The North Penn High School Latin Department recognizes the following students for winning honors in the Philadelphia Classical Society’s annual Latin Week competitions. Participating students won awards for either the Academic Examination (composed by the Society’s officers and mailed to participating schools), or they submitted creative projects for judging. A few students won recognition for both.
The Philadelphia Classical Society is a professional organization consisting mostly of Latin teachers from a variety of schools – public, private, religious – in the greater Philadelphia region including the Main Line, Montgomery and Bucks counties, and even some civilized parts of New Jersey. The Society exists to promote professional activities for teachers and to encourage the study of Latin (and Greek) by students in elementary, middle and high school. North Penn High School’s Latin teacher Mr. Jonathan Rockey is a career-long member and a former officer of the Philadelphia Classical Society.
Winners in the Academic Exam Competition include at the summa cum laude level: sophomores Courtney Jirsa and Samuel Curlee and junior Matthew Morgado; at the magna cum laude level: sophomores Michael Bonagura and Monisha Ravi and junior Melissa Laughlin; and at the cum laude level: sophomores A. J. Stein, Rebecca Rosenblatt, Reece Maurer, Raj Madhani, Blake Champagne, Min Kim, Bria Blackshear and Matthew Chaffee; juniors Christopher You and Andrea Mobley; and senior Stephanie Hong.
Students are also invited to submit creative works in a variety of modes, but all works are required to express a classical (i.e. Greek or Roman) theme. Media include scale models, sketches or drawings, mosaic, needlework, sculpture or pottery, painting, posters, or literary creations. A legion of Latin scholars submitted numerous works on mythological, historical and cultural topics. Winners earning cum laude recognition include: sophomores Cameron Healey, Michael Bonagura, Madison Shollenberger, Nikita Patel, Matthew Cooper, Rachel Rhodes, Blake Champagne, Sean Reamer, Raj Madhani, Samuel Curlee, Nick Boodoo, Zain M. Hussain, Julia Heo, Monisha Ravi, Bria Blackshear, Rebecca Rosenblatt and Courtney Jirsa; juniors Melissa Laughlin, Julianna Diehl, Alessandra Scavitto and Amelia O’Malley; seniors Erin Fisher, Rachael Groat and Emily Gross.
Among magna cum laude recipients were sophomores Mary Francis, Andrew Marshall, Dennis Yeom, Robin Pinkos, Min Kim, Poojita Sharan; junior Matt Kim; and senior Virali Patel.
At the pinnacle of the food chain were summa cum laude achievers Matt Leung, Anthony Peter Cubbage and Hayley Ulmer (sophomores); junior Aspen Trautz; and senior Susan Tabassum.