ABOUT OUR SITE AND AEQUORA
Aequora in Canada?! This Aequora site is unique in that it is the first one to open in Canada. Our site started through an already existing community partnership with the students at Havergal College and the students at Grenoble Public School. The school is located in North York, ON, Canada.
Aequora is a K-8 curriculum focusing on literacy education via Latin. Led by independent site-coordinators, Aequora has expanded to over 30 sites in North America.
At our site, we have chosen Aequora because we believe in the benefits of a classical education. Through The Paideia Institute’s Aequora curriculum, our volunteers harness the classical languages’ power to improve literacy, cultural understanding, and equity in education — all while making the ancient Mediterranean world fun and accessible to students of all backgrounds.
Aequora is shaped by a belief that everyone should have access to Latin and by a vision of Classics as an inclusive, diverse, and socially engaged field. Our textbook, Aequora: Teaching Literacy with Latin, introduces the basics of Latin vocabulary and grammar, Roman culture and mythology, and connections between Latin, English, and Spanish, all through games and activities designed to show students that learning Latin is fun!
To learn more about The Paideia Institute’s Aequora program, its groundbreaking curriculum, or how we can work together, click Partner with Us.
HOW WE TEACH AEQUORA
Every Wednesday, the volunteers from Havergal make their way to Grenoble Public School. The students at Grenoble are mainly immigrants and the majority of them speak more than one language. However, at Grenoble Public School there is no Latin course.
Havergal students, on the other hand, are offered a Latin course starting from ninth grade and, after three years of Latin, they can explore Greco-Roman World more deeply in a Classic Civilizations class. Bringing Aequora to Grenoble Public School provides students with the opportunity to explore a new language, and learn about Ancient Rome outside of a classroom environment.
We implement a tutoring system in which each Havergal volunteer is paired with a Grenoble student to ensure that every student feels supported during the Aequora sessions, and can grow in confidence with their knowledge of the Latin language.
To lend your support for the Classics and public literacy by donating to the Paideia Institute, click Support Aequora.
HOW TO VOLUNTEER
The Aequora program is sustained by enthusiastic volunteers all over North America who care about making a difference and want to fight educational inequality through sharing their love of Latin. We are always looking for new volunteers!
To learn more about volunteering at Grenoble Public School, or if you have questions about how you can get involved, use the Volunteer button below.
SITE COORDINATOR
Juddy Kim, our site coordinator, is a student at Havergal College. Here is her testimonial about starting her Aequora site:
Salvete! My first experience with the Latin language was during a family trip to Rome in July 2014. Since then, I have taken Latin at my school for three years and just this summer, I had the opportunity to attend Paideia's Living Latin in Rome summer program.
It was in Rome that I truly understood the powerful presence of the Latin language in both the ancient and contemporary world. I had the chance to speak Latin for the first time which was a nerve-racking yet exhilarating experience. Most importantly, I discovered a platform to share my passion for Latin with a new generation of Latin enthusiasts in my own community.
I look forward to helping students discover their ability to immediately connect with a culture from almost 2000 years ago as they build their knowledge of Latin. Although I have had doubts about my ability to teach Latin when I, myself, am just starting to understand this language, I believe that through my involvement in Aequora, I will be challenged to expand my knowledge in a new environment where I am not only a teacher but also a student.