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HomeEducationAustin Peay State University's 9th annual Classics Day celebrates ancient languages

Austin Peay State University’s 9th annual Classics Day celebrates ancient languages

Austin Peay State University - APSU - logoClarksville, TN – Latin is very much a living language on the campus of Austin Peay State University, as Classics at APSU hosted its annual Classics Day event for area high school students.

The all-day event brought together a record 221 students from Montgomery County and Sumner County high schools for a day of activities centered on the languages of the ancient world.

Austin Peay State University's Morgan University Center. (APSU)
Austin Peay State University’s Morgan University Center. (APSU)

Gathered at the APSU Morgan University Center, faculty members and current APSU students gave lectures on their studies, and students also participating in craft making and games centered around the classic societies of Greece and Rome.

APSU Classics professor Dr. Tim Winters said this year’s event was the largest in its history, reflecting the rapid growth of classics among area high schools.

“What’s really interesting is that we are at full capacity in the (MUC Ballroom), but this isn’t even all of the students in the area who are interested in classics,” Winters said. “One school in particular, West Creek High School, only took 10-15 junior classics students, when they could have taken as many as 50-60 students from all of its grade levels.”

The event was organized by the APSU chapter of Eta Sigma Phi, the national classics honors society, Eta Omega.

Beyond the academic, students were also provided an opportunity to create their own tributes to the style of art of the day, creating either traditional Roman necklaces or coins. The idea to allow students to create their own art was the brainchild of Eta Omega president Rachel Illig, who noted she plans to become a high school classics teacher – one of many to come through the program at APSU.

“I’ve always loved the cultural aspect of Green and Roman societies, and the kinds of things the women of the day wore, so I wanted to share that (with the students),” Illig said.

Since starting the mid-week event in 2012, Winters said he has seen a great response from the area high school community. What began with roughly 100 kids, Winters said, continues to grow each year.

“I’ve been doing (Classics Day) in some form since I arrived at Austin Peay, but for a long time, it was just me running the entire event,” Winters joked. “It was much smaller back in those days, with just 20 or 30 kids on a Saturday afternoon and not the major event it is now.”

Retired longtime classics teachers in Clarksville, Grady and Kaye Warren were honored during Thursday’s event. Over the course of their 30-plus years in education, the husband and wife team taught Latin at two junior high and three high schools in the Clarksville area, and, in the process, mentored countless students.

“Kaye and Grady retired two years ago and they touched thousands of lives during their careers,” Winters said. “I wanted to think of a way to honor them and thank them for all they did as educators, so we announced today that we’re in the process of putting together a scholarship here at APSU to keep their memories alive.”

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