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TIDEWATER REGION ANNUAL REPORT 2002-2003
In an effort to improve coordination and communication between the two states in our region, and to address CPL goals for 2002-2003, this year the Regional Vice President set up a Tidewater web-page <http://www.uncg.edu/~shelmerd/tidewater.html>. The page provides a collection of links to colleges and universities offering Latin and Greek in both states and contact information for those with teacher licensure programs; links to the state association pages; links for state and national teacher placement services; and a link to the CPL homepage.
NORTH CAROLINA: Karen McQuaid, Vice President
1) Information on the activities of the state classical association The North Carolina Classical Association (NCCA) continues to hold semi-annual meetings. The fall meeting was held in Winston-Salem in conjunction with the Foreign Language Association of NC (FLANC). Caroline Kelly offered a pre-conference workshop on using Ecce Romani as well as a session on the ways in which PowerPoint can enhance lessons on Roman culture. Betsy Dawson and Mary Pendergraft presented a mini-workshop on Advanced Placement Latin, and Mary Pendergraft also spoke on teaching cultural diversity in the classics classroom. Nancy Billman taught participants some of the cooperative learning exercises she employs. The spring 2003 meeting will be held at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG). Scheduled presenters include Cathy Daugherty on “Challenges facing the Latin teacher: Block Scheduling and More”, James O’Hara on “Inconsistencies in Vergil’s Aeneid,” and a panel discussion on how teachers at all levels from middle school to university can work together to bridge the gap for their students from one level to the next. Panel members are Susan Shelmerdine, Jeanne O’Neill, Temple Eller, Danetta Genung, and Caroline Kelly.
2) Promotional activities in the state Universities in the state continue to offer a wide range of public lectures and other events, including Latin plays and AIA lectures. Most other activities are connected to the North Carolina Junior Classical League (JCL) which continues to attract a large number of students from both middle and high schools. The organization held its annual Fall Forum at UNCG in November, where members were treated to presentations and workshops (including a tour of Hades!) before participating in a practice certamen. The competitive certamen qualifying rounds will take place at Wake Forest University in March, and the finals will be played at the state convention at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) in April, where a popular attraction for many delegates will be the exhibition at UNC’s Ackland Art Museum entitled “Journey into the Past: Ancient Mediterranean Art in Context.” Melissa Feimster (Kernodle Middle School in Guilford County) and others have indicated that they plan to take their students to see the collection of over 150 objects from ancient Greece, Rome, Egypt, and the Near East. Latin teachers have promoted their subject in a variety of ways. Bettie Green (Covenant Day School in Charlotte) has a doctor talk to her classes about Latin and medicine, and has a civil war enthusiast discuss slavery in both the modern and ancient world. Sarah Wright (Northwest Guilford High School) invites school board members to her JCL meetings and her JCL chapter displays a banner on school walls during homecoming week. She also continues to spread Latin across the curriculum by collaborating with teachers in other disciplines at her school. Karen McQuaid (Charlotte Latin School) had her students navigate a cornfield maze after a lesson on Theseus and the Minotaur. Jeanne O’Neill (Davidson College) was interviewed on National Public Radio about the popularity of Latin and her interest in using oral Latin in the classroom. Mary Pendergraft (Wake Forest University) plans to distribute copies of the bookmarks promoting National Latin Teacher Recruitment Week available from www.promotelatin.org.
3) CAMWS membership (efforts at promotion and results) Membership for 2002-2003 stands at 79 as of this report, a drop since last year despite efforts by the VP to contact those who have not renewed their membership. It is hoped that a database of e-mail addresses can be generated to improve communication. Those attending the fall meeting of the NCCA were encouraged to join CAMWS, and Robert Ulery (Wake Forest University) urged participants to consider presenting a session when the southern section meets at Wake Forest in 2004. The Vice-President will promote the organization at the spring NCCA meeting and at the JCL convention in Chapel Hill. On a brighter note, UNCG this year joined the ranks of CAMWS Institutional members!
4) Efforts to Meet CPL Annual Goals The effort to gather information about Latin teaching in the state is ongoing, although it is hampered by lack of a reliable database for secondary level programs. The state VP communicates with the regional VP via e-mail on CPL questions.
5) Use of CPL monies, interest in CAMWS scholarships, etc. At the time of this report, one application for a CPL grant has been received and approved. Sarah Wright (Northwest Guilford High School) received funds for the creation of a large classically-themed mosaic by both Latin and Art students. She has also received support from a local business (Lowe’s) which is giving her a discount on materials for the mosaic. Sarah hopes to attract some media coverage for this project and to display the mosaic in the Greensboro Public Library and in the central office of the school district before it is placed in her school’s media center.
6) Problems and Challenges in the state The biggest concern in North Carolina, as in much of the nation, is the shortage of Latin teachers. It is difficult to replace Latin teachers who leave their positions, and schools which are not able to hire qualified instructors may eliminate their Latin programs as a result. Fewer students are becoming teachers, and some who do choose to teach have no desire to become certified Latin teachers. This lack of interest in the subject is one reason some schools report lower enrollments. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, the largest system in the state, does not offer Latin in all its high schools, and although an attempt was made to begin programs at two schools, including a language academy, there were not enough interested students to support them. Moreover, the growing Hispanic population has created a sense among many that Spanish is a necessity; Guilford County, for instance, has begun to integrate Spanish into its core curriculum. Several schools in Guilford have made Latin available only through distance learning. An issue facing all foreign language teachers is the impact of state-mandated end-of grade and end-of-course tests. Fran Hoch of the State Department of Public Instruction warns that those areas which are not part of the “No Child Left Behind” accountability system may be overlooked, and stresses the importance of showing how language classes, including Latin, can improve students’ overall academic performance. Additional concerns include the impact of block scheduling and the push for AP courses when some students are clearly not qualified for them and would be better served in a class designed to meet their needs. Enrollment is also a problem at the collegiate level. Mary Pendergraft (Wake Forest University) reports that increasing numbers of students are being allowed to exempt language study altogether on the grounds of having a learning disability. Many of them could learn Latin, provided that the appropriate support is available. UNCG reports less of a decline at the undergraduate level, and continues its efforts to recruit more students for the M.Ed. program. As a part of that effort, Kathryn Williams at UNCG is piloting a web-based course that uses live web-casting this spring, and an on-line Methods course is planned for Fall 2003.
6) Other UNC Chapel Hill continues to offer a post-baccalaureate degree in Classics for students wishing to explore graduate work. It is a full-time program that can be finished in 14 months.
VIRGINIA: Fred Franko, Vice President
1) Information on the activities of the state classical association The Classical Association of Virginia (CAV) continues to thrive. Membership is strong, finances are sound, participation in the CAV-sponsored Latin Tournament and Classical Essay Contest holds steady (though the number of participants in the Latin Essay Contest continues to dwindle). Semi-annual meetings were well attended, especially that of April 20, 2002, which was held at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. The October 5, 2002 meeting at the University of Virginia featured talks on Catullus, a basilica at Carthage, and Constantine; the meeting in the VMFA highlighted pieces in the collection both in talks and gallery tours. CAV has a website, but the website provider has been slow to post updates. Some members of CAV are also members of the Foreign Language Association of Virginia (FLAVA); their attendance and presentations at FLAVA conferences (as at Richmond in October, 2002) helps maintain our ties with colleagues in the modern languages and has benefited both parties in such collaborative endeavors as setting Standards of Learning. Many members of CAV are also members of CAMWS and the American Classical League (ACL), and professors are generally members of the American Philological Association and/or the Archaeological Institute of America. Martha Abbott was elected president of American Council of the Teaching of Foreign Languages, providing yet another tie with our modern language colleagues.
2) Promotional activities in the state As usual, Virginia witnessed a wide range of activities sponsored by the state, universities, colleges, secondary schools, and local and national organizations. The diversity of projects testifies to the joyful commitment of time and energy from teachers in the state, and the result is an almost continual cycle of events and activities. The state-sponsored Virginia Governor’s Latin Academy, having moved from Hollins University to James Madison University, celebrated its 15th year of providing three weeks of intensive study of the ancient world to 45 outstanding high school Latin students. The Augusta County Institute, a summer program run by college students for elementary school students and modeled on the Governor’s Latin Academy, introduced younger students to the ancient world and also offered a free workshop for teachers on “Integrating Classics on the Elementary/Middle Levels: An Interdisciplinary Approach.” The Virginia Junior Classical League held its annual convention in Richmond, allowing students to participate in contests both academic and artistic. Over 10,000 Virginia students took the ACL/NJCL National Latin Exam, second only to Massachusetts (note also that most members of the NLE exam committee are from VA). VA teachers also assist their colleagues in Maryland with the national Medusa Mythology Exam, and many VA students take that test. Universities and colleges offered public lectures and conferences by internationally distinguished scholars: of particular note was the conference on Secrecy, Histories, and Publics at Sweet Briar College, the 37th Hollins Classical Studies Symposium on Oratory and the Liberal Arts, a conference on coinage at Mary Washington College, the Hummel Lecture at Virginia Tech, a slate of AIA lectures in Williamsburg and Lynchburg, and a series of speakers at the University of Virginia. Happily, Roanoke College has begun a monthly series of classics lectures and offered elementary ancient Greek. Randolph-Macon College served up its Saturday Seminar for Latin Teachers in April and December, providing talks on such topics as the Cleopatra Ode and the Bacchanalia. The University of Virginia again offered Latin as one of its summer foreign language institutes. Most colleges have an active chapter of Eta Sigma Phi; the Executive Secretary and editor of its newsletter Nuntius, Wayne Tucker of Hampden-Sydney College, plans to step down in 2003. Students and faculty from Virginia Tech, Hollins University, and Roanoke College participated in a marathon recital of the Aeneid in April (12 hours). The 2002 Greek play from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College (a biennial event) was The Libation Bearers. Most of these events are not promotional in intent, but promotion is a side benefit. Consequently, there is less coverage by the press than might be optimal, though the internet has helped publicize events to interested parties.
3) CAMWS membership (efforts at promotion and results) Total membership in CAMWS hovers around 135-140. As of mid-February, 129 members had paid dues and twenty-three members from 2001-2002 had not yet renewed. Personal letters and emails inviting renewals were sent; a half dozen people said that their lapse in membership was a mere oversight. Additionally, personal emails were sent to classicists at Virginia colleges and universities who were not members; as a result, several have pledged to join. There is at least one member of CAMWS in every classics department, and usually all are members, with the conspicuous exception of the University of Richmond (which claims that its people are “too busy” to join). Posters and flyers are on display at CAV meetings, where Greg Daugherty and Fred Franko make announcements about the benefits of membership in CAMWS and invite people to join.
4) Efforts to Meet CPL Annual Goals Latin programs in the state are surviving and growing despite the budget crisis. Jon Mikalson of the University of Virginia, who runs the electronic CAV Placement Service, reports that for the 2001-2002 season 20 schools listed 21 full-time positions, and that 22 teachers registered with the service. Regrettably, applicants and schools are not scrupulous in reporting to him on the outcome of their searches. College and university programs report no cutbacks; there has even been growth of full-time appointments at William and Mary and Mary Washington College; adjuncts have been approved to meet growing demand at Washington and Lee, Randolph-Macon Woman’s College, and (for next year) Hollins University.
5) Use of CPL monies, interest in CAMWS scholarships, etc. Despite the announcement of the availability of CPL funds at the semi-annual CAV meetings, and despite information available in the CAMWS Newsletter and website, for the second year in a row only one request for a CPL grant was received. Adriene Cunningham of Arlington was awarded monies to publicize a certamen in northern Virginia and to send a mass mailing to promote Latin by a local organization in Arlington called Citizens for the Classics. Six students earned CAMWS school awards (2 cash, 3 books, 1 letter of commendation). Virginians received three ACL summer scholarships in 2002, one each for an undergraduate student, a graduate student, and a high school teacher.
6) Problems and Challenges in the state Once again, the scarcity of applications for CPL funds is worrisome. The state vice-president must do a better job of reaching out and communicating to members that (a) the application process is easy and (b) imaginative thinking is rewarded, but not required. |