The seventh-graders in Meredith Widiker's class at Casper Classical Academy were having a tough time translating some English words to Latin as they worked on a Thanksgiving project last week.

"What is basketball?" a boy asked.

"What is volleyball?" a girl chimed in.

"If you're thankful for any ball game, just put 'pila,'" Widiker said. "The Romans didn't play volleyball."

Widiker has taught Latin at Casper Classical since 1991, when the school first opened. This year is Widiker's last, which leaves principal Marie Puryear in a bit of a bind - these days, Latin teachers are few and far between.

"It poses quite an issue," Puryear said.

Widiker also acknowledges her shoes will be big ones to fill. Students earning degrees from Latin programs are preparing themselves to teach college-level classes, not middle school students, she said.

"We've been dying out," Widiker joked. "It's so hard to find somebody to step in."

While the number of secondary teachers certified to teach Latin is dropping, the number of schools adding Latin is increasing. Studying the language is proven to develop a larger English vocabulary and achieve higher verbal SAT scores.

The number of students taking the National Latin Exam has increased to more than 134,000 in each of the past two years. In comparison, only 101,000 students took the test in 1998.

The language has also enjoyed increased popularity in part because of the success of J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" books, where Latin is used for names and spells.

Casper Classical requires all seventh- and eighth-graders take Latin, a request parents made when the school was developed, Puryear said. Ninth-graders are allowed to choose between Latin and Spanish, and usually a small number choose to stick with Widiker.

"The kids don't get why we think it's important," Puryear said. "She spends a lot of time showing them it's all around us."

"It really does help with vocabulary," Widiker said. "It helps [students] think logically."

Seventh-grader Megan Barella said she was convinced she'd fail Latin after her very first class. So far, she's earned herself an A in the class.

"I like being able to learn this, instead of maybe Spanish. It's kind of hard to memorize the words at first, until you get used to it," Megan said. "For the most part, it's easy, and Mrs. Widiker helps because she explains it in a way that helps me understand."

Reach education reporter Jasa Santos at (307) 266-0593 or at Jasa.Santos@trib.com. Read her blog at my.trib.com/jasasantos.