The Nuntii Latini Blog

Latin and College Admissions

2010-08-30T21:42:16Z

Here's an interesting article about how Latin can help make students more competitive when they're applying to the most selective colleges and universities in the country. It's not simply a matter of improved SAT scores, either (though that certainly doesn't hurt).

Welcome Back To School

2010-08-20T15:18:28Z

Students who have subscribed to this blog:

Print off your e-mail notification of this announcement and turn it in for 5 bonus homework points.

Vulcan - The God of Impossible Accuracy?

2010-08-05T15:05:59Z

A very impressive statue of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and the forge, is located in Birmingham, Alabama, and recently a high school student named Evan Sellers (no relation) pulled off an amazing stunt from the statue's observation platform. Click here to see the video. Perhaps Fortuna, the goddess of luck, was looking over Vulcan's shoulder.

Six Degrees of Julius

2010-07-02T19:35:28Z

Here's the magazine article about Julius Caesar and Julius Erving that I mentioned in a previous entry:

(Click on the image on the right for the full article)

2010 National Spelling Bee

2010-06-02T13:31:16Z

Don't forget to catch the National Spelling Bee this weekend. You'll see a lot of Greek and Latin word roots in action. Moreover, the official pronouncer of the competition, Dr. Jacques Bailly, is a Latin professor at the University of Vermont.

Semifinal coverage begins Friday morning on ESPN. The finals will air Saturday evening on ABC.

Summer Work Packet

2010-05-20T15:55:11Z

Here are the study questions on the Aeneid for the students moving on to AP Latin Four next year.

These will be due on the first day of school.

Summer Assignment

2010-05-18T16:04:35Z

All rising AP Latin students are required to read Vergil's Aeneid (in translation) over the summer. There are a number of both poetic and prosaic translations on the market, but I think the most lucid, readable one comes from classical scholar David West (available from Amazon). This is not to be confused with the translation of the Aeneid by professional basketball player David West, which has yet to be published.

There will be a study packet to complete along with the reading assignment. I will post it here whenever it becomes available.

Students advancing to other levels of Latin do not have summer obligations.

Spring 2010 Exam Study Guide

2010-05-18T15:58:30Z

Okay, let's try this again. Hopefully this is the final version:

Exam Study Guide 3.0

A reminder that there will NOT be any large group review sessions outside of class, but I am more than happy to meet with individuals or small groups on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday. Just let me know.

Can you link Julius Caesar and Julius Erving in six steps?

2010-05-06T20:58:01Z

Check out this summer's July / August issue of Mental Floss magazine to see if Ken Jennings can meet my suggested challenge.

2010 Medusa Mythology Exam

2010-05-03T14:30:09Z

The following students placed on the Medusa this year:

Bronze Medal (3^rd place tier nationwide): Samuel Ostrow

Corona Laurea Certificate (4^th place tier nationwide): Salman Haque, Aditya Shah, Shivam Bhakta, Garret Sullivan, Andrew Raves, Nicholas Rouse, Mason Soun, Russell Scott, Anand Patel

Corona Olivae Certificate (5^th place tier nationwide): Matthew Gayoso, Zain Virk, Renn Eason, Drew Hutson, Srujan Jampana, Carson House, Elliott Collins, Jonathan Kim

This is a very challenging exam, and it is very difficult to qualify for any kind of award. Congratulations to these excellent students!

2010 TJCL State Convention Results

2010-04-13T18:00:58Z

MUS finished in 1st place overall out of the 28 schools at the convention.

Special recognition goes to Salman Haque, Eli Goldstein, and Nicholas Rouse for finishing in the top ten (out of 600 students) in the individual points competition.

Thanks to all MUS convention delegates for their hard work, dedication, sportsmanship, and cooperation.

Anyone wishing to go to the NJCL convention this summer needs to see me ASAP. Neither Mr. Suddarth, Ms. Reinhardt, nor I will be able to attend, but for the students who really want to go, we can try to work out an arrangement.

MUS results

Overall TJCL results

2010 National Latin Exam Results

2010-04-05T15:01:30Z

The results are in, and they're impressive:

86 Summa Cum Laude (Gold Medals)
37 Maxima Cum Laude (Silver Medals)
22 Magna Cum Laude
16 Cum Laude

Generally speaking, a student must score in the top 10% nationally to earn Summa Cum Laude distinction, top 20% for Maxima Cum Laude, etc.

The 86 Gold Medals is the second-highest total in MUS school history (100, 2008).

Special recognition goes to the students who earned perfect scores:

Salman Haque (Latin One)
Samuel Ostrow (Latin One)
Nicholas Rouse (Latin Three)

Finally, many of my students are eagerly awaiting these numbers:

1st - 34.07
6th - 32.07

4th - 28.35
5th - 29.17

7th - 35.11
The competition - 33.47

Congratulations to all of our award recipients!

TJCL Convention - Final Reminders

2010-04-01T12:15:56Z

Students should have already received a copy of this in class. In case parents haven't seen it, however, I've posted a copy here:

2010 TJCL Final Reminders

Upper School students concerned about getting back early enough on Saturday to attend the Spring Formal need to talk to Mr. Suddarth. He's going to try to work out a way for the MUS Bus to leave Gatlinburg a little ahead of schedule.

Medusa Mythology Exam

2010-03-19T12:53:23Z

The exam will be administered this coming Wednesday, March 24, at 2:30 PM in the Wunderlich Auditorium.

Here is the list of students who have signed up to take it.

A study guide for the exam is posted here.

Course Selection for 2010-2011

2010-03-16T17:37:19Z

Over the next couple of days, all current Latin students - Lower School and Upper School - will receive a departmental course selection sheet.

All current Latin One students must fill out the sheet and return it with a parent signature.

Upper School students who plan to continue on in Latin should also return the sheet with a parent signature. (Upper School students who do not plan to take Latin next year are not required to return it.)

Please return these sheets by Friday, March 26. If you have questions or concerns about whether or not continuing in Latin would be advisable, please let me know.