Upper School Latin Students Spend Winter Break on Classical Tour of Italy

Eight Upper School students studying advanced Latin at St. Margaret’s took a memorable Winter Break trip to Italy, where they immersed in a classical tour of both Rome and the Bay of Naples while studying Roman history, culture and literature.  

 

Upper School world languages department chair and Latin teacher Alexandra Jennings led the trip, with Upper School teacher Edmund Herlihy chaperoning. St. Margaret’s partnered with The Paideia Institute to arrange a visit that reflected the students’ years of Latin studies at St. Margaret’s.

 

The first part of the trip was in the Bay of Naples, where they visited Herculaneum, Pompeii and the Naples Archaeological Museum.

 

“At St. Margaret's, students begin their journey learning Latin with stories based in Pompeii, and end their journey in AP Latin reading the first-hand account of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius written by Pliny the Younger,” Mrs. Jennings said. “It was truly a full-circle moment as the students strolled the streets of both ancient Pompeii and Herculaneum and marveled at the many magnificent frescoes from those sites at the Naples Archaeological Museum.”

 

The second part of the trip was in Rome, where the students visited ancient Roman sites like the Roman Forum and the Colosseum, religious sites like St. Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican Museum, and cultural landmarks like the Piazza Navona.

 

“At the many sites and museums we visited, we read Latin inscriptions along with excerpts in Latin from epic Roman poetry and ancient historical accounts,” Mrs. Jennings said. “We also did readings in English that connected what we were visiting with what students have studied in their other classes, such as William Shakespeare and John Keats.”

Added senior Paige Minton: "This trip was the perfect way to see Italy and experience Ancient Rome because we went to so many iconic sites while also reading Latin and learning about the Romans on a deep level."

Latin studies at St. Margaret’s starts in grade 7 and continues with Upper School courses Latin I, Latin II, Latin III, Latin III Honors, Advanced Latin Literature and AP Latin. It is one of three world languages studied at St. Margaret’s, along with Spanish and Chinese.