For 10 adults and seven students of the Ad Fontes Academy Latin Club, the past came alive during a recent trip to Rome to explore Roman history.
Ad Fontes is a classical Christian school housed at St. Andrew's Lutheran Church in Centreville, and the nine-day trip let them put their Latin skills into practice and see, firsthand, many of the famous places they'd studied about in class.
Kim Bollen, one of the original founders of the school in 1996, had for years dreamed of the Latin students someday being able to take such a trip. She accompanied her daughter Catherine and the other students and was wowed by the whole adventure.
"It was amazing — an incredible experience to be there and see the kids and the fruits of their learning and education," she said. "In the Forum, within minutes, the kids recognized places and the teachers reconstructed what happened there. And pretty soon, it was like you could hear the [Roman] generals marching down the road or the [ancient] senators speaking."
Each student had a parent along; also sharing the experience were Bill Carey (a Latin teacher at GMU and, occasionally, at Ad Fontes), his wife Holly and the school's Latin teacher, Rachel Harris. Also enjoying the trip was a doll the students brought from home. They dressed him like a gladiator, named him Gladiator Joe and photographed him everywhere they went.
Besides Rome, they also visited Ostia Antica, the port city leading to the Italian capital. And Harris couldn't have been prouder of her students' behavior in a foreign country. "What impressed me the most is that we took seven teen-agers who were ready to listen to everything we had to tell them, to look and to interact with people," she said.
BILL CAREY WAS THE TOUR GUIDE and, he said, "It's good for anyone to be exposed to another culture — and these students know their Roman history." For example, the letters, SPQR, are inscribed throughout the city, and the students knew they stand for Rome's motto, "The Senate and the People of Rome."
The teens ate dinner near where Caesar was assassinated, visited the spot where Cicero delivered his orations and played "gladiators" in the Coliseum. Other highlights included Caesar's temple and the House of the Vestals. Said Carey: "They'll have these images in their heads forever."
Just from looking at the paintings in the Sistine Chapel, said Harris, the students figured out which Bible stories were portrayed there — without looking at their guidebooks. "They stood in the Basilica at Ostia and pretended to be columns, and they put their heads on headless statues," she said. "In those places, they were able to experience Rome."
Sophomore Rachel Di Domenico, 15, a third-year Latin student, said the whole trip was fascinating. "It helped me to better imagine those places and what happened there," she said. "I'd like to go back again and see some churches and other spots."
She enjoyed visiting the Pantheon and shopping for jewelry, and she said many Italians spoke English well. Her favorite parts were going to Ostia Antica and seeing the Coliseum: "It was really big, and we played football in it."
Samantha Ward, 15, also enjoyed seeing the Pantheon. "It was the temple dedicated to all the Roman gods, and it was later turned into a church and is now being renovated," she explained. "I liked it because I like Roman mythology a lot and it's an amazing architectural structure." As for Ostia Antica, she said, "I liked being able to see how the town was laid out, and it was neat seeing how the rooms were arranged in a real Roman house."
Rachel's sister Sarah, 14, a freshman, didn't think she'd ever get to see Rome in person and said things were "a lot closer together" than she thought they'd be. "We played hide-and-go-seek in the ancient ruins of Rome, and we ate door mouse — mixed and minced in cornbread, it was actually pretty good. And after eating pizza there, I couldn't eat American pizza for awhile, because it was so good."
SINCE THE STUDENTS were so fluent in Latin, said Sarah, "We could go into the ancient cathedrals and read the words [inscribed] there. It was really fun because most people don't know Latin and don't get a chance to do that." Overall, she said, "It's a memory to tell our children."
Eighth-grader Amy Crabtree, 14, said one of the neatest things was simply getting to go to Italy — "where they're speaking a different language and it's a whole, new opportunity [to learn things]." She even learned how to say "thank you, good morning, good night" and "how much does this cost?" in Italian.
Amy said the people there were warm and friendly, and she noted the differences in the way they dress: "The women, 20 and up, dress in this classic style — they don't go out without makeup and heels. But the teen-agers have this styled-grunge look."
Sophomore Ben Keppel, 15, said it was fun seeing a different culture and experiencing their daily lives. "I loved the food — especially the pastas and chicken alfredo," he said. And he bought a replica of a Roman Legionnaire's sword. Ben was also surprised about how hands-on things are there.
"You can climb all over the ruins," he said. "The walls are capped with concrete so they won't deteriorate — you can run and play." He learned about "how the Church destroyed a lot of the temples — anything pagan — but it was sad that they destroyed the ancient stuff."
PLAYING FOOTBALL IN THE COLISEUM was sophomore Stephen Brickley's favorite part, and he was impressed that it's lasted so long: "It's almost 2,000 years old — it survived people storming in and almost blowing up the city." And since he's a mythology buff, it meant a lot to him to see places such as the Pantheon in person. As for souvenirs, he bought a metal necklace and a bright, yellow tie decorated with chickens, for himself, and a cookbook for his mom.
Catherine Bollen, 14, said Italian driving scared her the most. "They seemed to have no rules — I had to run across the street [to avoid being hit]," she said. "But I loved [Rome]. The art is amazing — to know that Leonardo [Da Vinci] and Michaelangelo were there and painted and sculpted." She said Italian leather and jewelry are also "spectacular," and she purchased a leather coat.
"I think the students got from it what we were hoping they would," said teacher Harris. "They got to see and actually experience Rome and realize that people like Julius Caesar really walked on those streets."
And for Bollen's mother, another "dream come true" was being able to see, for real, so much of the artwork she'd poured over in her art books as a young girl. And in true Roman tradition, she said, the Ad Fontes group "threw our coins in the Fountain of Trevi and, God willing, we're going back."