In June 2024, ICSD announced its decision to cut the Latin program at IHS following recent changes to the budget. The program, run by Suzanne Nussbaum, had been a longstanding part of IHS’s languages department, and its closure was upsetting to many members of the community. Despite the relatively low enrollment, Latin at IHS had a large impact on its students due to Nussbaum’s attentive and personalized teaching style, and it will be sorely missed in the years to come. As the program comes to an end, some former students take the time to look back on their experiences.
I remember starting Latin my freshman year, slightly daunted at the idea of starting a language I hadn’t studied in school before, but also eager for the opportunity. Another reason for my hesitation was that, due to conflicts in my schedule, I could not take the regular Latin 1 class. Instead, I was assigned to an independent study with Ms. Nussbaum, essentially a one-on-one class with her. What was at first a cause for some trepidation turned out to be one of the best things to happen in my high school career.
Because I was the only student in the class, I was able to go at my own pace and completed the curriculum for both Latin 1 and 2 during my freshman year, which I attribute to Ms. Nussbaum’s great teaching abilities and commitment as a teacher. In this first year of taking Latin, I was introduced to a world of grammar, vocabulary, and linguistics that was previously unknown to me. Translating passages written in this ancient language made me feel as though I was getting a real glimpse of life in ancient Rome! What I found especially engaging about Ms. Nussbaum’s class my freshman year, as well as later years, was that even though it was focused primarily on language, she made sure to include material on Roman culture, history, and even mythology.
Though I enjoyed my independent study class freshman year, I was glad to meet and have class with other students who were also interested in Latin during sophomore and junior year. Junior year, in fact, I had the opportunity to join the newly created Certamen Club, where my classmates and I participated in Classics-based quiz competitions at Harvard and Yale University. These were very memorable experiences, not only because of the competition, but because of the chance to meet so many other Latin students from various parts of the country. Since Latin is a relatively uncommon language to study in high school, meeting students with a similar interest in the language was all the more special. Though I am terribly saddened to see the end of the Latin program at IHS, I am also incredibly grateful for the opportunity to take it for the time that I did, for having a teacher like Ms. Nussbaum, and for all the memories I have made in the program.
– Maria Attell ‘25, former Latin 4 student
My experience with the IHS Latin program was that it was a very interesting course, and it often made me think of the Latin roots in other languages, especially English. I believe the course offered more critical thinking than a typical language course (not in a sense having to do with the other teachers, but with the language and structure of the program itself), and it’s a shame that the school decided to cut it. Ms. Nussbaum is a very nice person and a great teacher.
– Shaan Jena ‘26, former Latin 3 student
For me, Latin was always about the stories. When I was younger, I would beg my mom to read me chapters from D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths, and my dad would tell me stories from The Odyssey before bed. I didn’t realize it at the time but those Classical figures—wily, conniving Odysseus, wise Penelope, reckless Telemachus—were becoming my building blocks, the lens I started looking at the world through. Ithaca was all the more special to me because it had the same name as Odysseus’s homeland, for example. These were my fairy tales—gods turning into animals, nymphs turning into trees, people turning into stone.
As soon as I started reading Latin, it was the same thing. When I got to translate those stories, when I could interact with them, all the old emotions came rushing back. Far from being bored with the same old characters, I felt a new depth, a kind of gritty, earthy realness I never had before. I thought about my sister when I was translating Catullus’s poem for his brother, I teared up when the Greek soldiers threw baby Astyanax off the walls of Troy. The wonder and fantasy were still there, of course, but suddenly the people were real, and somehow, across thousands of years, they were talking to me.
This is my favorite thing about studying Classics, and it is the thing I am most sad that future students won’t get to experience: myth and history can coexist, which makes for the best kind of stories.
– Valentina Lebret ‘25, former AP Latin student
When I was asked about what language class I was taking, I used to tell people that I was taking Latin with some defensiveness and hesitancy. When compared to the other languages offered at IHS, Latin is no doubt unique. It can be difficult to understand the reason for learning Latin. Why try to learn a language that hasn’t been spoken for millennia?
I realized the importance of Latin this past year, as I read the Latin poet Catullus’s piece about his summer home in the small Italian town of Sirmione. After returning from his military posting, Catullus writes about the elation and comfort he felt coming back home. I was struck by how relatable his work was. It didn’t matter that Catullus and I were separated by the barriers of language and time, he managed to express things that one could relate to thousands of years later. For me, Latin is about finding these unlikely connections across culture and history.
But my story is one of many, as IHS’s Latin program managed to affect many different people in many different ways. This is in large part because of Suzanne Nussbaum’s teaching ability and passion for the subject. Whether she was working with students who had been learning Latin for years or students who were new to the language entirely, Ms. Nussbaum always conducted her classes with earnestness and dedication. As IHS moves away from Latin, her commitment and insight in the classroom will be missed.
Now, when I am asked about what language class I’m taking, I’ll have to say that I don’t have one. Latin has been such a large part of my high school career and I’m sad to see it go. I feel the most sadness for future students who won’t have the opportunity to be a part of this program.
– Natalie Patrone ‘25, former Latin 4 student