New Latin Honour Board

Brighton Grammar School has proven itself to be an institution of excellence not only in innovation but also as a custodian of tradition.

Vires Acquirit Eundo  ̶  She Gathers Strength As She Goes  ̶  the motto of the city of Melbourne, taken from the words of the esteemed Roman poet Virgil, aptly describes Latin studies here at BGS. Virgil also penned the School’s motto: Meliora Sequamur.

To honour the outstanding efforts of some of the School’s brightest and most resilient minds, an Honour Board has been created to record, each year, the highest Study Score achieved in VCE Latin.

Latin is a relentlessly challenging subject that demands a great deal from our students: independent study skills from a very early age, discipline, mental gymnastics, problem-solving and exceptional long-term memory all the way from Year 7 right through to Year 12.

Yet, despite these seemingly unappealing attributes, coupled by its anachronous reputation as a dead language, increasing numbers of BGS boys are braving this rigorous subject, with 2022 boasting the largest Year 12 Latin class in the School’s history.

Numbers are equally promising in Year 7 and Year 8. Tonners are not afraid to Fight the Good Fight and this also translates to our students’ willingness to take on academic challenges.

Many BGS parents and students realise that Latin is, in fact, an immortal language and is the study of grammar in its purest form, with invaluable benefits to literacy. The fact that Latin is no longer spoken has paradoxically brought about its immortality, for, unlike its modern descendants, this language is no longer changed or simplified, neither does it continually evolve as modern languages inevitably do.

Constancy is its greatest advantage. Besides the intellectual challenge of Latin, students are drawn to the stories, myths and connections they can make to politics, cultural artefacts, the law, scientific nomenclature and vocabulary, all of which form the foundations of the Western tradition.

The honour board’s gilded letters laud prestigious scholars such as Ian Tongs (2016), David Lawlor (2017), Kosta Arvanitakis & Michael Dean (2018), David Li (2019), Jaikob Akinci (2020), and Charlie Catt (2021).

Who will grace the mahogany panels next? Only time will tell!