“Do you know where I have class? I have class in a library study room.”

Senior Winston C. (‘26) is the only student in the IBHL Greek program, or the whole Upper School Greek program for that matter. After he graduates this year, the entire course will be removed from the Taipei American School (TAS) curriculum, officially entering the annals of ancient history. Since beginning to learn the ancient Greek language in middle school, Winston has a lot to say about its disappearance.

“It’s a unique perspective gained by studying a language that’s so old.” Compared to other languages TAS has to offer, Winston believes ancient Greek is the language he finds most passionate about because it makes the evolution of language really clear. The language does hold significance as a large portion of English words have Greek roots, stemming from ancient Greek vernacular. However, there are some idioms derived from ancient Greek that do not make sense in the context of modern-day English: “it’d be like if someone walked up to you and started sprouting Shakespearean.”

The discontinuation, though saddening, has reasons behind it. In past years, enrollment in Upper School Greek courses had seen a decrease. Though middle schoolers have the opportunity to learn both Greek and Latin, most tend to choose Latin when they graduate to the Upper School. For students, such as Yue-Han C. (‘27), “Greek seemed too foreign and intimidating.” Even if Greek courses were still accessible, many students would not sign up for the classes, attributing their decisions to the difficulty of learning the Greek language. 

Though they originated from different countries and use different alphabets, Greek and Latin are often confused due to their shared field of study: classics. Despite the similarities, Latin still gets more students because it is considered more relevant and approachable.

It is unfortunate to see a curriculum removed after this school year, thus putting all of the memories created by students of the course into the past. “If [Greek] could be continued, I think that would be something that helps the school in its diversity of perspectives,” Winston concluded.