Mater Christi School’s K–5 Latin program reached a proud milestone last week with the inaugural Congressus Omnium, Latin for “Gathering of All.” The school-wide celebration brought together students from Kindergarten through Grade 5 to showcase the Latin skills they’ve been building all year through songs, skits, prayers, illustrated stories, and original projects.

The showcase began with a toga parade. Each grade brought something unique to the gathering. Kindergarten through Grade 2 delighted the crowd with nursery rhyme performances sung in Latin, while third graders captivated their audience with an illustrated story reading. Fourth graders put a Roman twist on the art of advertising, performing original “ancient advertising skits” on topics ranging from Roman concrete to fish sauce. Fifth graders closed out the showcase with their prize-winning dramatization of the Aeneid, Virgil’s epic poem, brought to life by the students.

The Congressus Omnium was a testament to the joy of learning Latin through community and performance, and a celebration of just how much our youngest scholars have accomplished. Congratulations to all of our student performers, and a heartfelt gratias maximas (“many thanks”) to everyone who helped make this special event possible.

A special thank you to Lauren Palmer , K-Grade 5 Latin Teacher, for bringing this vision to life and inspiring a love of the ancient world in our students.

View an album of photos from the event