Biduum Virginianum is SALVI’s original 2-day Latin immersion program held at the beautiful and historic Claymont Court Mansion. Claymont is the home of Rusticatio as well as several other SALVI sponsored events. Nestled in the rolling hills of the Shenandoah Valley, Claymont offers the quies and seclusion that are conducive to an English-free environment. while at the same time, providing several cozy meeting spaces which foster conversation and sodality. Claymont Court Mansion is surrounded by woods, wildlife, and farmland that allow for brisk nature walks and a calming atmosphere.
Biduum Virginianum began in 2013 as the flag-ship for what would evolve into many Bidua all over the country. With programs in Georgia, Oklahoma, Colorado, Los Angeles, and New York, Bidua have proven to be quite popular because they offer the Latinist so much. For tirones, or those who have little to no experience speaking Latin, Bidua are a way to whet your spoken Latin whistle, without the week-long commitment of a Rusticatio. For Rusticatio or Biduum
Program Dates
February 21-23, 2025
- Arrival: Friday, February 21, between 3 and 6 p.m.
- Departure: Sunday, February 23, between noon and 3 p.m.
Features of Biduum
- supportive, intimidation-free environment
- communicating entirely in Latin
- high-energy conversation exercises
- learning and relaxing in Latin
- experiencing, as a student, active teaching methods
- games for a variety of learning styles
- techniques that will streamline your teaching
- readings from Latin literature presented in Latin
- pedagogical discussions
(Curious to hear what people think of SALVI programs? Take a look at reviews for Rusticatio.)
Eligibility
You are eligible to attend this workshop if you 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 reside and conduct our workshop sessions at the historic mansion house at the Claymont Retreat Center, 667 Huyett Road, Charles Town, WV, 25414.
Cost
$430 per person, all-inclusive, covering two nights lodging, five meals, tuition, and instructional materials. Transportation to and from the Claymont Mansion is not included (though SALVI will help arrange carpooling).
Cancellation: You may cancel before February 1, 2025 for a full refund. After this date, we cannot refund your payment.
Program Instructors:
- Arianne (Ariadne) Belzer-Carroll (dux) is a high school Latin teacher in Atlanta, Georgia, where she recently learned from her students that Jack Black lives on the moon. Fifteen years ago, her student teaching mentor directed her to SALVI, and she’s never looked back. She has acted as coqua and repetitrix for a variety of events across the country, teaches with LAC (Latinitas Animi Causa) during the week, is half of Bene Narras with Rachel Cunning, is the author of several novellas, and, for extra nerdiness, is married to a Latin teacher. When she’s not teaching, you’ll find her holed up knitting something.
- Andrew (Andreas) Morehouse (praeceptor) graduated from UMass Amherst in 2015 and 2017 with a BA in Classics and MAT in Latin and Classical Humanities respectively and nurtured there his love for teaching Latin and ancient Greek. He began speaking Latin in 2016 with Paideia at Living Latin in Rome where he was immediately inflamed with the desire to speak Latin just about every day. Each day since, he has spent a great deal of his time learning and understanding how to speak better, read better, and better grapple with the texts of the ancient world and the ancient world itself. This led him to SALVI with which he has been involved since 2018, serving as an instructor, sodalis, dux, and member of the board of directors. He currently runs Latinitas Animi Causa alongside his wife, Ilse, ubi linguae “mortuae” vivescunt! He loves making content in Latin and ancient Greek via podcasts and YouTube videos, and live streaming playing video games in Latin on Twitch. He also currently teaches Latin, ancient Greek, and Spanish at the Woodstock Academy in CT. Outside the Latin/Greek world, he enjoys doing archery, playing guitar, singing, photography, and reading in his spare time, when he can find it.
- Ilse (Ilsa) Morehouse (praeceptor) started teaching Latin in 2012 and has been a part of SALVI since 2016 when she also started speaking Latin at Rusticatio Tironum. She is currently the Vice President of SALVI and is a Ph.D. student at Boston University. Ilse and her husband Andrew are the co-founders of Latinitas Animi Causa (habesnelac.com) which aims to promote inclusivity, accessibility, and engagement in classical language instruction.
- Bryan (Brennus) Whitchurch (praeceptor) comes to the Biduum Virginianum with nearly 20 years of teaching experience and a special focus on K-12 environments in DC, NYC, and Boston. He holds a BA in History from Utah State University, an MAT in Latin and Classical Humanities from UMASS Amherst, and an MA as well as a PhD in Classical Philology from Fordham University. He has been engaged with speaking Latin and teaching spoken Latin in summer programs since 2006. Bryan currently serves as the chair of the Classics Department at Washington Latin School in DC and when not invested in his regular teaching duties, Bryan actively publishes on classical education and classical reception, most recently in the Classical Outlook and on Brill Press in an edited volume. Outside of work he enjoys singing, running, and Latin dancing – Latin by day, Latin by night!
Participant Behavior Contract
By registering for Biduum Virginianum, participants promise to abide by the SALVI Participant Behavior Contract.
How to Register:
Complete the Google form below to register. You will be notified as soon as possible after your registration has been received.
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.