All 97 Latin students took the National Latin Exam in the cafeteria during first period Wednesday.

“[West Shore Latin] students have been taking the test since 1998, the first year we opened,” Latin teacher Virginia Wills said.

The National Latin Exam is an international test taken by more than 150,000 students. Students are eligible for one of four different awards, depending on how their scores compare to the national average. The awards are in descending order: summa cum laude, maxima cum laude, magna cum laude, and cum laude.

“I think 40 percent [of students] last year got an award,” Wills said. “I hope it will be at least that this year.”

Junior Alec Luker was one of the students who received the magna cum laude award last year. Luker, who is in Latin III, tells how he was prepared for the test this year.

“[The test] wasn’t bad actually,” he said. “I felt pretty prepared. I looked at several study guides that Ms. Wills gave [the class].”

Freshman Erna Roth, also in Latin III, said Wills has been preparing the classes for a month.

“Ms. Wills has been quizzing us since the beginning of February,” she said. “With all the prep, I hope I got an award.”

Students will not receive their test results until after Spring Break.

Wills notes the importance of standardized tests, such as the National Latin Exam.

“These tests give students a chance to measure their progress against all the students in the U.S.,” she said. “The students can demonstrate their knowledge and get a reward for all their hard work.”

By Andrew Lim