THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 13, 1994 TAG: 9410130681
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JON GLASS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 96 lines
WHEN CARRIE THOMAS' Latin teacher called on her to read a passage of Virgil's ``Aeneid'' in class last week, Carrie's soft voice was barely audible.
But her translation of the Roman poet was impeccable.
That is something Rosa Motta, Carrie's teacher, has come to expect.
``She's quiet, but brilliant,'' Motta said.
For Carrie, a 15-year-old Maury High School junior who skipped half of fifth grade, the complex language of an ancient civilization remains living and vibrant.
``It's not like I took it because my parents said, `It'll do you good,' '' Carrie said. ``Latin interested me in the way it was more complex than Spanish and German, and more of a challenge.''
In fact, Latin is far from dead - about 70 percent of English words in common use today are derived from it.
``It helps your vocabulary,'' Carrie said. ``You can get an idea of what the English word means by its Latin derivative.''
Her love of the language developed while taking a seventh-grade exploratory foreign language course at Blair Middle. She took her first Latin grammar class the next year.
Since then, she has decided to make Latin her life's work. Carrie, who makes A's and B's, said she wants to major in the classics in college, then teach high school Latin.
``I want to help people have the same enjoyment as I do for Latin,'' Carrie said. ``I think everybody should know a little Latin.''
Motta calls her a dream student. It's unusual for a student her age to become so focused on a goal, Motta said.
Partly for that reason, Carrie was selected to study Latin for three weeks at the prestigious governor's foreign language immersion academy. She was the only student from Norfolk Public Schools offered a spot at the highly competitive academy, said Ann Rolbin, coordinator of foreign languages for the city's schools.
Only 45 students statewide attended the Latin academy, held at Hollins College in Roanoke.
``It's a very big honor,'' Rolbin said.
The academy's Latin motto, Ingens orbis in urbe - a huge world in a city - set the tone for learning about Roman architecture, urban life and literature, and the lasting effect they have had on western culture.
For one project, students had to invent Roman characters and present skits of their everyday lives. Carrie created ``Verginia Venusta,'' an 18-year-old single woman of the Roman patrician class, the upper segment of society. Carrie doubts that she would have been happy with the limitations placed on women of that day, even the privileged class.
``There were not many options for Roman women,'' Carrie said. ``You'd get married, you got slaves to go to the market and you would organize dinner parties for your husband. You wouldn't be doing much - probably lounging around the house.''
Carrie went to Camp Allen Elementary before moving to Blair. Her parents are Marie and William Thomas, and she has a brother, Josh, 13, and sister, Colleen, 12, who both attend Blair.
At Maury, Carrie is in the advanced placement Latin class. She also has a fine-honed interest in art. Currently, in her advanced placement art class, Carrie is sketching portraits she plans to send to Latin instructors who taught her last summer at Hollins.
Her other college-prep classes at Maury include government, essay writing, chemistry and pre-calculus.
When not hitting the books, she likes listening to country music; Garth Brooks is her favorite performer. She doesn't watch much television. Most of her spare time is spent drawing or reading. At school, she sits on the Student Council Association and is a member of the Latin club.
Carrie is one of only about 80 students at Maury taking Latin this year, said Motta, the high school's only Latin teacher. But Latin is experiencing a rebirth as schools focus more on academic subjects, Motta said.
``Without a knowledge of the classics, Roman history and civilization, a student, especially a college-bound student, is missing something,'' Motta said. ``They are enriched by it.''
Carrie attests to that.
``When I'm done translating, it gives me a sense of accomplishment,'' Carrie said. ``You have to go through it with a fine-toothed comb to find what the author meant to say.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by RICHARD L. DUNSTON
Carrie Thomas, shown in art class with teacher Keith Harris, was
selected to attend the governor's foreign language immersion
academy.
Graphic
NEW FEATURE
This article inaugurates a regular education feature in The
Compass to highlight outstanding students, teachers and
administrators in Norfolk schools. To nominate candidates for future
articles, contact education reporter Jon Glass at 490-7204.
by CNB