Students looking forward to taking a Latin exam?

Teachers don't hear that too often.

But that's exactly what Latin teachers and others at the Pomfret School have been hearing from some students after they received exemplary results on the National Latin Exam early last month. Students take the exam based on the level of Latin they are studying.

The students joined more than 135,000 students worldwide.

The exam has 40 questions, 20 based on grammar, 10 on culture and 10 based on the translation of a passage.

Though it is not a national requirement, all Latin students at the Pomfret School takes the exam.

Weeks after the 48 students took the exam, nine of them gathered Wednesday to talk about the experience and how they plan to score well next year.

Meredith Colwell, 15, of South Windham studied worksheets and took practice tests like the rest of her friends.

The day of the exam, though, she thought she may missed a few of the questions.

She didn't.

Colwell walked away with a perfect score, something not easily accomplished.

"I thought I did well, but I didn't think I got everything," Colwell said. "I guessed on a few."

Kaethe Kaufman, 14, of Woodstock, received a gold medal and said she liked how the test was different from most exams.

"I liked how it encompassed so much," she said. "You feel like you're getting a comprehensive grasp."

Joey Army, 16, of Pomfret said he enjoyed the exam's material. Army earned a gold medal on the exam.

"It makes you use your mind," he said.

As the students spoke of enjoying the exam, Latin teacher Beth Beriau looked like a proud teacher, along with Latin teacher Tad Chase.

"I was very pleased," Beriau said. "They worked really hard this year."