Celebrating CHS Latin: Award-Winning Year in Review

Posted Date: 05/07/26 (08:13 AM)

Collinsville High School Latin teacher James "Magister" Stark has many positive accomplishments to report for the 2025-26 school year.

National Latin Exam

This year, 19 CHS Latin students placed on the National Latin Exam.

Their placements are:

Cum Laude

Logan “Regulus” Booker (Beginning)

Leith “Leo” Newsome (Beginning)

Sophia “Inepta” Crawford (Intermediate)

Aden “Cato” Hedger (Intermediate)

Ava “Livia” Richert (Intermediate)

Riley “Tacitus” Dietrich (Intermediate)

Kylie “Vera” Noonan (Intermediate Reading)

Magna Cum Laude

Phoebe “Thalia” Blackwell (Beginning)

Amera “Drusilla” Jones (Beginning)

Tate “Tiberius” Van Keulen (Beginning)

Conrad “Infinitas” Woodell (Intermediate)

Lillian “Rhea Silvia” Berg (Intermediate)

Reese “Risa” Kaufman (Intermediate)

Zero “Cornelia” Penny (Adv. Latin Prose)

Maxima Cum Laude - Silver Medal

Raelei “Zenobia” Buchanan (Beginning)

Liam “Atlas” Sloan (Beginning)

Dylyn “Remus” Floyd (Beginning)

Bradley “Aurelius” Widdows (Intermediate)

Summa Cum Laude - Gold Medal

Bear “Ursus” Powell (Adv. Latin Prose)

Bear Powell has qualified for the National Latin Exam scholarship due to his repeated high performance on the exam.

Not pictured in photo above for National Latin Exam: Phoebe Blackwell

Biliteracy Exam

This year, there are a record number of Latin seniors (5) graduating with the Seal of Biliteracy, plus 10 others graduating with commendation toward biliteracy that will appear on their diplomas.

In addition, one junior qualified for their Seal of Biliteracy. There are also 17 juniors/sophomores who scored high enough for commendation of biliteracy, so they have at least a commendation for their diplomas when they graduate.

Here are the awards:

Seal of Biliteracy in Latin

Joseph “Iosephus” Reilly

Margot “Metella” Schusky

Laila “Numeria” Hutchison

Mia “Luna” Aldana

Bear “Ursus” Powell

Commendations of Biliteracy in Latin

Meela “Sappho” Aviles

Alex “Achilles” Besserman

Omar “Cicero” Hernandez

Ella “Marcella” Niemeier

Conrad “Infinitas” Woodell

Cody “Livius” Lillard

Addyson “Aelia” Muniz

Kylie “Vera” Noonan

Nora “Aurelia” Nugent

Nex “Nerva” Rangel

Qualifying Seal Score
Zero “Cornelia” Penny

Commendation Scores for Juniors & Sophomores
Poppy “Penelope” Bauer
Addison “Arria” Barker
Lily “Rhea Silvia” Berg
Sophia “Inepta” Crawford
Riley “Tacitus” Dietrich
Madiana “Marcia” Everright
Kaylyn “Catilina” Frederick
Jackson “Verus” McBride
Bradley “Aurelius” Widows
Kamryn “Mater” Haley
Mia “Octavia” Harris
Aden “Cato” Hedger
Reese “Risa” Kaufman
Ava “Livia” Richert
Johnna “Cupida” Smith
Rose “Vera” Vargas
Tessa “Sappho” Wilson

The Year in Summary

"This comes to a record-setting total of 106 individual awards earned this year, and even that is excluding the juniors and sophomores who qualified for a seal/commendation, since those are awarded when they graduate," says Magister Stark.