It may be overwhelming and discouraging to decide on which class to take just from its course description... so hear about it first hand from people who've taken the class before. 

Despite the name, both the AP and Latin part, we promise AP Latin was the best class we've ever taken at BLA. You don't have to be any good at Latin to take the course, in fact, none of us was super great at Latin. At the end of the year, it's not the grade or the AP exam that mattered. We had fun, created our own inside jokes, and formed an amazing community amongst ourselves. 

Here's how a normal day in AP Latin will be like: 

• Do Now or Vocab quiz 

  • Vocab quizzes will be consistently given (expect one multiple times a week). However, you can retake all VQ as many times as you like for full credit. So there's absolutely no reason why you shouldn't have all 100% on your VQ!!

• Translate

  • You will then spend the rest of class translating Latin. One person will be up in front of the class translating a pre-prepared chunk of translation. It's perfectly fine if you're scare or not prepare!! AP Latin is super supportive and you will have everyone and Freed helping you along the way. You will be hesitant to volunteer yourself at first and absolutely terrified but you will eventually get used to it. Translating out loud is perhaps the best way to learn and improve your translation skills. Bonus: Freed gives a lot of extra credit for translating (wayyyyy above 100%), so it is a very easy grade boost. 

There is absolutely no reason why your should be scared of AP Latin. It'll be a fun class (we promise you'll find yourself laughing a lot in class) and there's absolutely no reason why you shouldn't have an easy A in the class. 

Many BLA students, probably yourself included, care a lot about not only the course they're signing up for, but also who is teaching that course. We understand how a teacher can make or break a class. Perhaps, to some, who that teacher is may be more important than the course itself. Well then, let us tell you about Mr. Freed. 

If AP Latin is amazing, then Mr. Freed is the reason why. Freed is definitely our favorite teacher at BLA. Even though you don't know him (the poor guy teaches sixies...), many of us have had him before we signed up for AP Latin. No sane person would sign themselves up for AP Latin, but we all signed up because of Mr. Freed (that's how amazing he is!!!). 

Here's why Mr. Freed is amazing: 

"Not only is Freed an amazing teacher (probably one of the very few Latin teachers who could actually make Latin make sense), he is by far one of the most passionate teacher ever, to the point where some would say he's a bit insane and crazy. While that may be true, his passion is one of the most admirable part about him. When he gets going about a topic he is passionate about, expect your ears to fall of because he's not going to stop talking (on and on and on, for all eternity). This makes Mr. Freed an amazing conversationalist, you will never be afraid to pop by his room just to chat."  -Fiona Zhao, AP Latin student 22-23

"Mr. Freed is very supportive and a fun teacher. You can talk to him about anything  that interests you and you are not allowed to struggle in Latin, as is his mission." -Samual Harris, AP Latin Student 22-23

"Mr. Freed is an explorative teacher who constantly encouraged us to think beyond the Latin we read. He helped us make real-life connections between the Aeneid and Caesar's De Bello Gallico. We, the students in his class, worked closely with him to make sure our needs were met while we still made progress through the curriculum. At first, I thought AP Latin would be a boring class, but Mr. Freed's energy is what put it all together. It was funny to watch the people walking past the door to the classroom making confused faces. If I could go back in time to course selection for my junior year, I would still choose AP Latin." -Serenity Williams, AP Latin student 22-23

"Mr. Freed was the reason I chose to take AP Latin, I never thought I was going to but after taking his honors class he convinced me to sign up because he is a great teacher, he is very supportive and only wants the best for his students being willing to help in any way he can. My favorite part about the class was the community we built having made some really good friends in that class." -Aaron VanDerzee, AP Latin student 22-23

"AP Latin was an interesting and unique experience! Mr. Freed was an incredibly supportive teacher and really encouraged us to try our hardest even if we were unsure of the answer. He’s part of the reason I took the class in the first place! I also found that we had built our own little community in the class. We were able to bond throughout the school year by being in class but also doing outside of school activities like going to the MFA or classics day!" -Eva Chapuran, AP Latin student 22-23

"AP Latin was a class that allowed students to learn both inside and outside of the curriculum. The class is not only translating but getting a deeper understanding of Roman culture and history. Mr. Freed always encouraged us to excel both inside and outside of the classroom which made the class exciting and comfortable environment." -Amya Walters, AP Latin student 22-23

Most of your classes are large, consisting of a couple of your friends and a room of strangers whose faces you recognize but have never actually spoken to. Well, that is far from the truth in AP Latin. 

Here's what the AP Latin community is like: 

"AP Latin is often a very small class of strangers who will quickly become some of your closest friends. I signed up for AP Latin for Mr. Freed, but I stayed because of the people in the class, all of whom in such a short period of time became some of my favorite people ever. When I am with them, I feel like I am in a secret cult, with no shortage of inside jokes and exchanged banters." -Fiona Zhao, AP Latin Student 22-23

"While at the end of the day, it was an AP class, it never for a moment felt like it up until the day of the exam. Throughout the year we as a class performed various ritual sacrifices to the gods (volun-told each other to translate Latin on the board) and made sure everyone was on board with the content of the curriculum. There were times when I was completely lost in translation (literally), but my classmates were there to clarify everything for me. Without them, I don't think my AP Latin experience would have been the same. I would have never thought that my 12 classmates would have chosen to take AP Latin, but they did, and we worked through it together." -Serenity Williams, AP Latin Student 22-23

"AP Latin was a lot of fun, I felt like the class was way more open and free than any others. We were more like a close knit group being led to teach ourselves by Mr. Freed, even so not trying to undermine his effort and thought put into everything he did with us. 11/10 class I wish some of my other AP classes were half as fun." -Alex DeFilippo, AP Latin student 22-23