President's Letter, Summer 2024

Andreas praeses sodalibus suis s.p.d.

Summer is finally here! I, of course, mean the metaphorical summer break that comes with the end of the school year and not the actual seasonal change as I write this, though that indeed is also around the corner. For me, summer brings with it two things: a time to rest, relax, and recharge, and a time for personal and professional development. I plan on devoting more time to the former than in previous years to keep up with the demands that I met with this school year. However, I cannot help but give myself to the latter as it makes me feel balanced and centered, reminding me of the joy I get from this field and from the many amazing folks who have so much to offer from their own experiences.

So, what am I doing this summer? I will tell you first what I wish I was doing—the American Classical League Institute in Tucson, Arizona. A healthy contingent of ClassConn folks will be in attendance and quite a few are presenting! I was not able to fit ACL Institute into my schedule this year, but it is such an enjoyable, enriching, and welcoming atmosphere where I have had great opportunities to learn, network, and see friends old and new. Are you attending or presenting at ACL this year? We’d love to hear from you all about it!

I will, however, be spending about three weeks in West Virginia to run and assist the Latin immersion weeks called Rusticationes offered by SALVI (Septentrionale Americanum Latinitatis Vivae Institutum). At these events, you spend an entire week immersed entirely in Latin. No, we do not wear togae nor lie on klinia as we engage in this; rather, we immerse ourselves in the language and the literature that spans two millennia from authors of different backgrounds, temporal, geographical, and otherwise. In my time teaching and studying Latin, I have found no better professional development. It has not only broadened my view of Latin and its literature, but also restored my zeal for learning and instruction.

habesne lac?

Beside the above, I will be producing content and classes in Latin and ancient Greek for my own endeavor, Latinitas Animi Causa. Our goal is to increase access to ancient Mediterranean languages through research-informed methods and copious amounts of fun and joy (whence the name).

Among all that, I will be spending time with my family, practicing archery, playing video games, and catching up on my year-long neglected reading. We would love to hear from you about your summer plans and other professional development you are attending! Let us know!

Imo ex animo,

Andrew “Andreas” Morehouse

President's Letter, Winter 2021

Prid. Id. Dec.

Salvete, Amici!

As the new president of the Classical Association of Connecticut, I’d like to invoke what Horace terms in Sermones II.vi, libertas Decembris, and offer some year-end nugae.

Normally in December we would announce the annual Latin Carol Sing at Central Connecticut State University, an event which, due to a certain pandemic, the public at present would be unable to attend. In lieu of that event, I offer you my current playlist of Top Five Latin Pop Musical Recordings! (No, it’s not even close to the same, but we do what we can.)

#5 Ray Manzarek’s “Veris Leta Facies” from an all-electric version of Carmina Burana (1983). Manzarek was the keyboardist from The Doors. It’s Ray Manzarek, and it’s never too early to think about Spring. 

#4  Enya’s “Cursum Perficio” from her release Watermark (1988). Sure, a little Enya goes a long way, and a lot of Enya is way too much. However, she is second on the list of best-selling Irish musicians, only behind U2. If she has audiences tuning into Latin lyrics, I’m all for it. (Can’t get enough of Enya’s Latin? Check out “Afer Ventus” from 1991’s Shepherd Moons.)

#3  Reine Rimon eiusque Papa Fervidissimi’s “Eh, La Bas” from their 1993 album Variationes Horatianae Iazzicae. It’s a Dixieland-jazz setting of Horace’s Carmina I.18. Sure, she plays fast and loose with Horace’s Latin, but, hey, it swings!

#2 Cat Stevens’ “O Caritas” off Catch Bull at Four (1972). This has been my favorite Latin song ever since, as a high school student, I said to myself (because who else was listening?) “Hey, look how he darkly tweaked that famous gladiator line with ‘nos perituri mortem salutamus!’”

And the British singer’s song would still be my favorite (and very well might return to the #1 slot again), but right now that designation goes to the very new:

#1 John Linnell’s “Nunc aut Numquam” from Roman Songs (2021). If you know and love They Might Be Giants, this is that John Linnell. This song captures the same playful, and catchy, inscrutability of TMBG. (Don’t, however, confuse this song with “Nunc Hic aut Numquam,” Dr. Jukka Ammondt’s 1995 Latinized Elvis Presley song from The Legend Lives Forever in Latin. Trust me, Elvis has left the building.) 

Enough music.

At this point in my letter, I should probably declare proudly something like “In 2022, ClassConn will return on ground and in person for all meetings and events!” But, if the past year-and-three-quarters has taught us anything, it’s “That’d be plain foolish,” so I won’t.

I will, however, point out the obvious (well, obvious to ClassConn members). The language of COVID highlights our deeply classical linguistic heritage. “Epidemiologists” are working their way through the Greek alphabet one “variant” at a time. Indeed, the entire course of the “pandemic” (from “infection,” “incubation,” “symptom,” “communicability,” “ventilator,” and “mortality,” to “protocol,” “vaccination,” and “immunity” — even “coronavirus” itself) betrays the debt the “history” of “medicine” owes Greek and Latin. Let’s just be sure our “students” (and neighbors, for that matter) realize that, too!

Please continue following the protocols and get your shots; remember, there are still a whole lotta those Greek letters remaining.

For all you do, for your students, for the study of ancient languages and cultures in Connecticut and beyond, and for ClassConn itself, gratias vobis ago.

And, naturally, Io Saturnalia!

Valete,

Gil Gigliotti

gigliotti@ccsu.edu

President's Letter, Fall 2021

Salvete, amici amicaeque. χαίρετε, ὦ φίλοι.

I hope this letter finds you having a better start to the school year than the last, and if not better, then at least not worse. There is much to be said for a return to some modicum of pre-pandemic normalcy, even if we aren’t yet on the other side of the pandemic. 

It is my sincerest wish that you and your students have been able to find joy and fulfillment in sharing space and learning together after two disrupted school years. I know, however, that in many ways this year has already been even harder than either of the preceding two, so if simply getting through each day in an upright position is the best you can do, I understand. And if you, like me, are already suffering from DEVOLSON (the Dark Evil Vortex Of Late September, October, and November), know that you are not alone.

Which brings me to the purpose of this letter: I’m writing to share some upcoming events and opportunities that may energize you and your students and provide you with a much-needed sense of community. 

First off, the CANE student writing contest is open and accepting submissions from middle and high school Classics students in New England. The topic is “Re-Singing Myth” and submissions are due to the Connecticut state rep, Mark Pearsall (canerepct@caneweb.org) by December 15.

If you’re seeking a little spooky Latin fun, mark your calendar for CANE’s free online Halloween event “Nox Formidulosa: Spuctaculum”, to include games, spooky stories, and camaraderie, hosted by Gregory Stringer on October 19 from 7-9 PM.

Most exciting of all, our ClassConn Annual Meeting will be held over Zoom on Saturday, November 6 from 9 AM–2:45 PM. Registration is free (by donation only) and available here. The day will include workshops by Kelly Dugan (Trinity College), Roger Travis (University of Connecticut), Chris Cochran (University of Massachusetts, Boston), and Jen Faulkner (East Longmeadow High School), as well as opportunities to connect with colleagues professionally and socially. I look forward to seeing you all there (virtually)!

In the meantime, please continue caring for yourselves and your students as we face down another trying year and don’t hesitate to reach out if ClassConn can help in any way. 

curate ut valeatis,

Lindsay Sears

president@classconn.org

President’s Letter, Summer 2021

Salvete, amici amicaeque. χαίρετε, ὦ φίλοι.

Perhaps like me you are just starting to emerge from the psychic miasma that was the 2020-2021 school year. Perhaps this missive finds you deeply ensconced in personal projects, pleasure reading, or joyful time with friends and family. If so, I won’t keep you long. 

I’m writing to congratulate you (us) on collectively making it through the past 10 months. For many of us, the emotional and mental costs of this past year are only just being tallied. We have had our faith in our own identity and worth as teachers profoundly shaken. Some have left jobs (myself included) or left the profession entirely. 

But you know all of this. I want to tell you something you may have forgotten: you were enough this year just by showing up for your students. Here’s what I mean. On the last day of school, one of my students said, “You know, Magistra, this year wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been because I got to see my teachers and friends every day, even on Zoom. And I knew that all of my teachers were still there for me, ready to help and support me when I needed it.”

Just by showing up, ready to help and support, you were a lifeline for your students this year. And maybe sometimes they were also a lifeline for you. That’s all, and that’s everything. Yes, we are teachers of classics, but we are humans teaching other humans first. In this most human of crises, we have held one another up, and we have helped one another survive. dīs volentibus, may we never endure another year like this one, but it is worth knowing that we can. I urge you to remember that as you look toward the fall with both its hope and its uncertainty. 

And in case you need something concrete to feel hopeful about, I am pleased to announce that we are planning on an in-person annual meeting this November! Date and location TBA, so stay tuned. It will be a true joy to share space with you all again. 

In the meantime, please do whatever you can to refill your metaphorical cup after the most draining of years and don’t hesitate to reach out if ClassConn can help in any way. 

curate ut valeatis,

Lindsay Sears

president@classconn.org