​Hi, All! :)

I’m Benji, one of your teachers for GLA MMXXV. I’ve been an RA these past couple of years, and truly, I consider it an honor to be able to work with you all more formally in the classroom this time around. I expect to learn as much, if not more, from you as you will me.

I come from the suburbs of Pittsburgh and attended Washington and Lee University, where I studied Classics, Art History, and Archaeology. While completing my degree, I split my time between Lexington, Oxford, Rome, Graz, and Athens. After finishing school, I moved back to Athens to complete my Post-Bacc and work in archaeology labs specializing in ceramic petrology and comparative osteologies. Currently, I am a teacher in Austria—this year I work at high schools, next year at a university. I plan to attend graduate school after returning to the US; my recent research interests include pastoral and didactic poetry, Greek dialect, as well as reception studies. <— Big hint for my class, another blog post soon to come. :)

Outside of work, I love to travel, hike, read, and find new music. Feel free to comment some song recommendations down below! We always wind down in the evenings by writing letters to our communities back home, and the soundtrack for these epitsulae sessions is often student curated. So, take some time now; jot down some favorites before you forget, and we’ll be able to enjoy them together. Lately, I’ve been listening to the entries for the Eurovision Song Contest—which Austria just won! My favorites are Portugal(!), Italy, Ukraine, Latvia, and Lithuania. 

I’m absolutely thrilled to come together once again. See you all soon!
Benji. 

Salvete omnes! My name is Sophie (Sophia in lingua Latina)(she/her/ea/eam), and I’m beyond thrilled to be one of your RAs this summer!

This will be my first time returning to GLA since my time as a student in MMXX. Even though we were online that year due to quarantine (there are quite a few memes on the MMXX blog that were my doing), I had such a wonderful experience that I knew I had to come back and experience Randolph-Macon in person.

I’m a recent graduate of Wellesley College in Massachusetts, where I majored in Classical Civilization and Biology. One of my most treasured memories was studying abroad at the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies in Rome. I also spent a summer excavating a Mycenaean tomb site in Boeotia, Greece, where I’ll be returning for a bit this summer before making my way to GLA. I'd love to answer and and all questions about majoring in Classics or archaeology or studying abroad!

My elective is Tangible Texts. The idea for this elective emerged from my thesis work this year. In my project, I recreated ancient writing materials and explored how the materiality of these objects influences authors’ perceptions of the writing and publishing process. I also examined how these materials impacted the texts themselves. Although we’re all here because we love ancient literature, we often give less thought to the creation, distribution, and survival of these works. I’ll talk more about this in my next blog post, but know that you all will have your own chance to work hands-on!

​Beyond Classics, I can usually be found hiking. One of my goals this summer is to finish the Shenandoah 500—a hiking challenge where you trek all 500+ miles of trails in Shenandoah National Park. I have less than 50 miles to go! I am also an avid arts and crafts lover: I knit, sew, and make gilded leather-bound versions of my favorite books. I’m also a die-hard Josh Groban fan, a lifelong lover of Studio Ghibli movies, and deeply enamored with my four pet cats.

I can’t wait to meet you all!
Valete,
Sophie :)

Blog post 1:
Salvete omnes! My name is Joseph (aka Jams) and I cannot wait to be your lead RA this summer! This is my third summer at GLA, having attended as a student in 2019 and an RA in 2022. GLA really is a magical place (I’m sure I’m not the first person to tell you this, and I certainly won’t be the last) and I feel very fortunate that I get to help you all have some of the amazing experiences the academy has to offer. My main tip for now: Come in with an open mind. You get out of Academy what you put into it, so the more people you talk to, the harder you try in your various activities, the deeper you engage with your classes, the more you appreciate your time in Ashland. The only people who don’t have a good time are the people who try not to. Choose to have a good time!

A bit about me: I’m a Virginia native (born and raised in Reston), although I currently live in Massachusetts as I work towards my teaching license. My plan is to return to Virginia as soon as possible, though, since the Virginia classics community has sunk its teeth deep into me. If any of you recognize me, it is likely because you have seen me on stage with the VSCLers at VJCL convention or moderating at a certamen. If you are ever looking for more Latin opportunities after GLA, let me know!

Outside of the classics, I like to spend my time outdoors or playing board games. I spent many years playing ultimate frisbee, although I hike more now because all that running got tiring. Some of my favorite board games include 7 Wonders (and not just because of the classical theme) and Settlers of Catan. I’m a big fan of word games too, such as Scrabble (in English or Latin) the wordle, or Wridges (which I recently beat and I’m very proud of). I also spend an excessive amount of time on Spotify, with Ruel, Noah Kahan, and Benson Boone being some of my favorite artists at the moment.

With that, I’ll sign off for now, but keep an eye out for another post from me in a few weeks about my elective. The details are in the works, but we’ll be looking at some ways people are still using the classics to inform their idea of how they and others should live. We will do our best to evaluate both the accuracy of the underlying history and culture and how well ancient ways of life hold up today.
​
Until then, best of luck with the ends of your school years! I’m excited to meet you all in just over a month!
Joseph 

salvete! χαίρετε! nomen mihi est Ioannes (Anglice=John), sive Magister Burghesius. Not a name you see a whole lot in Latin, though it is in the motto of Puerto Rico.

It is more than a honor and a privilege to teach at GLA this summer. It is my first year with the team, but the fama of the program reached me long before I knew I would ever live in Virginia. One of my best friends in college still likes to chant rem tene! verba sequentur!, the 2014 motto. My five years of teaching have had a number of pleasant surprises, but it is still crazy to me that I'll heading from Fairfax County to Ashland, centrum (umbilicus?) mundi, in just a few weeks.

In addition to GLA, other things I'm looking forward this summer include attending a spoken Latin workshop in Charles Town, WV, and managing my fantasy baseball team, the Worcester Worcesters, a franchise I resurrected from the nineteenth century. Last year's commissioner quit, and I was the only one who stepped up to be the league's imperator. Because there are only six teams, and I didn't want the rostered players to consist only of all-stars, I limited the pool to National League players, though my favorite team, the Boston Red Sox, is in the American League. My tenure has not been a very accomplished one, but at least no one has commented on the message board saying capax imperii nisi imperasset.

My course is based on Lucian of Samosata's Verae Historiae, a novella that, despite its name, is filled with lies. In the end, he says that there will be sequels, which naturally turns out to be yet another falsehood. Or is it? Others could come along, call themselves Lucian, and pick up where the author left off. Is it really dishonest if lying is the foundation of the book? For all we know, the Homer who wrote the Odyssey might have done the same thing.

​I look forward to meeting you all. Good luck with finals!

Si valetis, valeo.
John Burgess

​

salvete omnes! mihi nomen est Cullius, sicut Tullius! (Anglice, Cully Wilkins)

I am so excited to be joining the staff of the Virginia Governor's Latin Academy this year. This will be my first time with the Academy, but not my first time at Randolph-Macon! I attended RMC from 2018 to 2022 where I studied Latin and Ancient Greek. It means a great deal to me to be returning to my alma mater for a few weeks, especially on such an auspicious occasion. This summer, I'll be in charge of Latina Loquenda, our nigh-daily spoken Latin experience, which I look forward to telling you all more about next month!

To me, the State of Virginia and the Latin Language go hand in hand; they're inseparable! From the moment I began learning the language back in high school, I knew that people who had a passion for Latin were a mighty community. I never had the opportunity myself to attend Latin Academy, but the moment I learned about it, it just made perfect sense. Of course, our state, with our crazy-good Latin students and crazy-passionate Latin teachers had something like this! It means a great deal to me that I get to meet you all and to be part of something so fantastic, so inspiring, so mirabile visu!

I am just finishing up my first year of teaching Latin in Chesterfield County, Virginia. I currently live on the banks of the James River in Richmond, and, when I'm not thinking about the ancient Mediterranean world (a rare moment), I greatly enjoy walking about, looking for little knickknacks, drinking good coffee, writing poetry and prose, playing Minecraft or Stardew Valley, and spending time with my friends and loved ones.

I've included a select few images below, showing some of the more recent things I've done in my life. Until we convene at the Heart (RMC) of the Center of the Universe (Ashland, Virginia), I hope that you all will fare well!

ex animo,

Cullius