χαίρετε, ὦ μαθηταί!

Congratulations on making it to the end of Academy! The Memoranda team has been hard at work these three weeks collecting and cataloguing so many images. Thanks to the team and ὡς καλῶς!

Your Memoranda USB drives will be on their way to you in the coming weeks, with all of the picture slideshows and a copy of the play performance. But in the meantime, you are invited to peruse our vast collection of images in our Google Drive. If you want to keep any of the images, please save them - they'll disappear next summer!

Thank you everyone! Χάριν ὑμῖν!

-- διδάσκαλος ᾽Ιέπφερσον

Salvete!

Today began as usual with our last Latin day classes of Academy, which was jarring to say the least. In the wise words of the great Princeps, it does still feel as though we just got here. In reality, though, we have grown so much since we first arrived and we've gained many new skills thanks to the careful guidance of the GLA staff. It is true that time moves differently at Academy; it seems like we've known our friends here for eons, but we've only really been here for a few weeks.

In our Loquenda Class, we had an insult showdown in Latin, directed at our tables and chairs rather than each other, of course. We wrapped up Mercatus with a very insightful discussion about anthropology and identity in the ancient Roman world, in parallel to modern issues. Finally, in Ovid-22, we finished off our final story and discussed the Metamorphoses as a whole. Afterwards, we ate lunch, then felt the end of Academy truly sinking in as we recalled our time here in a GLA tradition: the feedback survey. The rest of the evening commenced with a lengthy play rehearsal, final Memoranda meetings, or an extended Otium Verum solely for packing our things away. We convened as an entire academy in the Haun Rehearsal Hall, where we will be holding our recital of Miles Gloriosus tomorrow, for a dress rehearsal / debut performance for everyone who isn't a part of the production. 

Signing off, and see many of you tomorrow, your aediles for almost the last time, 
Ananya and Mercury :D

Salvete!

Yesterday we finally approached the long-awaited Mercatus Traiani, named after the largest building in Rome (for a long period of time), built by Emperor Trajan to act as a "shopping mall" of sorts. We made poster boards throughout our Mercatus Class, and any free time we had yesterday was used to finalize these presentations about the culture, geography, and important achievements of our provinces. We set the boards up around MPR, gathered our money and wits, and prepared to buy and sell various goods we made and were given throughout our time at Academy. Mercatus was a great success, though it was a Latin-only event (which we originally approached with much trepidation), we found that we had picked up more Loquenda skills in our three weeks here than we had imagined was possible. It also resulted in some major leaps in the province cup, which still remains as a close race up until the end.

This morning, rather than going to classes as usual, we boarded the buses and ventured to the VMFA in Richmond. We had a series of activities offered to us during the trip: a scavenger hunt and two guided tours which took us around classical and Renaissance art, all of which included Greco-Roman motifs which we have discussed at length. We then convened in the cafeteria for some lunch before heading out on our own to explore the vast range of artwork that was available on display at these exhibitions, not just from the classical period but also including numerous cultures and time periods. Upon returning back to the Randolph-Macon campus we dispersed for a fifteen-minute break before regrouping in our various afternoon activities, most of us either working on our quickly approaching (!!!) play or putting together the  various video compilations for Memoranda. 

Post-dinner we walked over to Fox Hall to participate in a game of Certagon, wherein we were split into teams and answered questions pertaining to our classes and experiences over the course of Academy. Once the first few rounds were over, we reconvened in Brock for our championship round, which included the bending of many rules, but that only made the game more enjoyable. Additionally, we ended the day with a wonderful opportunity presented to us by the entire GLA staff, as they presented to us their experiences working and learning in Classics. It was clarifying and gratifying to learn that there was a future for us Latin nerds, after all.

Signing off, your aediles,
Ananya and Mercury 

Salvete!

Yesterday was the Fourth of July, which meant rather than doing classes in the morning, we took part in the Ludi Apollinares, which was a series of outdoor games organized by our praetors. The events ranged from capture the flag to a campus-wide game of sardines to find Magistra McIntire, and finished with a water balloon fight. Additionally, we headed inside for a few food-related challenges which earned province points for the winners. After lunch and otium verum, we had the opportunity to attend our selected electives, led by our favorite RAs. Olivia taught a class on Cleopatra, Megan's elective was on the worst men in mythology, and Jack informed us about social and political unrest in Rome revolving around the many men named Gaius. 

The rest of the day was relatively relaxed, with dinner brought to us by a former GLA student who now runs a catering company. The banquet was put together in a traditional Roman fashion, with recipes adapted from ancient texts. We then had the opportunity to watch the Studio Ghibli movie Castle in the Sky, and unlike other movies we've watched here, this one was purely for fun rather than analysis, although we were given an informative lecture by anime lover and fangirl Magistra Blanks prior to watching.

This morning we convened to our usual Latin classes for the penultimate time, learning about vocabulary used in the mercatus in Loquenda to prepare for Mercatus Traini, which is fast approaching. We also prepared in our Mercatus class by making boards about our provinces for our vendor stalls. In Ovid, we read the myth of Caenus, who was a famed warrior mentioned in the Iliad who possessed the gift of invulnerability. After classes and free time, those who are working on the play took a big step in preparing to perform by completing our first full run-though of the play, including props and music. We picked out costumes yesterday, and are so excited to showcase our hard work in the upcoming performance. Meanwhile, the set design team finished constructing and painting the backdrops, and the Memoranda team continued to compile images and videos to hand out for our farewell from Academy. 

Finally, in the evening after dinner, we ventured out to Copley for our final movie here at Academy: O Brother, Where Art Thou? by the Coen brothers. This film is a modern retelling of the Homeric epic the Odyssey, set in the deep south of the US during Reconstruction. It was very interesting to see the similarities and differences between the movie and the original poem, and additionally discuss the insightful social commentary brought to light through the film's storytelling. The end of Academy is fast approaching, and we look on with a bittersweet feeling as we attempt to make the most of these last few days. Just a reminder to anyone sending mail to and from GLA students, anything received after next weekend will have to be thrown away by the administration, so please refrain from sending in anything with an estimated date of arrival into next week!

Signing off for now, your aediles,
Ananya and Mercury :D

Salvete!

This morning, as every Sunday, we got a break from the usual 8 am breakfast and morning classes, instead opting to sleep in, socialize with friends, or otherwise relax. After lunch, we were visited by the renowned Dr. John Miller, who has spoken every year at Latin Academy since its beginning. He told us all about the phrases and verses of the common people, which often were overlooked by the eyes of history, but reveal much about the opinions of everyday Romans as they lived through many different eras of the empire. From what we understood, these were basically the "memes" of the ancient world.

We then had afternoon classes, some of which we were able to attend outside due to the warm weather. We had several small guest "speakers" in the forms of ants and beetles, which some students were less excited about than others. Nevertheless, it was a nice change of pace and broke up the stupor which makes afternoon classes a little harder.

Finally, after dinner, we convened in Brock Commons to watch the multi-faceted film Black Orpheus, which has had many interpretations over the years and which we enjoyed debating and discussing the many elements that make this movie a complex piece of art. We ended off the night of revelry with a round of questions about the film before venturing to the fountain nearby for our second and final Volvifolium. This ceremony heralded the beginning of our final week at GLA, which we are both excited and sad to see. 

Side note: Rather than having our computer time today, we will have it tomorrow morning at 11:00 following our planned Fourth of July activities. Be on the lookout for emails or messages then!

Signing off, your aediles,
Ananya and Mercury :D

Salvete!

This is a reminder from your beloved aediles that our play, Miles Gloriosus, will be held next Saturday (July 9th) at 2 pm in the Haun Room of Blackwell Auditorium at Randolph-Macon College. Many GLA students have put work into this production, whether through set design, musical accompaniments, or acting as different characters. Everyone who would like to come to join us is invited, but if you can't make it, don't worry. Each student will receive a copy of the full-length play along with their Memoranda CDs. The play will be fully in Latin, but we've managed to secure a guest appearance from Plautus himself to explain the details to you. We're so excited to see you all and share our hard work with our audience.

Valete!
Ananya and Mercury :D

Our second Saturday here at Academy began with Greek lessons in which we read the story of Medea, learned about statue painting in the early modern period, and how Renaissance art shaped the way in which we view Classical art and architecture, and studied coming of age rituals in the ancient world. After a quick lunch we were given some free time as usual, before we convened in our respective groups to either continue with rehearsals for our upcoming play, Miles Gloriosus, or work towards putting together our best moments in a video by the Memoranda team. 

About an hour before dinner, we got into our provincial groupings and began making plans for our part of the entertainment at Convivium. The Convivium banquet was set up as a traditional Roman dinner party, minus the reclining couches. Of course, this being Latin Academy, we still used a class system of social standing by provinces to determine who got the best pick of meat first, however the food was opened up to everyone in the end. Every province created their own form of entertainment in Latin, which was then performed in groups as the others dined, much like how the actual Roman dining experience would have been. Acts ranged from sea shanties to plays to toga yoga, and we all had a great time experiencing each others' creativity. 

We ended off the night with our second nugae ​in which the popular vote declared that we would be watching a second episode of the highly addictive show Barbarians which features actual spoken Latin, which according to our Loquenda magister is very accurate. The story is also very interesting and provides some exacerbation for Germania and Italia's race to the top in our own province cup. As a bonus, we were allowed to watch the highly inaccurate but amusing Disney movie, Hercules, to end off the night. Unfortunately we will not receive mail the next few days, both due to the weekend and the Fourth of July, but look forward to writing back to friends and families as soon as Tuesday rolls around!

Signing off, your aediles, 
Mercury and Ananya :D

Salvete!

We were excited to participate in Greek lessons this morning, as we focused on the disturbing story of Oedipus Rex, which we translated a summary of in Ancient Greek during our spoken Greek class. During Greek Rituals, we focused on agonistic magic and competitive curses, as well as beginning preparation for our final project, which includes creating our own ritual based on personal moments at GLA. Common motifs include ὅς καλός, Berryville, "dawgs", and our much-beloved RA, Jack Purple.

After classes, we had a quick lunch and some free time before heading to our first off-book rehearsal for Miles Gloriosus. It was a little rough, as all new things are, but Magistras Blanks and McIntire were very patient and we are confident in our abilities to bring the best show possible to the stage. After rehearsal, we welcomed a wonderful guest speaker, Amy R. Cohen, who told us all about Ancient Greek plays and the methods which were used to perform them using the best technologies available to those in the ancient world. There was a special focus on theatrical masks, which Cohen and her team are working to recreate. We had the opportunity to handle some of her recreations and even try them on, which definitely helped us humanize the Ancient Greeks as we suddenly had a common experience to unite us with them. We learned about similar ideas in our Mysterium Colorum class today, in which we investigated the use of color in the ancient world, especially in contrast with the white marble aesthetic that we have come to associate with Greco-Roman society. 

We convened after dinner to work on another batch of art projects, this time with emphasis on jewelry making and small carvings in everyone's favorite building material, Sculpey. From rings and bracelets to stamps and fresco-style wooden panels, there was a chance for many different creative visions to come to life. After that, we had epistulae then gladly headed to bed, excited for what's to come tomorrow.

Signing off, your aediles,
Ananya and Mercury :D

Salvete!

This morning began as usual with Latin lessons where we were walked through the various emperors of the Julio-Claudian Dynasty and beyond, with emphasis on the Good Emperors and Commodus. We then had otium verum, and then a three hour play practice in preparation for our first off-book rehearsal tomorrow. While the actors ran lines in the MPR room, the set design team convened in the atrium to construct our backdrop, and the Memoranda team continued to put together their video memories of our time here. Our pit orchestra finalized their music choices as we all approach the latter half of our time here at Academy.

After dinner, we headed to Brock Commons for the main event of the day: a viewing of the movie Agora, which examines the life and treatment of Hypatia of Alexandria amidst the religious tensions of various groups during the beginning of Constantine's rule. Hypatia, as a female philosopher and teacher, was heavily disliked by some radical religious groups, but also tutored many of the most esteemed political leaders of the time, all while continuing her own work in astronomy. It was an enlightening experience and forced us all to examine some of the truths of our own time, as well as the time period of the movie.

Signing off for now, your aediles,
Ananya and Mercury :D

Salvete!

We had an extremely exhilarating day today, as it marked the long-awaited event of ​Bellum Mercium, or commodity wars. In a live action roleplay game that lasted from 2:30 to 8:30 pm (with a dinner break), we split into our provinces and battled for resources, land, and province cup points. One thing we soon learnt was that all provinces were not created equal; some were given more land and resources to begin with while others were placed in advantageous positions to wage war and create alliances. Asia dominated from the beginning, acquiring over 50 territories within the first two years. However, as soon as other provinces noticed their actions, an alliance against Asia formed, and they fought in eight immediately subsequent wars to defend (and soon lose) their territory. In the end, however, they still won by the technical rules of the game, although other awards assigned by the teachers and our guest moderator, Magister Gallagher, made scoring a little less straightforward. Magister Gallagher was incredibly helpful throughout the planning and execution of Bellum Mercium, as he was the grand architect and the only one who knew all the rules of the game. Following the tallying of province cup scores and a debrief of the game itself, we discovered that Germania had usurped Italia's lead in the province cup, which they had held since the very first day of academy. After a much-needed break, we held an "emergency" convention to watch an episode of Jeopardy that one of our RAs, Megan, participated in (and won!). 

Signing off, your aediles,
​Ananya and Mercury :D