Most people use Latin every day without even realizing it.

A group of Bow High School students use it every day and know it.

Bow High School’s Latin team members Glenn Walton, Jason Langevin and Tyler McDonough took part in the New Hampshire Student Classics Day at Saint Anselm College on May 9, beating out five other teams to win the competition.

Students were asked questions in multiple rounds about mythology, history, culture and grammar. Bow took the lead early in the competition and never relinquished it.

Kat Braden, the high school’s Latin teacher, was impressed by her team’s performance. “I had a team win some years back, and that was very sweet. We hadn’t had a team win since then. I decided this year that we would really prepare,” she said. “I had them working most of the year on Latin trivia, so it was a very sweet victory. I was proud of the three boys and also the other students. It was a teacher’s dream.”

Walton said the hardest part about the competition was not being able to see the words on paper.

“When he started asking questions in Latin, it was hard because I’m not used to speaking it, just seeing it,” he said. “I was really happy that all of the hard studying paid off.”

Latin is the root of many words in languages throughout the world, something Walton finds beneficial. “It’s great for your English or any other language vocabulary. A lot of things are derived from it. It’s cool to see everything behind it,” he said.

Students taking Latin are continuously learning, according to Braden. “From my own experience, I am almost every day seeing a word for the first time and realizing where it came from and what it means,” she said. “It keeps on giving. Latin also strengthens the mind.”

Braden also said students who study Latin have an advantage heading into their future endeavors.

“You have to be able to think quickly, analyze and put the facts in a row. It’s really rewarding, and it trains students to think better in everything they do for the rest of their lives,” Braden said. “I’ve heard from students who said it helps them all over.”

The language’s background was something that drew Walton’s interest. “I like the language because of the history and culture behind it. I started always thinking about all of the historical people who spoke it and how important it was to some people,” Walton said.