Scroll down to explore highlights from SALVI’s history since its founding in 1996. We get around more than Odysseus – SALVI has sponsored or co-sponsored programs in more than 15 states, Italy, Canada, Mexico, South Africa, and Australia. (There’s a glossary of Latin terms and acronyms at the end.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
October, 1996:\u00a0SALVI is born! A group of Latinists at UCLA including Nancy Llewellyn, Jim Dobreff, Fred Ahl, and Professor Bernie Frischer formally found the “North American Institute for Living Latin Studies” (in Latin, “Septentrionale Americanum Latinitatis Vivae Institutum,” or S.A.L.V.I.).<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
1997 – 1998:\u00a0“Quadriduum Latinum Angelopolitanum” is SALVI’s first series of events: four-day conferences featuring guest speakers held at UCLA and UC Berkeley, hosted by Nancy Llewellyn and Jim Dobreff.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
March 29 – April 3, 1998:\u00a0Septimana Californiana marks SALVI’s first annual event. The first six participants spent the week at the Mission San Luis Rey Retreat Center in Oceanside, CA reading Latin texts about the discovery of the New World.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
1996 – 2004:\u00a0Latin dinners (“cenae Latinae“) are held in Southern California. Favorite spots include The Marquis Room in Santa Monica, where participants would read from booklets made just for the occasion. One such book was “Quorundam Poetarum Nostrae Aetatis Florilegium Parvum”\u00a0– a collection of fun modern Latin poems.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
June 26 – July 2, 1999:\u00a0The second\u00a0Septimana Californiana features a field trip to Catalina Island. At night, participants sit around a bonfire on the beach and read passages from the Aeneid under the stars.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
June 5 – 11, 2000:\u00a0Three brave\u00a0SALVIani\u00a0found\u00a0Rusticatio in Northern California. In addition to activities from\u00a0Septimana, Australian Latin teacher and chef extraordinaire Andrew Gollum begins the tradition of cooking together\u00a0Latine. The new location is closer to wine country in Napa. After all,\u00a0in vino Latinitas!<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
2001 – 2004:\u00a0Nancy Llewellyn, Albert Baca, and others journey to Mexico to meet with the modern Mexican Latin poet, Francisco Cabrera. Cabrera had been collaborating with SALVIanus Bill Cooper on a book, “Monumenta Mexicana.”\u00a0SALVIani make three trips to Mexico between 2001 and 2004.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
August 10 – 16, 2001:\u00a0Opening ceremonies were conducted with a rubber chicken (“gallina gummacea”) in hand – for the first time (we think) at the second\u00a0Rusticatio. Participation more than doubles.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
August 5 – 12, 2004:\u00a0Rusticatio Californiana\u00a0is still going strong at Silver Penny Farm, with participants flying in from Virginia and even Australia. Kangaroo meat makes its one disastrous appearance on a\u00a0Rusticatio menu.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
2005:\u00a0After a summer Rusticatio marked by kayaking on the Russian River, SALVI returns to Silver Penny Farm for its final event there: a New Year’s party! Msgr. Cletus Pavanetto joins the celebration all the way from the Vatican in Rome. This marks the end of the events hosted in Petaluma – and the start of a search to find a new home for Rusticatio.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
March 30 – April 1, 2006:\u00a0SALVI teams up with the Society for the Oral Reading of Greek and Latin Literature earlier this year in Quebec. Together they plan a workshop at a location that SORGLL suggests: Claymont Court in West Virginia. Nancy Llewellyn sees a place perfect for Rusticatio.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
1998 – 2007:\u00a0To meet new\u00a0Latinistae, SALVI invites people to dessert at conferences at Ball State University, CAMWS, APA (now SCS), and others. People come to see how sweet it is to speak Latin.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
October 5 – 7, 2007: For SALVI’s 11th birthday, it’s time to rededicate ourselves to the mission! Nancy Llewellyn, Jacque Myers, Andrew Gollan, Luke Henderson, Gina Soter, John Piazza, and Jenny Nelson meet at Santa Monica High School in California to create a strategic approach for SALVI’s second decade. Their efforts create more opportunities than SALVI has ever offered before.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
2008:\u00a0SALVI President Jenny Nelson commissions the creation of our seal!<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
July 2 – 8, 2008:\u00a0The first\u00a0Rusticatio Virginiana\u00a0is held at Claymont Manor in Charles Town, WV. The\u00a0gallina gummacea flies (on a plane, for obvious reasons) to open the week full of reading, conversation, and hiking in the woods.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
July 2010: SALVI’s first\u00a0Iter Romanum\u00a0brings Rusticatio out of the woods and to The Eternal City. People explore ancient sites and restaurants with Latin-speaking tour guides. There are even tours\u00a0underneath Rome and inside hard-to-access places like the interior of the Pyramid of Caius Cestius. Rusticatio happens on both coasts in the U.S. this year as well, with a new location in California and the second year at Claymont.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
2010:\u00a0While adults explore Rome\u00a0Latine\u00a0or enjoy Rusticatio, SALVIanus Luke Henderson founds its first program for high school students in partnership with the Getty Villa. Academia Aestiva brings kids behind the scenes in a museum recreating a Roman villa.\u00a0Teenagers spend the morning learning about Roman art and daily life at the museum and the afternoons outdoors playing games like\u00a0harpastum (Roman football).<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
February 24 – 26, 2012:\u00a0It’s been months since the last Rusticatio and we can’t wait any longer! Biduum – a weekend-long immersion event – is the brainchild of SALVIana Dawn “Aurora” Mitchell. The event both creates a shorter opportunity for new people to try speaking Latin and it helps experienced speakers get a quick fix of Latin immersion.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
July 2 – 9, 2012:\u00a0SALVI President Jacque Myers brings back Septimana Latina after a hiatus of 11 years. Loyola Marymount University and our dux, Prof. Stephen Berard, host to sessions in writing and conversation for advanced-level speakers. We visit popular sites in Los Angeles and continue speaking Latin, even when surrounded by English and Spanish.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
July 12 – 19, 2012:\u00a0One of the most beloved parts of Rusticatio has been sitting with Professor David Morgan on the porch. A man known for his generous spirit and the depth of his Latinity, he touched the heart of everyone who had the honor to meet him. 2012 marked the last Rusticatio he would attend before his death.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
2013:\u00a0The year SALVI ran more than 10 programs in 6 states in under 8 months – and you thought Pheidippides ran around a lot! Bidua begin in Oklahoma and Michigan and continue at Claymont and in California. Rusticatio adds a third, special week: Atlanta Latin teacher Dr. Bob Patrick and friends inaugurate Pedagogy Rusticatio – a week in English focusing on classroom best practices.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
August 4 – 10, 2013:\u00a0Father Jason Barone, a Rusticatio regular, approaches SALVI to help launch\u00a0Veterum Sapientia, a spoken-Latin event for clergy. The program is developed under SALVI’s aegis through partnerships with Belmont Abbey College, Catholic University of America, and St. Joseph’s College Seminary. Father Reggie Foster headlines as the first keynote speaker.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
July 10 – 15, 2014:\u00a0Pedagogy Rusticatio this year gets handsy! Evan Gardner, creator of Where Are Your Keys?, teaches how to use American Sign Language as a technique to support learning Latin assisted by Jason Slanga and Justin Slocum Bailey. Roberto Carfagni joins Rusticatio from Italy as our honored guest.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
November 21 – 23, 2014:\u00a0Latin teachers are everywhere at the 2014 ACTFL conference. Everyone can recognize us easily because we’re all wearing shirts, created by SALVIana Arianne Belzer, that proudly proclaim: “Ask me about speaking Latin!” We also celebrate and cheer Dr. Bob Patrick, a SALVIanus who is an ACTFL Teacher of the Year Finalist – the first Latin teacher ever nominated.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
2015:\u00a0Amy High was an early supporter of SALVI before her untimely death in 2003. She was beloved by all who met her and you may know her as the Latin translator of the children’s book Olivia or from her appearances on the “Forum Romanum” classroom video series. In 2015, SALVI began offering scholarships in her honor to bring more people to the world of living Latin.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
June 2015: SALVI goes to Africa!\u00a0Nancy Llewellyn and John Kuhner are invited by North-West University in Potchefstroom, South Africa to run Septimana Africana. Readings focus on celebrating the African intellectual tradition and on Latin authors born in Africa, such as\u00a0al-Hasan ibn Muhammad, also known as Leo Africanus.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
Summer 2015:\u00a0Pedagogy Rusticatio goes on the road to the National TPRS Conference. Let’s just say we surprised all the other modern language educators with our large delegation of Latin teachers using TPRS and speaking Latin. (People may have also been surprised when a SALVIanus removed his shirt to reveal rippling muscles in front of a big audience, but that’s a story for another time…)<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
2016:\u00a0There are so many\u00a0veterani of SALVI programs that Rusticatio Veteranorum continues to grow in its second year. Pedagogy Rusticatio features Helene Rassias of Dartmouth College’s Rassias Center for World Languages and Cultures. Bi-coastal Bidua keep on truckin’.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
June 30 – July 24, 2017:\u00a0Rusticatio is so full that we have to run three full weeks:\u00a0tironum for beginners,\u00a0veteranorum for the more experienced, and\u00a0omnibus for all speaking levels.\u00a0 All this on top of four Bidua, including the first in New York State.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
July 14 – 16, 2017:\u00a0It’s time to celebrate twenty years of SALVI serving the living Latin community. The party at Claymont brings together alumni SALVIani from the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s. Two of the original incorporators from 1996, Jim Dobreff of UMass Boston and Fred Ahl of Cornell U, are distinguished guests. One SALVI tradition, the annual performance of Blundell and Cumming’s\u00a0Auricula Meretricula, receives a full makeover with original lyrics and music by Joel Derfner of NYU. The tunes leave our toes tapping while honoring the hard work and persistence that formed SALVI’s first two decades.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/section>\n\n\t\t\t\n\n\n\n
Glossary (in order of appearance):<\/p>\n\n\n\n