For La Toussaint, Mrs. O'Connell's French III Honors students celebrated with madeleines, tea, and Proust.
November 1, 2011
Fun in French!
For La Toussaint, Mrs. O'Connell's French III Honors students celebrated with madeleines, tea, and Proust.
October 28, 2011
The Underworld!
In honor of Halloween, Ms. Ellery's Latin I students are embarking today on a spooky adventure. With the help of Edith Hamilton's Mythology, the boys are following Aeneas's journey through the underworld, where the souls of the dead reside. Ms. Ellery, or rather the Sibyl, is leading them past the infernal rivers...
(The boiling blood of the Phlegethon!)
...past the terrifying, three-headed dog Cerberus...
(The three-headed dog with his Cerberus snacks!)
...all the way to Elysium, where the blessed souls dwell.
(The boiling blood of the Phlegethon!)
...past the terrifying, three-headed dog Cerberus...
(The three-headed dog with his Cerberus snacks!)
...all the way to Elysium, where the blessed souls dwell.
October 24, 2011
Prairie Home Companion Latin Tribute
(From Bolchazy-Carducci)
Garrison Keillor pays tribute to his college Latin professor during the September 10, 2011 edition of Prairie Home Companion. Keillor's very first class he attended as a freshman at the University of Minnesota in 1960 was "Latin Readings" with Professor Margaret Forbes. A Google™ search shows that the January 14, 2006 show contained a similar tribute to Professor Forbes.
As part of the tribute, University of Minnesota Professor Emeritus of Classical and Near Eastern Studies, Robert Sonkowsky recited the Latin of Horace's Ode 1.22. This poem was one of the Latin selections studied in Keillor's "Latin Readings" course.
Click to see the full line-up for the show and to access the audio for Segment 3, in which Keillor speaks of Professor Forbes and he introduces Sonkowsky's recitation.
Garrison Keillor pays tribute to his college Latin professor during the September 10, 2011 edition of Prairie Home Companion. Keillor's very first class he attended as a freshman at the University of Minnesota in 1960 was "Latin Readings" with Professor Margaret Forbes. A Google™ search shows that the January 14, 2006 show contained a similar tribute to Professor Forbes.
As part of the tribute, University of Minnesota Professor Emeritus of Classical and Near Eastern Studies, Robert Sonkowsky recited the Latin of Horace's Ode 1.22. This poem was one of the Latin selections studied in Keillor's "Latin Readings" course.
Click to see the full line-up for the show and to access the audio for Segment 3, in which Keillor speaks of Professor Forbes and he introduces Sonkowsky's recitation.
October 19, 2011
The New Case for Latin
From Time.com:
"As part of Virginia's high-stakes testing program, schools that don't boost their scores by the year 2007 could lose state funding. So Fairfax City, just 18 miles southwest of the White House, has upgraded its two crumbling elementary schools with new high-tech television studios, computer labs and one very old feature — mandatory Latin."
Read more here.
"As part of Virginia's high-stakes testing program, schools that don't boost their scores by the year 2007 could lose state funding. So Fairfax City, just 18 miles southwest of the White House, has upgraded its two crumbling elementary schools with new high-tech television studios, computer labs and one very old feature — mandatory Latin."
Read more here.
September 23, 2011
September 14, 2011
A French Feast from a Political Pot
Here's a tasty article from the New York Times, spotted by Madame O'Connell:
MORELS speckled the forest floor. For a lavish meal with family and friends, Françoise Branget, a deputy in the National Assembly from the Doubs region, sautéed those earthy black mushrooms with Bresse chicken, the king of French fowl, and the pungent “vin jaune” from the nearby Jura district. For Ms. Branget, this was not just a feast. It was a celebration of her campaign to unite deputies on the left and right in a national cause: the promotion of French gastronomy.Read the full article here.
September 11, 2011
"Why Some Languages Sound So Fast"
Here's an interesting article from TIME about language density.
"(This study serves) as one more reminder that beneath all of the differences that separate Tagalog from Thai from Norwegian from Wolof from any one of the world's 6,800 other languages, lie some very simple, very common rules. The DNA of speech — like our actual DNA — makes us a lot closer to one another than we think."
"(This study serves) as one more reminder that beneath all of the differences that separate Tagalog from Thai from Norwegian from Wolof from any one of the world's 6,800 other languages, lie some very simple, very common rules. The DNA of speech — like our actual DNA — makes us a lot closer to one another than we think."
September 1, 2011
Meet Gaspard!
MBA's French students have enjoyed getting to know a special classmate, Gaspard Chantraine from Dijon, France. Here he is (middle right, navy shirt) with Madame O'Connell's Français I class. Un très bon séjour, Gaspard!
August 17, 2011
2nd century A.D. statue of Hercules discovered in Israel
A small but highly-detailed and artistically-significant marble statue of Hercules was unearthed during excavations on a railway line in Israel. The statue, which was found near the route of the Roman Via Maris, depicts Hercules leaning on his club and draped in a lion's skin.
August 14, 2011
August 1, 2011
When French was the language of Enlightenment
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/10/books/review/book-review-when-the-world-spoke-french-by-marc-fumaroli.html?pagewanted=2&_r=2&nl=books&emc=booksupdateema3
Great review of a book about the time when French, not English, was the language of diplomacy, literature, and good manners. Though English has now gained supremacy, the reviewer says: 'For those looking to join this latter-day “banquet of enlightened minds,” When the World Spoke French is an excellent place to start.'
Great review of a book about the time when French, not English, was the language of diplomacy, literature, and good manners. Though English has now gained supremacy, the reviewer says: 'For those looking to join this latter-day “banquet of enlightened minds,” When the World Spoke French is an excellent place to start.'
June 22, 2011
Gladiator epitaph reveals death by foul
The inscription on the tombstone of a gladiator has just recently been interpreted, and it appears to reveal both details about the rules of gladiatorial combat and a fascinating story of one gladiator's death because of a referee's mistake. Read the article here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20110620/sc_livescience/romangladiatorsgravestonedescribesfatalfoul
June 3, 2011
Being Bilingual is Good for You!
(As if we didn't already know that!)
"Looking for a reason to splurge on some Rosetta Stone DVDs? It turns out that being bilingual is actually really good for your brain. For the past 40 years cognitive neuroscientist Ellen Bialystok has studied the effects of knowing two languages on the mind. It turns out that all that translating back and forth in your head is some serious exercise for the brain's synapses."
Read more in the New York Times...
"Looking for a reason to splurge on some Rosetta Stone DVDs? It turns out that being bilingual is actually really good for your brain. For the past 40 years cognitive neuroscientist Ellen Bialystok has studied the effects of knowing two languages on the mind. It turns out that all that translating back and forth in your head is some serious exercise for the brain's synapses."
Read more in the New York Times...
May 31, 2011
April 19, 2011
German Exchange Students and Hosts visit Wildhorse Saloon!
On Friday, April 15th, German Exchange Students Marc Rodewyk, Patrick Wallisch, und Simon Weidmann and their host families visited Nashville's Wildhorse Saloon. All fifteen German students participating in this year's GAPP exchange at MBA, HH and Brentwood High enjoyed a night of line dancing, live country music, laser tag, and exploring 2nd Avenue. In addition, several freshmen from MBA's German I class joined the party! Fun was had by all.
Rundberg Family- Daniel and his exchange student Patrick
Host Gaines Garrett and his exchange student Simon
AP German students Will McCaskill and Jack Keller (host). Exchange student Marc. Senior Nick Bessette.Mardi Gras Celebration
On March 8, 2011 (Mardi Gras!), not only did all French students sit for the Grand Concours, the National French Exam, but also French III Honors was treated to a visit by Kevin Buckley and bandmate Eric Michel and manager David Buckley, awarding winning country musicians from Nashville's Sister City in Caen, Normandy. Senior Douglas McWilliams prepared two beautiful King Cakes for the class, and the musicians conversed with everyone in French, answering questions about everything from Caen's soccer team to the deep friendship between the US and Normandie. The visitors finished the class with some of their live music -- what an interesting and entertaining morning for French III Honors.
Old Harvard Entrance Exam
Really interesting! A 19th century entrance exam for Harvard University, loaded with Greek, Latin, and ancient history. How would you fare?
April 10, 2011
German Exchange Students Arrive in Nashville!
On Sunday evening (4-10-11), a group of fifteen Germans and their accompanying teachers arrived in Nashville after several days in New York. Here on an exchange through the GAPP- German American Partnership Program, the students are staying with host families/students at MBA, Harpeth Hall, Brentwood High, and Centennial High. Now in its sixth year at MBA, the GAPP exchange brings students from Wiesbaden, Germany to Nashville each spring.
Three MBA students are hosting this year. Freshman Gaines Garrett is hosting Simon Weidmann, and seniors Jack Keller and Daniel Rundberg are hosting Marc Rodewyck and Patrick Wallisch, respectively.
During their two week stay in Nashville, the Germans will attend school, participate in sports, visit downtown Nashville and the Wildhorse Saloon, canoe on the Harpeth River, enjoy the MBA talent show, and build lifelong friendships!
Special thanks to all host families, MBA teachers of the exchange students, and the MBA administration for supporting the German exchange program.
Herzlich Willkommen in Nashville, Jungs!
March 26, 2011
"Herculaneum Uncovered"
Be sure to check out "Herculaneum Uncovered" on PBS's Secrets of the Dead. You can watch it this Tuesday night or online here.
March 25, 2011
Baucis and Philemon's "Epulae"
Students in Latin III honors were treated to a "feast" (Lat. epulae) today, corresponding with the meal that Baucis and Philemon prepare for the gods Jupiter and Mercury in Ovid's Metamorphoses VIII: 664-678.
Epulae (Feast):
bicolor sincerae baca Minervae (two-colored olive of pure Minerva)
corna autumnalia (wild autumn cherries)
intiba (endive)
lactis massa coacti (lump of cheese)
nux (nuts)
mixta est rugosis carica palmis (figs mixed with wrinkled dates)
pruna (plums)
redolentia mala (fragrant apples)
candidus favus (shining honeycomb)
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