by Brock Perles

After three decades of teaching what some people call “the dead langauge”, Mrs. Sandy Gilmore will retire with the class of 2010. In addition to Latin, Gilmore has also taught Spanish in her years at the high school.

The “dead language” as its been called,

Mrs. Gilmore is to retire at the end of the year.

appeals to Gilmore. Latin is the basis of most languages, and many words in the English language are comprised from words that originated in Latin. Gilmore, a long-term Latin enthusiast, admits that she hadn’t always been interested in the language. It wasn’t until her ninth grade year that she truly fell in love with the “dead language”.

“From then on, I just stuck with it,” Gilmore stated, “it just really interested me.”

Gilmore has been teaching Latin for thirty-three consecutive years. With the end of Gilmore’s teaching career,  Latin as a course at the high school might also be leaving as well.  It appears that it is difficult to find a teacher who is certified in teaching Latin instead of French and Spanish, which are often taught in most U.S. high schools.

“I enjoyed everything about teaching here,” Gilmore prompted when asked what she will miss about Danville High School. “The students and the Latin. The students especially were entertaining.”

When asked about her future plans, Gilmore explained, “Well, nothing specific yet, just catching up on life.”

Although Gilmore is leaving, her legacy will live on at Danville High School. Her students will miss her and hope that someone of equal merit will replace her and teach Latin as she has.