Who would make a better freshman year roommate, Zeus or Athena? We are kicking off our Classics Club this fall by asking students to debate which god or goddess would make the most interesting roommate.
We are also asking them to invent their own Latin names. By placing these kinds of lighthearted, accessible activities at the beginning of the year, we hope to attract as many members as possible, especially those who don’t already take Latin.
Our club’s recruiting each year typically begins at the Classics fair, where we display eye-catching pictures like The School of Athens or posters from Percy Jackson. We’ve learned that certamen and Greek mythology are the most attractive, especially for students outside the Latin classroom. In the previous years, our club has been mostly limited to Latin students. This year, our goal is to broaden our membership base by showing how the ancient world might have some connection to everyone’s interests.
In addition, I am also working to attract further interest in the club by organizing a speaker series, inviting professors from nearby colleges to lead discussions on topics like “belonging” in the Odyssey or the relationship between scholarship and politics in ancient Rome. I hope these sessions will bring out the broader relevance of Classics and demonstrate how it is closely related to other disciplines, such as history.
Founded in 2019 under the sponsorship of Ms. Bissette and affiliated with the National Junior Classical League and the Massachusetts Junior Classical League, our club holds weekly meetings. Activities include certamen practice, student-led discussions, and independent presentations. In addition, our yearly highlights range from visiting the MFA in Boston to participating in Boston University’s Classics Day.
At the end of the day, classics club is all about making the ancient world feel alive to students, a place where students can tease the gods, imitate Cicero’s speeches, and ask philosophical questions from antiquity that still hold great significance today.
By Max, Milton Academy student