Spotlight on Middle School JCL
Brookfield Academy
-Emma Canga, WJCL
At Brookfield Academy (WI) the pandemic did not stop our amazing 6th and 7th grade Latin teacher Magister Urbanski from keeping the classics alive! As 7th grade students ventured through the classic classics book Ecce Romani I, Magister taught about the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius and discussed the Aeneid and its dactylic hexameter all whilst conquering through the most thrilling chapters “de fossa ipsa [about the ditch itself]!” In addition, Magister held fun contests throughout the year inside his Colosseum model. Amongst the competitors on the leaderboard were Captain Kirk, Fallout Boy, and Curious George. To top it all off, Magister also did a Latin Mad Libs. But this was just his seventh grade class.
While all this excitement takes place in the seventh grade, his sixth grade classes get a taste of the wonders of the classics. In sixth grade, students are introduced to Latin for the first time, and Magister Urbanski makes it a highlight of the whole year. They spoke in Latin about the fundamentals such as colors, hobbies, animals, and food. Some of the most enthralling conversations were about breakfast!
In the end, COVID could not stop the love for the classics from flourishing in our middle school, just like it could not stop the Cornelii from falling into the ditch!
18 TORCH: U.S. MIDDLE SCHOOL EDITION