Aequora in Great Neck

Our Aequora sites are located at the Great Neck Library and at Richard S. Sherman Great Neck North Middle School in Great Neck, NY. It is a library that provides many after-school programs and opportunities to its patrons, now including Latin. 

Aequora is a K-8 program focused on literacy via Latin. 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.

Led by independent site coordinators, Aequora envisions 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!

HOW WE TEACH AEQUORA

At the Great Neck Library and Richard S. Sherman Great Neck North Middle School, our students range from 5th to 8th grades, and no prior experience with Latin is needed. Not only do we assist students who take Latin in school, but we also encourage participation from anyone interested in Roman history and culture, Greco-Roman mythology, and Latin. Through Aequora’s curriculum, we hope to create a fun environment that fosters a genuine excitement for learning. The sites at the Great Neck Library and Richard S. Sherman Great Neck North Middle School meet once every two weeks. The Aequora program is sustained by enthusiastic volunteers from all over the nation and beyond who care about making a difference and strive to fight educational inequality through sharing their passion for classics.

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Site Coordinators

The Great Neck Public Library site is run by Abigail Monasebian and Jules Sanders, students from Great Neck North High School.

Jules Sanders

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Jules Sanders

Jonathan “Jules” Sanders is a senior at Great Neck North High School. He leads his school’s Classics club, Model U.N. club, Quiz Bowl team, and school newspaper. He is deeply interested in the Classics, history, English, and politics.

Abigail Monasebian

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Abigail Monasebian

Abigail Monasebian is a sophomore at a public high school in Great Neck, New York. She has been self-taught in Latin for four years, as well as Ancient Greek language and classical literature. She hosts an Aequora site at her local library, and writes monthly articles detailing the classical endeavors she teaches the students every other week. She attended The Paideia Institute’s Living Greek in Greece High School program, where she learned Ancient Greek knowledge on the very grounds that it occurred. She also co-founded an online journal publication, The Politeia Review, dedicated to publishing student-led research on bridging the classical world with that of modern-day politics. Outside of classics, Abigail enjoys interning on political campaigns, collecting and donating books to the underprivileged youth of Iran through her non-profit organization Books Defy Borders, and more!