The GHS TorchThe official publication of the Greenhill Junior Classical League

“Per aspera ad astra”

February 2015

Don’t give up Latin when you leave high school. Wherever you go for college, keep a Latin course in your curriculum, make Latin a minor, or even consider majoring in Classics. No matter what your intended profession turns out to be, Latin and Greek seem to enable you to perform bet-ter on the standardized tests for entry into med school (the MCAT), law school (The LSAT), and the various graduate fields in the humanities (the GRE). I don’t know why, but in all cases the students who are the top performers on these tests are Classics majors. They even beat the astro-physicists, not on the analytical portion, although they do well on this part too, but they ace the verbal, and their composite is higher than anybody’s. As I say, I don’t know why this is so, but it has something to do with how Latin and Greek train the mind to put things together. All this is secondary, howev-er. The real reason to keep going with classical languages is that you can communicate better with all the great intellects of the past. They all knew Latin and most of them knew Greek too, and they all could read Homer and Vergil, Thucydides and Tacitus, Sophocles and Euripides, Plato and Aris-totle, Demosthenes and Cicero, and on through the list of the authors who have made us the people that we are. There is no greater access to our potential as humans than through the door of a truly liberating education. And of course such an education starts with the classics.

1.What made you choose Latin as a language to study? I took a couple of years of Latin from the 8th through the 10th grades. Then I thought nothing more of it until I became an English major in college. As I read the famous English authors, I realized that in comparison with them I was totally uneducated, and this conviction followed me to graduate school, where I started in English but I kept taking Latin and Greek courses until one day my advisor asked me whether I was really in English. I realized I wasn’t. I was in Classics, so I switched and that’s the field in which I earned my Ph.D.

2.Any advice for [young] Latin scholars?

The GHS Torch interviewed Dr. David Sweet, an Associate Professor of Classics and Chairman of the Classics Department at the University of Dallas, about his own experience with the Classics and the “Latin in Rome” program (cont. on pg. ii) the university offers.

Q&A with Dr. David SweetBy Lily Pigott, US temporary contributer

Page IIInterview with Dr. Sweet

continues with more about the “Latin in Rome” program offered in UTD.

Page III“The Dead Language

Turned Digital”A list of Classics-related websites with a digital

twist

Page IV-V“Around Rome in 80

Seconds”Explore some sites of Rome with MS staffer,

Sam Bovard.

Page VI“Ludus”

Test your knowledge of the gods with a crossword

created by MS staffer, Natalie Neiman..

Page II The GHS Torch February 2015

(Cont. from page i)

3.What is your favorite part of the “Latin in Rome” trip?

Latin in Rome Trip: Visit archaeological and historical sites in and around Rome and Naples to deepen your understanding of the Latin language and the history of Rome. Students will participate in intensive small group tutorials on relevant passages in Latin. Intermediate and advanced students of Latin are invited apply to this three-week program. Refer to page iii for the link to this trip and other Classics-related sites!

Mine usually is whatever we’re doing that day, and I think the students agree. Every day opens one’s eyes anew, and that’s true for those of us who have been doing this for several decades. Still, I love the trip to Tiberius’ villa on Capri, to the cave of the Sibyl at Cumae, to the museum in Tarquinia, etc., etc., etc.

4.In what areas of Latin do students improve most? I think they solidify their Latin in every respect. They secure the forms better, they lock down the principal parts of the common verbs better, they learn to read phrase by phrase better, and they become more nimble because they read a succession of different authors, staying with one only for a few days before jumping to the next.

5. In the past few years, has the number or ‘type’ of applicants changed at all?

I am mystified by the extreme swings in the number of applications for our scholarships for Lat-in students. Some years we have 15 to 20, other years only 5 to 10. I call it “weather” and I don’t under-stand that either. What I have consistently noticed, however, is that the best applicants to the University in general tend to have Latin in their background. We give an average of 8 to 12 scholarships a year, and the average SAT score of these applicants is sometimes 200 points above the average of the rest of our applicants. Here, of course, Latin students are very welcome for that reason. Faculty love to have them in their classes, no matter what the class is.

Page III The GHS Torch February 2015February 2015

I think that the ‘digital age’ has made Latin more accessible. There are all sorts of cool things like the Vatican dictionary of Latin words so you can look up [modern words].

Magistra Romanosky, MS Latin teacher

Check out the Vatican dictionary:http://tinyurl.com/5w86h ! It’s in Italian... but that’s what Google Translate is for!

Click here for more details about the “Latin in Rome” trip from page ii! http://tinyurl.com/latininrome

Lily Pigott, US temp. contributer

Welcome to the group chat filled with Classics-related sites! This was compiled by Areeba Amer, GHS Torch Editor, and Veda Velamuri, MS Staff.

Magister Worcester, MS and US Latin teacher

I always tell students about the SPQR app… it has Latin to English dictio-nary, English to Latin dictionary... games, grammar, etc. If you had to buy one thing, it would be this app.

The SPQR app is available on Google Play and the App Store for $6.99.

The Dead [Language] Turned Digital Contact< Messages

Here is a youtube channel full of Latin tutorials made by a Latin teacher him-self. Perfect for a midnight-Latin crisis. https://www.youtube.com/latintutori-al. Credit to freshman Erin McGuire

OR... if you need a break, visit this youtube channel to sing-along to your favortite Disney songs in Latin.https://www.youtube.com/o1ivetteCredit: Magistra Romanosky

Page Iv The GHS Torch February 2015

Pantheon The Pantheon is a great attraction to see in Rome. It is in the middle of a square, and is one of the most preserved Roman structures. As it has been convert-ed to a Christian church, all of the Roman statues have been removed, but the building, ceiling and floors are the same. It is a feat of architecture that is still studied today, because the dome it sports is a perfect half-sphere. The building is a huge circular room with pews along the sides, but the marble and stonework is breathtaking. It has a hole at the top, so when it rains outside, it rains inside. The Pantheon is a good thing to visit as a side attraction, but shouldn’t take a whole afternoon.

Roman Forum The Roman Forum is right next to the Collosse-um. It is set up like a park, with paths you can walk on, through the temples and other buildings. It is espe-cially fun to go after doing the Roman Forum project, because you can recognize the structure that you have researched. The Roman Forum is rich with history, and fun to look at if you have done research.

Around

Page V The GHS Torch February 2015

XRome, Italy

Rome in 80 secondsBy Sam Bovard, MS staff

The Colosseum is one of the most recognisable structures anywhere, and is breathtaking. This monumen-tal structure sits next to ruins, so no matter what side you approach it at, it’s never a surprise. There are many places that are not open to the general public, but are available to go with a special tour. This includes going to the top, a perfect picture opportunity, and going underneath the sta-dium, to show where the gladiators were before the fights, and where the animals were kept. Inside the walls there are small exhibits that have artifacts that have been found, models of what the colosseum would’ve looked like, and historical information. The Colosseum is a huge thing to look at and a huge experience.

Collosseum

Pompeii Pompeii is the site of one of the most famous disasters in history. The eruption of Mount Vesuvius coated the city in ash and dust, preserving the history for centuries. Although it is not in Rome, it is an easy day trip, with a two to three hour drive each way, filled with amazing views. A guide can lead you through the city, showing you the notable sites, and giving you a look and feel of what the city would’ve been like. You can go to the city’s forum, and stop in temples and stores. There are well preserved houses with great mosaics and frescoes. The whole time you have a view of Vesuvius that’s breathtaking. Pompeii is a place filled with history, and worth taking a day to see.

*Photo Credit: Sam Bovard

Issue V comes out... April 1st , 2015

The Torch StaffEditor/Graphics

Areeba AmerContributing Staff

Sam BovardVeda VelamuriNatalie Nieman

Page VI The GHS Torch February 2015

Ludus Across 2. Goddess of love 4. King of the Gods and Lord of the Skies 6. Goddess of the Hearth 7. Also Known as “Cupid”; son of Aphrodite 9. Goddess of the hunt, sister to Apollo 10. Goddess of Rainbows 11. Goddess of Wisdom 13. The god of the sea; he created horses 14. Drove the Sun Chariot Across the Sky

Down1. Ruler of the underworld 3. Goddess of the Harvest 5. The Origin of Everything 6. God of The Forge 8. Goddess of Marriage and Childbirth 11. God of Music & Prophecies; ‘owns’ the oracle 12. God of War

Created by Natalie Nieman, MS Staff