Latin teacher Lynn Krepich has been a teacher at County for 43 years, but even though Krepich has been teaching since 1981, it almost feels like she has been teaching her whole life.
When Krepich was only six years old, she was on a sabbatical trip to Pompeii with her family, as her father was a college professor. While exploring the country, Krepich found herself looking at a hypocaust stone and decided then that she was going to teach about the Romans someday.
“At that moment, when I saw it, I thought these people were so interesting, and I wanted to know more about them. I’d like to be a teacher, and I think I’m going to do something with this. That’s where it started,” Krepich said.
For those who have not taken one of Krepich’s Latin classes, a hypocaust stone is the heating system for a Roman bath.
“When I saw that, I thought about the engineering of the Romans because they created something so masterful, and it really intrigued me. That was what really sparked my interest. I thought that they were very fascinating people,” Krepich said.
After fulfilling her childhood ambitions and spending almost all of her years exclusively at County, she has recently announced her retirement. Krepich says that what she will remember most is teaching many generations of students and experiencing the changes that each decade has brought. Through the years, Krepich has created a tight-knit community of people.
“The Latina Familia is what we call ourselves, and there is just a network that we have with students,” Krepich said. Krepich says that the families are what have stayed the same the most over the years.
Krepich’s inspiration can be seen in the students she has taught over the years.
“While I didn’t have a significant interest in the language at first, Ms. Krepich made the class feel like a community rather than just a language class,” senior Ben Hataway said. “Ms. Krepich has a lot of Latin quotes she likes to say, the most notable of which for me was Latina Familia Fortis, meaning “a strong Latin family.” Ms. Krepich really did make Latin feel like family.”
Krepich recalls many memories within the Latina Familia she has created that have lived with her (and her classroom) throughout the years.
“The mural painted by a previous student and her mother created a spark for inspiration around the room,” Krepich said.
The lifesize mural of “The Birth of Venus” still covers the sidewall of Krepich’s classroom for her and her students to see every day.
Krepich has been in the same classroom for more than 35 years, managing to avoid the many construction projects in the school as much as possible. At one point in the early 1990s, the school used trailer classrooms.
“We were moved around because of renovations,” Krepich said. “Thankfully, my time teaching in the trailers was short-lived.”
In her room for over 35 years, Krepich has added many murals on the walls and her own Roman twist to the room. Krepich has other important murals displayed around her room. A painting of the Lions Gate of Mycende can be seen on a ceiling tile in Krepich’s room for students to see. She likes to highlight this piece because it was another one of the first murals in her room.
During Krepich’s first years teaching at County, there was not yet a full-time Latin program developed, requiring her to commute between County and neighboring high school Broad Run during her first two years.
“After the enrollment built up here, I worked full time at one school,” Krepich said.
The low enrollment levels recently crept back up on Krepich due to the elimination of the Latin course at the local middle school that feeds into County, in part due to extensive rezoning of Simpson Middle School. Krepich explains the impact that it has had on high school enrollment and the actions she has taken to bring back the course at Simpson Middle.
“It has a real impact on high school enrollment. I wanted to make sure that we did something about the recruitment to get Latin back, so some of my upper-level high school students have been promoting Latin through advisory time at Simpson,” Krepich said. She is passionate about bringing the course back to local middle schools.
Krepich has been working with the higher levels at LCHS and JLSMS to bring the course back to the local middle school in hopes of raising the enrollment levels.
Despite the typical challenges of any teaching career and any enrollment challenges, Krepich has thoroughly enjoyed her time as a teacher at County.
“When you teach a subject that you really love, you can create a passion for your craft,” Krepich said.
Krepich formed groups to broaden the Latin experience for students and take on the world outside of the classroom. She took a total of 11 trips, traveling to the “classical lands” of Italy, Greece, the Mediterranean islands via boat, Rhodes, Patmos, Crete, Santorini, and Capri.
“We found it exciting to explore the mysteries of antiquity beside the Delphic Oracle, through a cistern under the palace grounds, climb the hills following goat paths to the ancient palace grounds of the Roman emperor Tiberius, and witness a glorious sunrise and/or sunset that bathes these ancient ruins in splendid detail. Such radiance allows these mute stones to once again speak of their past,” Krepich said.
Krepich says she and her students have embraced a philosophy that helps them fuel their “passions to embrace the culture, history, and literature of the classical world.” This outlook inspired her and her students as they traveled to many original locations of important historical Greek and Roman moments, from walking “the paths tread by the ancient Romans and Greeks” to watching ballet at the Herodes Atticus theater. That phrase is “Non scholae sed vitae discimus,” Krepich says, “meaning we learn not for school but for life.”
From all of her experiences, Krepich has not held back from sharing stories, as her voyages help to inspire and spark interest in her students.
“Ms. Krepich is one of the nicest teachers I’ve had and a really fascinating person once you start to hear all of her stories. From almost getting robbed in Italy to getting a chainsaw carving of a Roman owl last year, Ms. Krepich always had a story to tell. Ms. Krepich has been a gift to our school for the past 43 years, and I hope she has a great retirement,” Hathaway said.
Writing an email to the entire staff announcing Krepcih’s retirement, Principle Michelle Luttrell wrote, “Lynn has not only imparted knowledge but has also inspired countless students, colleagues, families, and members of our community. She has been a cornerstone of our institution, embodying the values of dedication, passion, and excellence in education. Lynn has touched the lives of generations of students, leaving an indelible mark on our school and the futures of so many,” Luttrell said.
It’s clear that over the years, Krepich has embraced the phrase non scholae sed vitae discimus.
