By Chloe Constantinides
Every other year Wyoming High School offers the Latin students a chance to go to Italy. This opportunity was amazing and getting to see a bunch of different historical sites with all my Latin friends seemed like a dream. Italy certainly did not disappoint! Wasting my summer away working to pay for this trip was worth it. My friends and I got to see the most remarkable things, and we all agree these are the top three:
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| Chloe Constantinides, Anna Seyerle, and Gie Wilson travelled to Italy with other Wyoming High School students as part of the Latin program. |
The Domus Aurea
The back story of the Domus Aurea: After the great fire on in 64 A.D. there was a huge plot of empty land on the Palatine Hill. The infamous emperor at the time, Nero, decided not to help the citizens whose homes were destroyed, but to build an extravagant palace, filled with marble statues, frescos, and of course gold -hence the name- on top of ruins. After Nero’s rule, the palace was completely emptied of anything valuable and now lives under the baths of Trajan.
The Domus Aurea itself is one of the most incredible places I have ever seen. It’s filled with all these old frescos that cover a bunch of walls. The length of the building was huge! A bunch of excavating was still going on inside but didn’t take away from the experience. The tour was really interactive, we even got to use virtual reality to see what the reconstruction of the palace would look like. This stop was by far the best. If you are going to go anywhere in Rome, the Domus Aurea is definitely a must.
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| Wyoming Latin students were in awe of the Octagonal Room of the Domus Aurea. |
The House of Lucius Caecilius Iucundus
On the trip we got to spend the whole day in Pompeii. All of the Latin students had our hearts set on having lunch in the house of Caecilius in order to experience the godly feeling of being a part of Cambridge Latin Course: Unit 1. After walking all around getting to see the Villa of Mysteries and the Amphitheatre of Pompeii, we stumbled on a metal fence, blocking us from being inside the House of Caecilius! It was poorly assembled, we could’ve honestly just squeezed the small openings. We were obviously distraught. I wanted to have my Caecilius est in Horto moment, but we Wyoming students have integrity and ate our lunches outside. Still an amazing experience, just not the same. I would like to give a shout-out to a random Latin student from California who snuck in and airdropped us photos of the inside- a true Classics Hero, but I do not encourage sneaking into archeological sites.
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| Anna Seyerle was sad that the students can’t be inside the highly anticipated House of Lucius Ceacilius Iucundus. |
Apostolic Palace
The Apostolic Palace is the official residence of the pope located in Vatican City. This location is a bit basic and every tourist goes here. It’s crowded and extremely hard to move around? Yes. Is it totally worth it to see all the amazing works of art? Yes! With different pieces in every room, you can never get bored in the Apostolic Palace. There are sculptures, paintings, maps (mostly by Michelangelo the absolute art god). Imagine your favorite art museum, but a thousand times better. It was a wonder how there is so much art in one room, but it looks organized and everything seem to be in the exact right place. You barely even notice the slight stench of sweaty tourists in the air.
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| The official residence of the pope, the Apostolic Palace, was dripping with art. |
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| Wyoming Latin teacher Mr. Todd Wegenhardt, Dagny McCullumsmith, Lauren Longman, Elly McCullumsmith, and Anna Seyerle springing in Sprerlonga. |
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| Triplets, Sam, Elly, and Dagny McCullumsmith in front of the Colosseum in Rome. |
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| Wyoming students as they entered a 2000 year old theatre in Pompeii. |
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| One of the BEST things to do in Italy? Imbibe on the local gelato! Maddie, Caitline, and Luci found some of the best. |
Farewell to Magistra Frodge
On Tuesday, May 28 over 75 Wyoming teachers, parents, and students met at Wyoming Community Coffee to celebrate Magistra Samantha Frodge, Wyoming Latin Teacher. Samantha had been with Wyoming City Schools for 10 years, and she had countless adoring students and families present to bid her farewell as she leaves for a different teaching position outside of Wyoming. Best wishes for a successful 2019-2020 school year.
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| Magistra Frodge posed with her Wyoming Middle School Latin students at her going away party. |
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| Current and former Wyoming High School Latin students got up extra early to bid Magistra farewell. |
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| Wyoming Community Coffee helped the celebration by providing a great space and great coffee. |
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