Packer Students Earn 183 National Language Awards

National Exams Honor Achievement in French, Latin, and Spanish

May 16, 2008

Packer students have achieved outstanding honors in the 2008 National Language Exams. In the combined areas of Latin, Spanish, and French, Packer students earned a total of 183 medals, ribbons and certificates.

Packer students nabbed 53 Latin medals, ribbons and certificates, including 14 gold medals and 14 silver medals. Two Packer Latin students achieved perfect scores in the 2008 National Latin Exam:  Milo Ledoux ‘08 in AP Latin and Sam Aviles ‘14 in Latin 50 (see photo at right). For the second year in a row, every Advanced Placement Latin student who sat for the exam was a medalist.  All of these seniors are now eligible for college scholarships through the American Classical League.  

Packer Spanish students netted an additional 88 honors on the National Spanish Examinations. One Packer junior, Deandra Tan, earned the First Prize for the New York Metropolitan Area in Spanish.

“Attaining any placement or honorable mention for any student on the National Spanish Examinations is very prestigious,” said Kevin Cessna, National Director of the Exams, “because the exams are the largest of their kind in the United States with well over 106,000 students participating in 2008.”

In the French Grand Concours exam, 88 students earned such honors.

“Packer French, Spanish, and Latin students continue to excel in the national language exams!,” says Ann Diederich, chair of the world language department. “Félicitations, Felicidades, and Gratulationes to our students and teachers on all their achievements!”

Latin Gold Medal – “Summa Cum Laude”
Milo Ledoux (AP Latin Literature)**
David Helene (AP Latin Literature)
Meredith Epstein (AP Latin Literature)
Lucy Andersen (AP Latin Literature)
Molly Kass-Kaufman (AP Latin Literature)
Greg Bunis (AP Latin Literature)
Bianca Kenworthy (AP Latin Literature)
Grace Phelan (AP Latin Literature)
Keely Weiss (Latin IV)
Nicholas Brasse (Latin 100)
Ashby Martin (Latin 100)
Jane Rossman (Latin 100)
Ralph Baker (Latin 100)
Ashley Mixson (Latin 100)

French Top Ranking – “Mention très bien”
David Benger (Advanced Grammar, Composition & Style)
Marina Perkins (French II)
Jonah Rexer (French I-II)
Gordon Diggs (French I-II)
Keely Weiss (French I-II)
Brynna Downey (French 100)

Spanish Gold Medal – “Medalla de Oro”
Deandra Tan (AP Spanish)*
Olufemi Leverett (Advanced Grammar, Composition and Style)
Paulina Rojek (Spanish I-II)
Erica Satin-Hernandez (Spanish I-II)


*First Prize
**Perfect Score