Latin at WRA

Salvete, Omnes!

This is the very first of what I hope will become an indefinite series of weekly posts.  The aim is to share with all interested parties any and all news pertaining specifically to the study of Latin at WRA.  This will hopefully include updates on all of the good work the Latin Club has done.  If I have forgotten to mention something that you believe to be relevant and/or significant, please don't hesitate to let me know.  Although I am myself quite new to the world of blogging, I suspect that the best blogs are dynamic and open to change.

I'm very happy to report that as of this first post Latin is alive and well at Western Reserve Academy.  We have two sizable sections of Latin I, two sections of Latin II, a section of Latin III, and a section of Latin III Honors.  This latter is a new course, which was designed as a more rigorous version of Latin II Honors and ultimately better suited for preparing students for AP Latin the following year.  Since this is the course's pilot year, as it were, its stands to reason that we put AP Latin on hold until next year.  (And, after teaching Vergil consecutively for the past eleven years, I miss him even more that I thought I would!)

The Latin Club is currently in the initial stages of putting together a presentation for WRA's "Culture Night," which will take place this year on February 12th.  In addition, they will work with me to whip up some genuine ancient Roman cuisine for the gustatory delectation of all attendees.  (I should perhaps make the following qualification: while all of the recipes derive from the ancient Roman cookbook of Alpicius, there are certain items for which we really do not have the stomachs, e.g., fried dormice, garum, i.e., liquified fish guts, etc.  With all such items, creative substitutions are utilized.)  The larger, year-long project for the Latin Club is the development of a "Classics Day" right here at WRA.  We envision setting aside a day for the celebration of all things Greco-Roman, with certamina (intellectual combat), a costume contest, a brief lecture from a guest lecturer, a chariot race, a "toga-run," and more.  We'd like to invite students and teachers from many of the local schools, including Hudson High School, University School, etc.  Stay tuned for further updates on this truly exciting project as the year progresses.

Finally, we're just fifty-four days away from departure for Italy and Greece.  Over Spring Break I'll be supervising a tour to Italy and Greece through a company called EF Tours.  The name of the tour is "From Rome to Athens," and as you might well imagine, we'll visit many places in between.  My personal favorites are Rome, Pompeii, Mycenae, Athens, & Delphi, but we'll see a number of other places as well, including the Greek Isles!  For reasons that are perhaps obvious, I'm especially eager for the latter.

Well, thanks for reading, and I hope you'll return regularly!

Si valetis, valeo!

Mr. Namiotka