ABOUT OUR SITE AND AEQUORA
The Bement School is a K-9 school located in Deerfield, MA. At Bement, we are proud to partner with The Paideia Institute and offer Aequora as an after-school program.
Aequora is a K-8 curriculum focusing on literacy education via Latin. Led by independent site-coordinators, Aequora has expanded to over 40 sites in 12 states throughout the continental U.S.
At Bement, 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
At Bement, we hold Aequora sessions with a small group of students in their library area on Thursday afternoons. Aequora is advertised as "Latin Club" within the Bement community as the time slot coincides with a variety of after-school programs. We teach students with both an English-speaking and Spanish-speaking background.
Our students are in fourth and fifth grade and have a small Latin foundation as Bement requires an introductory course. Thus, along with exploring vocabulary and syntax, the students often seek historical context and mythological stories to fuel their genuine curiosity with regards to the Classical world. With all of these factors interplaying, our classroom dynamic is as enjoyable as it is educational and the students see Tessa and Henry not only as teachers but also as friends.
The Aequora program is sustained by enthusiastic volunteers all over the country 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 Bement, or if you have questions about how you can get involved, use the Volunteer button below.
SITE COORDINATOR
Our site coordinators, Tessa Bracken and Henry Zhang, are high school students at Deerfield Academy. Click below to learn more about them!
