F-M teacher spends summer learning abroad; brings new ...

F-M Latin teacher Dr. Hunt spent part of his summer sharpening the skills he uses to shape the minds of students, through a unique opportunity to travel and learn in Italy.

F-M Latin teacher Dr. Hunt examines a tenth century manuscript of St. Augustine’s Confessions at the Biblioteca Angelica, the oldest public library in Italy.

Dr. Hunt teaches Latin at Eagle Hill Middle School and Fayetteville-Manlius High School. In July, he participated in the Living Latin in Rome class offered by the Paideia Institute, thanks to a scholarship from the New York Classical Club. While in Italy, his studies focused on Virgil’s “Aeneid,” which is a substantial portion of the Advanced Placement Latin curriculum.

Participants read and discussed portions of the “Aeneid” in Latin and made visits to sites around Rome and Naples that are featured prominently in Virgil’s epic poem. Dr. Hunt was also able to practice speaking Latin with students, fellow teachers and instructors, and visit historical sites and world class museums.

“Increasing and improving the speaking and listening components of F-M’s Latin program have been priorities for several years,” explained Dr. Hunt.

Students will benefit from Dr. Hunt’s professional learning. For example, each fall, he takes students through a virtual visit of the Roman Forum, and this year he plans to use pictures and information from his summer trip to advance the lesson.

Dr. Hunt’s daughter also participated in a Paideia Institute class over the summer. She took Living Ancient Greek, while visiting Greece, with other high school-aged students. She will be in her dad’s AP Latin class at FMHS her senior year.