Rusticatio Omnibus 2025

Rusticatio Omnibus is a full-immersion Latin workshop offering high-energy conversation exercises and readings from Latin literature in a supportive, intimidation-free environment.

Participants live together for seven days (six nights) while they speak, read, cook and relax—all while communicating entirely in Latin. Through a variety of exchanges, including instructional sessions, assisting in the kitchen, daily shared tasks, and downtime, participants in Rusticatio Omnibus enjoy a feeling of camaraderie while they experience first-hand various teaching methods that can be applied to teaching Latin in the classroom.

Rusticatio Omnibus is appropriate for speakers of all levels. First-time Latin speakers who already know the language will find the activities both enjoyable and appropriately challenging. For more experienced, intermediate or advanced speakers the environment offers the opportunity to improve their speaking ability through activities guided by our expert staff. Offering a welcoming environment where various Latin speaking abilities are present, Rusticatio Omnibus allows participants to find their own level of Latin conversation.

Participant Reviews:

• “Rusticatio is the best way to learn spoken Latin.”
• “Everyone who has even the smallest interest in learning to speak the Latin language should experience a week of Rusticatio. The amount one learns in a single week here is immeasurable.”
• “There is no professional development more useful to teachers of Latin. The experience is profound and superlatively useful and applicable.”

Program Dates: July 14 – July 20, 2025

• ARRIVAL: Monday, July 14, 12:00–3:00 p.m.
  • Nota Bene: Lunch on arrival day is not provided. Please eat before you arrive.
• DEPARTURE: Sunday, July 20, 12:00–3:00 p.m.

Instructional Staff:

• Corrado (Conradus) Russo: In 2012 Corrado received a Master’s Degree in Classics from Tufts University. Since then he has taught Latin and Greek in public and independent schools at the middle and high school levels. He fell in love with the active use of Latin after attending his first immersion event in 2010. He was a founding member of the Boston Active Latin Meetup group and hosted it for several years, and has recorded and released complete Latin audiobooks available on a podcast titled “Musaeolum.” He has presented on topics relating to Latin pedagogy at conferences hosted by ACTFL, the Massachusetts Foreign Language Association (MAFLA), and the Classical Association of Massachusetts (CAM). He attends and staffs summer Latin immersion events regularly, and had the pleasure of serving as dux of Rusticatio Omnibus in 2019 and 2024. He spends his free time reading Latin literature with friends and enjoying the natural world.
• Holly (Annula) Russo: 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.
• Ilse (Ilsa) Morehouse: Ilse 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.
• Joshua (Iosue) Higginbotham
• Diane (Diana) Warne Anderson: Diane received her PhD in Classical Studies from Duke University and BA in Latin and Greek from Wellesley College. She has been teaching at UMass Boston since 2014, and previously taught for many years in Minnesota at Saint John’s University, University of Minnesota, and University of St. Thomas. Diane was also a research scholar at the Hill Museum and Manuscript Library and led summer workshops on medieval manuscripts. In 2005, her life was transformed by attending her first Latin immersion program, the Conventiculum Vasintoniense. Since 2010 she has also been teaching at immersive programs and other enrichment classes for UMass Boston (Conventiculum Bostoniense), SALVI, Latinitas Animi Causa, and the Medieval Academy of America. Her research focuses on Latin manuscripts and textual criticism. Her current pursuits include scientific Latin and Latin written by women. She lives near Boston with her husband Mike and Siberian cat Clio.
• Joshua (Iosue) Thomas: Josh teaches Latin to grades 6-12 at The Ellis School in Pittsburgh, PA. Six years ago he made the switch to comprehensible input based teaching and hasn’t looked back. He especially enjoys the barely-controlled chaos of speaking Latin with his middle schoolers. He earned a BA in History and Classics from Ohio State and an MA in Latin and Greek from Villanova University, but counts Biduua and Rusticationes among his most valuable Latin learning experiences. Away from Latin, Josh enjoys cooking with his wife, making pasta, watching baseball, and rowing Pittsburgh’s beautiful rivers. In the spring and summer, you can find him in the cheap seats at PNC Park, cheering on his beloved Pirates. No matter what he gets into, however, he never can seem to turn off the voice in his head that constantly asks, “how could I turn this into a Latin lesson?”
• Natalie (Nātālia) Tsottles: Taught by SALVI alumni, Natalie has been using conversational Latin since day 1 of her journey. Natalie attended her first SALVI immersion event in 2013 and has been coming back for more ever since. In 2016, she graduated from Loyola University Maryland with a BA in Classical Languages and went on to teach middle and high school Latin for 6 years. Natalie is currently the Director of After School and Enrichment Programs at the Gilman School in Baltimore. In her free time, she enjoys walking her dog around Baltimore’s waterfront, kettlebell workouts, and of course, speaking Latin!

Eligibility:

You are eligible to attend this workshop if you have already learned Latin on paper and are interested in developing or furthering active command of the spoken language. Please note that Rusticatio 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.

Age Eligibility:

Participants must be at least 18 years old and have graduated from high school by the start date of the program.

Participant Behavior Contract:

By registering for Rusticatio Omnibus, participants promise to abide by the SALVI Participant Behavior Contract.

Click here for SALVI’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion statement.

Cost:

Early Bird Pricing: Save $100 when you pay in full by April 1, 2025!

The program cost is $1290 when paid in full by April 1, 2025.  After April 1, full payment is $1390.

This program is all-inclusive, covering housing, food, and beverages (including wine and beer for those over 21), tuition, and instructional materials. Transportation to and from the Claymont Mansion is not included (though SALVI will help arrange carpooling).

How to Register:

Complete the Google form below to register. We will send you a confirmation email as soon as possible after your registration has been received.

How to Pay:

Once you have received your registration confirmation email, pay the $100 deposit to complete your registration and reserve your spot. Your balance is due by June 1, 2025.   To make a payment, choose the appropriate amount from the dropdown below and then click the Pay with Paypal, Pay with Venmo, or Debit or Credit Card button.

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.

Refunds and Cancellations

You may cancel before June 1, 2025 for a full refund. After this date, we cannot refund your payment.