This year BHSEC is adding a Latin trip to the already large number of school trips and exchange programs that are offered. The trip is currently being planned by Ms. Rowen and Dr. Clark and will include sixteen Latin students. It has been scheduled for the mid-winter break of 2011. Though it is expected that the majority of the 10 days spent in Italy will be in Rome, two organized day trips will be planned to Pompeii and Herculaneum.
Many students are excited, as it is the first trip geared specifically for those taking Latin. Dr. Clark has visited Rome twice and is looking forward to experiencing it again with his students. He is eager to see the looks on his students’ faces when they discover the Rome they know only through books by Catullus and a speech by Cicero. Ms. Rowen, on the other hand, will be experiencing Rome for the first time.
“In addition to seeing remnants of ancient buildings, students will experience centuries of art and architecture,” said Ms. Rowen.
In Rome, students will enter the Vatican and see the Sistine Chapel, one of Michelangelo’s masterpieces, which Dr. Clark insists is “a quasi-religious experience for even the most cynical agnostic, or tenth grader.” Also on the agenda is the incredible marble Alter of Peace. The altar was commissioned by the Roman senate in the early 1st century BCE to commemorate the Pax Romana, and is laced with intricate carvings depicting a Roman sacrifice to the gods.
Plans are being made to prepare the students for the trip. Dr. Clark says that basic Italian lessons will be given six months before the trip, and classes will include cultural information. Students will watch relevant movies, such as Fellini’s Roma, which is a series of vignettes depicting a surreal and artistically stunning representation of Rome.
At the moment, only Latin students who have completed at least a year at BHSEC will be allowed to travel to Italy. Other students may be invited, though Latin students will get preference.
Valete!