Young Latin Lovers

Latin, a language once considered dead, is alive and well in elementary school.

In the 1970s, Latin had all but disappeared from schools. But today, thanks to high-stakes testing and pressure to boost verbal scores on the SATs, Latin is making a comeback.

The Early Show correspondent Tracy Smith visited a school in Fairfax, Va., that is turning ordinary third, fourth and fifth graders into Latin lovers.

Providence Elementary looks like a Rockwell painting, but sounds like the United Nations. In a school district where more than 100 native tongues are represented, the language you hear during the morning announcements is the one that hardly anyone ever speaks anymore.

Several times a week, third graders from the school get a little Latin lesson from a teacher in a toga.

One teacher says the news of the language's demise was exaggerated because it is consistently used — whether one knows it or not.

And, there's evidence that Latin, dead or not, is breathing new life into test scores. Students who take Latin are said to score 50 points higher on the SAT.

The teachers say the children love the language, but no one says teaching the classic language is going to be easy.

Per ospera ad osterum, which means, "Through difficulties you will reach the stars."