LatinSummer Boston: Meet the Faculty & Staff
Mrs. Lauren Downey, Assistant Director Needham High School (Needham, MA) Lauren is a Latin teacher at Needham High School located in a suburb about ten miles west of Boston, MA. In 2002, Lauren graduated with a bachelor's from Cornell University majoring in Classical Civilizations. Lauren then earned a MA in Art History, focusing on Ancient Greek and Roman Art, in 2006 and then in 2007 a MAT in Latin and Classics both from Boston University. Lauren has thoroughly enjoyed her last five years at Needham, which has seen an exponential rise in Latin enrollment! In addition to her teaching, mentoring and union rep. duties, Lauren enjoys spending time with her toddler, Philip, and her husband, Ben. She is looking forward to working with the talented folks at Ascanius and a fun summer of Latin learning. |
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Ms. Nadia Ghosheh, Latin Immersion Instructor Georgetown University (Washington, DC) Nadia Ghosheh is a Post-Baccalaureate student at Georgetown University and has been an avid Classicist since High School. She graduated from the University of Virginia in 2012 with a Distinguished Major in Classics. She has been active in the Classics Community in Virginia since 2005, participating at Junior Classical League Events. From 2012-2013 she taught Latin at John Champe High School and Smart's Mill Middle School in Loudoun County. She will attend the University of Colorado Boulder to begin her MA in Classics in the fall. Her favorite aspects about Latin include Roman love poetry, Roman epic, and linguistics. Nadia has been involved with Ascanius: The Youth Classics Institute since 2011. She has helped to produce the new Latin Immersion curriculum and has taught Latin Immersion and Greek classes at previous LatinSummer programs. |
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Ms. Abby Gillis, Instructor Montrose School (Medfield, MA) Abby Gillis is a junior and fourth-year Latin student at Montrose School in Medfield, Massachusetts. She loves Latin and the Classics and is co-consul of her school's Junior Classical League chapter. Her other interests include reading, writing, music, and history. She works at the Morse Institute Library in Natick, Massachusetts, has volunteered as a counselor at various summer camps. In addition to the JCL is involved in her school's a cappella group, handbell choir, and musical productions. Abby is looking forward to being a part of the LatinSummer program this year. |
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Mr. Kevin S. Jefferson, Assistant Director Woodgrove High School (Purcellville, VA) Mr. Kevin Jefferson is a Latin teacher and Latin Club sponsor at Woodgrove High School in Loudoun County, Virginia. He graduated from the University of Virginia with a major in Classics (Latin concentration). While in Charlottesville, he coordinated Classics Day, an annual Certamen and enrichment event for middle and high school students. He now directs the Latin Tournament of the Classical Association of Virginia. His professional memberships include the Classical Association of Virginia, the Foreign Language Association of Virginia, and the American Classical League. His personal interests include music, mythology, spoken Latin, and epic poetry. As Director of Student Programs for Ascanius, Mr. Jefferson helps to design, organize, and coordinate both the major LatinSummer programs and smaller student outreach programs. He is also editing new volumes of lessons activities to introduce elementary school students to the ancient world. At this time, Mr. Jefferson also serves as the organization's webmaster. |
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Ms. MaryGrace King, Assistant Montrose School (Medfield, MA) MaryGrace King is a sophomore at Montrose School in Medfield, MA. She started studying Latin in eighth grade and avidly enjoys learning about the Classics. As a member of the Junior Classical League, MaryGrace appreciates the culture and mythology of ancient Greece and Rome. Her other interests include singing in Montrose's chorus and a capella, writing in the school newspaper, and competitive swimming. She has experience working with children as a CIT at the Natick Community Organic Farm. This is MaryGrace's first year participating with LatinSummer, and she eagerly looks forward to helping out as an Assistant. |
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Ms. Irene Morrison-Moncure, Director City University of New York (New York, NY) Irene Morrison-Moncure is a graduate student in the PhD program in Classics at The City University of New York. She graduated from the College of William and Mary in 2011, completing an honors thesis on Latin pedagogy at the college level. This is her second year with LatinSummer and Roman Explorers. Her interests include Roman epic, animal metaphors in poetry, and helping students apply to graduate school. As Assistant Director of Student Programs, Ms. Morrison-Moncure fosters relationships with local schools and Latin teachers and facilitates advertisement and fundraising for student programs. |
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Ms. Katherine Owensby, Instructor Charlotte Country Day School (Charlotte, NC) Katherine Owensby is a sophomore at Charlotte Country Day School in Charlotte, North Carolina. At school, she has been a varsity cheerleader as well as sophomore class treasurer and a member of the National Junior Honor Society. Although she enjoys chemistry and Spanish, Katherine's favorite subject is, of course, Latin because she admires the complexity of a language made so long ago. She is now completing her fourth year of Latin and plans to continue studying the language for the rest of her high school career. |
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Ms. Kate Preble, Local Coordinator St. Anselm College (Manchester, NH) Kate Preble is a sophomore at St. Anselm College. She is majoring in Classical Languages with a minor in Classical Archaeology. Her other interests include doing lights for the theater group at school, coaching a winter guard team in Weymouth, MA, and tutoring Latin and Greek. She is enjoying exploring the classical world through projects inside and outside of class, including a historical analysis of HBO's Rome, working on various events with the college's Classics Society, and being part of a field excavation team in Orvieto, Italy. Ms. Preble worked as an instructor at LatinSummer 2012 and is very excited to be involved in the program again in 2014! |
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Mr. Jimmy Ryan, Instructor Saint Sebastian's School (Needham, MA) James is a sophomore at Saint Sebastian's School in Needham, Massachusetts, a private Catholic all-boys high school. He has studied Latin during for four years and currently takes a Latin III Honors course. He is also a member of the school's Latin Club, which participates at events like Latin Mass and Classics Day held at Holy Cross. Aside from Latin, James has interests in drawing, ceramics, robotics, and sports, all of which he fosters by partaking in a club or team at school. He lives in Billerica, Massachusetts, with his parents and four siblings. |