SALVI presents Biduum Coloratanum, a Latin immersion weekend workshop at the Sunshine Mountain Lodge in Allenspark, Colorado. We will enjoy exclusive use of this mountain retreat with its cabins, lodge, and outstanding views. Participants will enjoy individualized attention with a five to one participant to staff ratio, reading and conversing in Latin, a short hike on a nearby trail, a variety of classroom activities – including cooking delicious food – and the chance to connect with old and new friends, all in Latin!
The event is for all types of Latinists: novices who have never spoken Latin as well as veteran locutores. Biduum provides participants with a weekend to try a casual immersive Latin experience. For those who have been to Rusticatio or other week-long immersions, Biduum offers a mid-year opportunity to reconnect with the living Latin community. Latin teachers will have time to talk about pedagogy in English after the event, but Latin enthusiasts who are not in the teaching field will find it an enriching experience to engage in conversation, discover new Latin authors and texts, and develop their Latinity. In total, the SALVI Biduum offers 30 hours of professional development via Latin Immersion.
Program Dates:
October 25-27, 2024
- Arrival: Friday, October 25, between 3 and 6 p.m
- Departure: Sunday, October 27, around noon.
Features of Biduum Coloratanum:
- the safest introduction to speaking Latin in the world
- outstanding staff to participant ratio (with one staff member for every five participants, we can offer small break-out groups with full instructor support)
- communicating entirely in Latin from Friday evening through Sunday morning
- high-energy, low-pressure conversation exercises
- techniques that will add variety and confidence to your teaching
- readings from a wide array of Latin literature
- professional pedagogical discussions
- enjoyment of the beautiful Colorado mountains with a short hike near Rocky Mountain National Park
(Curious to hear what people think of SALVI programs? Take a look at reviews for Rusticatio.)
Why would anyone come back to experience a second Biduum or Latin immersion event?
Each time we immerse ourselves in Latin, we become better Latinists. Each Biduum introduces participants to a new curriculum, staff, and different teaching techniques that can be immediately implemented in the classroom.
Eligibility
You are eligible to attend this workshop if you have graduated high school, are at least 18 years of age, and have already learned Latin on paper and are interested in developing active command of the spoken language. Please note that Biduum is not an introductory Latin course and thus it is not for people who have no knowledge of the language. Typically, participants have completed, at a minimum, the equivalent of two years of traditional college Latin or four years of a high school Latin program. It is not necessary to have previous experience speaking Latin.
Location
We will reside and conduct all our workshop sessions at the Sunshine Mountain Lodge in Allenspark, CO. The site offers a true Colorado Mountain experience at 7,000 feet elevation and elk bugling and moose sightings are virtually guaranteed.
The lodging is in cabins with mostly dormitory-style bedrooms with up to six individuals sharing a room together and our classroom and dining room spaces are cozy. Visit the Lodge’s website to see pictures of the accommodations.
The Lodge is about a 90 minute drive from Denver International Airport. Out-of-state participants can use the Estes Park Shuttle directly to and from the airport and Uber is also available. We may also be able to help arrange transportation with local participants.
Accessiblity
The main building of the Sunshine Mountain Lodge is wheelchair accessible. The cabins, however, are not as accessible so participants who use a wheelchair would need to find lodging nearby. We suggest the Dao House which is about 15 minutes away.
For participants visiting from out of state, it would be easy to extend this trip to a vacation in Rocky Mountain National Park. Allenspark is close to Estes Park, the gateway town to RMNP and about an hour and a half from the ski resorts in Summit County. Participants might also consider visiting Denver, Boulder, or Fort Collins, each about an hour away from the Lodge.
Cost
$450 per person, all-inclusive, covering two nights lodging, five meals, including drinks, tuition, and instructional materials.
Transportation to and from Biduum is not included (though SALVI can help arrange carpooling).
Day participant option:
For those who live close enough to commute to the Lodge from home, we are offering a $60 discount. Day participants must agree to attend all Biduum activities, staying each night until at least 9:30 PM and arriving for breakfast each morning by 8:00 AM.
Single room upgrade option:
There are a few single rooms available which we are making available to participants for an additional $100. Please see the site map for cabin #3 and cabin #4 to see the layout of a private room with a shared bath.
All single rooms have been taken.
Biduum Coloratanum Instructors and Staff:
- Holly (Annula) Engvall:
- Holly Russo began teaching Latin in 2010 in Worcester, Massachusetts. In 2014, while pursuing a master’s degree in Latin and Classical Humanities at UMass Boston, she attended her first Latin-immersion event, the Conventiculum Bostoniense, where she met her husband Cori. The following summer, she participated in her first SALVI event, the Rusticatio Veteranorum. In 2015 she was hired at East Boston High School, where she now teaches Latin, World History, and Sheltered English Immersion History to ESL students.
- Josh (Iosue) Higginbotham
- Tom (Thomas -ae, m.) Lippert
- Having realized his dream of serving as Subcurator at Rusticatio 2024, Tom kinda feels like he’s accomplished everything he set out to achieve. He goes about his day, writing letters to the FDA at his regulatory affairs job and chipping away at a second bachelor’s degree (last time: computer science, this time: classics). In a sober postprandial moment he gazes out across the Wasatch Front. Have I peaked? Is it all downhill from here? He resides in Salt Lake City, where he aspires to one day adopt and name cats after English conjunctive adverbs.
- Claire (Clara) Mieher
- Claire graduated from Tufts University with a BA in Greek & Latin in 2019, by which point she had already been introduced to the efficacy and joy of speaking Latin. After graduation she moved to Los Angeles to pursue a Ph.D. in Classics at USC. She took a year off her program to teach Latin in Rome, and since returning to USC, has been working on a dissertation about 15th-16th century women’s Latin letter collections. Since 2018, Claire has taught Latin and Greek using comprehensible input-based methods for USC’s Neighborhood Academic Initiative, SALVI, the Paideia Institute, and as a private tutor. In her free time, Claire enjoys baking, gardening, composing in Latin and Greek, and spending time with her two tree frogs. Claire is also a co-host of the podcast Latinitas Animi Causa.
- Jason (Iason) Slanga
- Jason studied Computer Science at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, before applying all of his Latin credits to a degree in Ancient Studies. While teaching for 12 years in the Baltimore County Public School system, he helped develop a district-wide Latin curriculum based on comprehensible input and target language instruction. He has served on the boards of SALVI and the Maryland Foreign Language Association. Jason attended his first Rusticatio in 2007, and has filled a wide variety of roles at SALVI events, including head chef, facilities manager, adjunct staff, and lead instructor. These days he lives in Albuquerque, NM, where he cooks full time in a vegan restaurant, offering New Mexican cuisine.
- Tim (Timotheus) Smith
- Tim studied Classics at the College of the Holy Cross and University of Chicago and taught Latin in the traditional grammar method for over a decade before he finally, very reluctantly, and not without great dubiousness, attended his first Rusticatio in 2014. Once in an immersion setting, he quickly became a convert to the enjoyment and utility of speaking Latin. He has served as a Rusticatio coquus since 2016, has directed four previous Bidua Coloratana, and has a Youtube cooking show in Latin called Coquamus and co-hosts the Latin Podcast Secunda Mensa. He currently serves as the President of SALVI.
Participant Behavior Contract
By registering for Biduum Virginianum, participants promise to abide by the SALVI Participant Behavior Contract.
How to Register:
Registration is now closed. Thanks for your interest!
How to Pay:
Once you have received a registration confirmation email, please proceed with payment using the Pay with Paypal, Pay with Venmo, or Debit or Credit Card buttons below.
Alternatively, you may send a check payable to “SALVI” to the following address:
Edie Barry
SALVI Treasurer
3445 Hicks Road
Sebastopol, CA 95472
For any questions regarding payment, please email our Treasurer, Edie Barry at treasurer@latin.org.