Charlaine Lunsford finally got to see the places she had been teaching Manor High School students in Portsmouth about for more than two decades.
The Latin teacher was one of 15 individuals from around the country to study at the American Academy in Rome. Lunsford walked where the ancient Romans had once walked and saw the art they left behind. She witnessed their lingering impact on the modern city — and it was everything she had dreamed of.
“I have a whole new perspective for the things I’ve seen and the pictures I’ve taken,” Lunsford said. “I can say, ‘Hey, I’ve walked in these spaces. I’ve seen this. I’ve seen that. I’ve been in it.’”
The academy’s summer program is five weeks in Rome with graduate students and teachers. The goal is to gain a deeper understanding of the ancient city. Lunsford landed several scholarships to help her achieve the experience.
Lunsford said they visited museums in and around the city, archaeological sites and more. They included the Pantheon, Pompeii and, her favorite, the Galleria Borghese. She ventured underneath the Colosseum to see where the animals and gladiators once were housed. The program participants visited an ancient theater, Crypta Balbi, even when it was closed, so it was an experience she would not be able to duplicate.
All this, she said, will bring “a whole new enthusiasm” to the classroom. For several years, Lunsford’s students have learned all about the myth of Hercules, and now, she has fresh photos of art depicting exactly what she will be teaching in the classroom.
“That’s one thing I’ve been doing these last five years — using a lot of art to teach because it’s something everyone can engage with,” Lunsford said. “A picture really brings the story to life.”
Lunsford said she has plans to put the photos and artwork together to share with her students. After her time in Rome, she said she is looking forward to sharing her first-hand experience with the culture, including the smaller bits like how breakfast is typically much smaller than in America or how there are free drinking water fountains everywhere in Rome — a nod to the historic aqueducts.
“Just to stand and say, ‘Hey, the Romans walked here,’ or ‘Julius Caesar might have sat here,’” Lunsford said. “It’s amazing in photographs and video, but to actually be able to walk around it is amazing.”
Kelsey Kendall, [email protected]
