Master’s Academy Classical Club (MACC) and Bridge Latin Club members from Charlotte, NC, presented a workshop entitled “Ancient Aquatic Adventures” at the Georgia Aquarium on March 22. The interactive stations consisted of mosaic-making and Roman numeral booths as well as crafts highlighting Aesop’s aquatic fables.
Their booths were part of the Atlanta Science Festival, satisfying the “A” in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics).
“The emphasis on the Arts is a fairly new development in our modern world of STEM,” Carmel Christian Classical Club (CCCC) member Katie Petersen said. “However, it’s a very important one. Latin and Greek are, after all, the language of science. And students who study the classics are more informed about ancient history, including early scientific theories and discoveries.”
This project was in collaboration with the Carlos Museum of Emory University, which is providing digital images of ancient renderings of aquatic creatures from their Greek and Roman Collection to serve as the focal point of the booths. It was also made possible by a Big Initiative Grant (BIG) from CAMWS (Classical Association of the Middle, West, and South) which offset the cost of materials.
The road trip will also include a visit to the Carlos Museum.
“Jasper Gaunt, Curator of the Greek and Roman Collection at the Carlos Museum at Emory, provided 2 hands-on classroom sessions for my students on Saturday afternoon,” Master’s Academy JCL sponsor Sherri Madden said. “We enjoyed a most delightful day at the museum seeing the true representation of the images used in our display for [Ancient Aquatic Adventures].”
With an estimated attendance of 7,000 – 9,000 visitors to the Georgia Aquarium for the STEAM event on March 22, the Latin students had a powerful impact sharing their love of Latin. The event was targeted for middle school students, but people from all age groups enjoyed the workshop.
According to Ryan Thomas, a 9th grader who presented at the festival, the best part of Ancient Aquatic Adventures was “having the opportunity to teach about Roman numerals to kids and adults. Some adults were not aware of how they work and found it intriguing.”
Preparing for this major presentation was a learning experience for many of the JCLers involved.
Campbell Robinson, a project
designer for the event, said, “Having to get things done within a certain time period for this project helped with learning time management skills.”
These Latin students hoped that their “Ancient Aquatic Adventures” project will showcase the Classics as a vital area of study.
“Benefits of studying Latin are the development of logical thought processes and the improvement of writing and speaking skills. These skills play an important role in all areas of study, so we are thrilled to be right in the middle of STEAM with our aquarium project,” Madden shared.
Laura Schoek,
North Carolina JCLer
Latin Anchors STEAM: JCL Hosts Booths at Atlanta Science Festival
Below: Master's Academy and Bridge JCLers who presented at the Atlanta Science Festival.
16
Below: North Carolina JClers teaching middle school students about Roman numerals.
NJCL Constitutional Announcements:
Committee Position Opening
At the NJCL convention this summer, we will be electing a new member of the National Committee: Academic Contests Chair. If you are interested or have any questions, please contact Dennis Webb at [email protected].
New Process for State Chair Registation
We are trying a new method of registering State/Provincial Chairs and confirming that States/Provinces are in good standing this year. Please go to dev.njcl.org. Then go to the right-hand side of the page and create an account. There, you will have a four-page form to complete. By using your account name and password, you will be able to update you information at a later date.
Dennis Webb,
NJCL Constitutional Advisor