Thought for the week

This week's meditation from Marcus Aurelius is particularly relevant to the teaching profession. In times of stress and exasperation we should remember his gentle words:

'Teach them better, if you can; if not, remember that kindliness has been given to you for moments like these.'

Indeed!

Thought for the week.

Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180A.D.) was a Roman emperor. In his later years he wrote a series of reflections which he called simply To Himself. These thoughts are better known as his Meditations. Most are quite short and portray a humble, honest, pious and pensive individual. He died on March 17th 180A.D. and was succeeded by his son Commodus, a wastrel and a brute, quite unlike his father. The father and son were portrayed by Richard Harris and Jaoquin Phoenix respectively in the film Gladiator.

Our first selection from the Meditations is the following:

'All of us are creatures of a day; the rememberer and the remembered alike.'

More next week...

Senior Classical Studies Prize 2008

This year's prize has been awarded to joint winners Sophie Haslett (Form VI) and Celeste Guinness (Form V). Congratulations!

Candidates were asked to discuss in an essay the following:

'The issue of youth, with its innocence, arrogance, valour and tragedy permeates the epic poetry of Virgil and Homer. It provides lessons for the reader in terms of moral and heroic behaviour.'

There were many other fine entries from Forms VI and V. The winning essays will appear here in due course.

Mocks Upon Us

On Thursday Leaving Cert. Classical Studies students get their first real flavour for what is to come in June. All the best to all of you. The following Thursday (ages away!) the Form III set are being put through their paces...but more about that to follow.

For those of you not doing mocks in the near future here's a bit of fun for you: a computer game involving triremes and battering rams. Knock yourselves out!

World Wide Wonderful!

This post is really for the Latinists among you and was passed on to me by the Blogmeister general at sccenglish.ie, excellent cross curricular work. Anyway the link below leads you to a Finnish radio website which features the world's only broadcast of news in Latin! You're not looking at Caesar or the new developments in phalanx warfare but rather Dafur, Super Tooosday or Trappatoni (if anyone in Finland is interested in the FAI)

www.yleradio1.fi/nuntii/id50.shtml

Enjoy and remember to take everything you read on the web cum grano salus!

Junior Classical Studies Prize

We have a winner!

Having waitied for a couple of late entries due to Antigone commitments we are happy to announce that Robbie Hollis is this year's winner. Well done Hobbie! Special mention must be made for the strongest Form II entry from Opeline Kellett. Thanks to all of you for entering and attempting what was quite a tricky paper.

And as for those promised Antigone pics...well tomorrow's another day, right?

Welcome!

Welcome to the first post of our Classical Studies blog, The Clog. We are hoping to update this site on a weekly basis (at least) with news from the Classical world within St. Columba's and beyond. Look out tomorrow for pictures from this weekend's Junior play production of 'Antigone' by Sophocles, directed by our head of department Peter McCarthy. This challenging play was performed admirably by a cast of pupils from Transition Year, Forms III and II.