On Saturday, April 23, a group of high school Latin students did something extraordinary. They read aloud at a children's bookstore the entirety of Vergil's Aeneid, the epic tale of Rome's ancestors. In an event initiated by the Latin students of North Central High School in Indianapolis, Indiana, titled Reading the War on Poverty, students obtained pledges in the amount of a nickel per line of poetry read. Their purpose? To raise money to contribute to Shepherd Community Center, whose mission is to break the cycle of poverty on the near east side of Indianapolis.
I would say it was an experience unlike any I have enjoyed before, but I have had over the years many opportunities to watch my Latin students do amazing things. Still, to have listened to the Aeneid read aloud, as it would have been in the days of Vergil, straight through from beginning to end, and to know that the students who read were using their enjoyment of Classical literature as a way to fight poverty in their community, was truly one of the highlights of my career. It was a a great way to spend a Saturday.
Shepherd is a faith-based, non-profit organization established in 1985 with a simple but staggering goal: to break the cycle of poverty on the near east side of Indianapolis. Located centrally within the community it serves, Shepherd offers programs for children, teens, adults, and families, helping to meet their physical, emotional, academic, and spiritual needs.