On February 26th, the Classics Department was thrilled to celebrate the study of Classical languages at NHEHS with a special dinner in the library, attended by 34 of our students studying Latin and Greek from Year 10 upwards.

We all enjoyed a wonderful Mediterranean-style buffet in the Library, and were excited to welcome Dr. Frisbee Sheffield, Associate Professor of Classics at Cambridge University, who delivered a thought-provoking talk on the ethics of conversation and was asked some excellent questions about the relevance of Plato’s ideas to great teaching and democracy. You can read what our Year 10 Journalist Lead, Kwanitah, thought of the brilliant talk here.

The evening also featured a fun quiz masterminded by our Classics Reps, Alex, Maya and Maanvi, including picture rounds where we had to identify classical authors from images, decode Latin song lyrics, and test our knowledge of the Classics Department (e.g., how did Mrs. Goodall rank, from most to least favourite, the imperfect tense, Sophocles, and cows in Greek and Roman mythology?). Congratulations to our winners, Roxie, Isobel, Esha and Lexie!

The Classics Dinner was a lovely way to bring together all the staff and students who make NHEHS such an inspirational place to teach and learn Classics. Every day, our students demonstrate passion and curiosity for the ancient world, whether through asking searching questions about obscure uses of the ablative or imagining how Karl Marx’s ideas might clash with those of Tacitus. NHEHS Classicists have remarkable intellectual ambition and it is a joy to teach them.

Following on from the Classics Dinner, the next exciting event in the Classics calendar is a trip to Sophokles’ ‘Elektra’ at the Duke of York Theatre.