinator for Classical Languages, Latin teacher and club advisor Christopher Trause. “The students learn about Roman and Greek literature, history, art and life, and those inducted exemplify not only what it means to be a good student, but also what it means to be a good person.”

According to school officials, the NJCL extends membership to more than 50,000 students of Latin worldwide annually.

The new inductees include Juliana Malloy, Austin Scott, Lydia Wielgus, Kelly Chang, Gabriella D’Erasmo, Ashvin Nagarajan, Brendan Padover, Luc Perret, Kevin Perry, Lauren Rickenbach, Julie Schmidt, Tali Tukachinsky and Mina Yi, who joined existing members Eloise Albaret, Leo Chiaet, Leah Friedenberg, Caroline Coughlin, Kassie Sarkar and Rachael Weisman.

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Photo courtesy of the Caldwell-West Caldwell School District