Author: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Tuesday, March 24, 2009

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Henry Clay junior Robert Reed and Latin teacher Andrew Gollan measure a piece of muslin for Robert's tunica.

Fashion made a statement, even in ancient Rome, according to Latin students who have sewn simple costumes for the Regional World Language Festival.

The tunica was everyday garb – sort of the sweatpants of Rome. “The toga is what you’d wear when you went out. It’s a symbol of your power and authority,” explained Robert Reed, a junior at Henry Clay High School.

Such authenticity will be lauded at the March 25-26 festival, where students from across Fayette County Public Schools will demonstrate their cultural knowledge in various exhibitions and compete in proficiency assessments.

Roughly 1,500 entries are registered – more than double last year’s participation. Some students signed up for multiple events.

“This is an opportunity to see what the kids know,” said Alicia Vinson, world language specialist for FCPS. “It’s all about what the kids can do with the language.”

During proficiency testing, judges will assess students’ language skills in several areas including reading, recitation, dialogue, writing, and oral and listening proficiency. In the cultural assessments, the spectrum ranges from chorus, dance and drama to costumes, artwork and video productions.

First-, second-, and third-place winners will advance to the State World Language Festival at the University of Kentucky in May.

In preparation for this week’s regional festival, Henry Clay Latin teacher Andrew Gollan helped students measure and cut cotton cloth and pin their costumes for hemming. “Roman clothing is pretty basic,” Gollan said, holding a bolt of unbleached muslin. “The tunica was the basic garment for everybody.”

It was the belt and other ornamentation that reflected social class. As a magistrate, Robert will sport a fancier tunica with red stripes. The width of the stripe indicated legal status – thin stripes for boys and wider for senators, for example.

Mitchell Miller, a freshman, will portray one of the magistrate’s servants. “We follow the consuls, the famous rich people,” he said. “I’ll have a prop to carry around. It’ll be cardboard, and I’ll draw on the sticks and ax.” (These symbols indicated the magistrate had the right to beat and execute people at will.)

As they trimmed out his tunica, ninth-grader Russ Bryant had a pertinent question for the teacher: “What kind of shoes should we wear?”

Thankfully, the weather will be fairly warm. Gollan’s recommendation? Sandals.

If you go

FCPS Regional World Language Festival

What: Contests and proficiency assessments; non-competitive exhibitions

Theme: “Explore the World ... Discover Your Future”

When: 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday March 26

Where: Bryan Station High School, 201 Eastin Road

Highlights:

• Mini sessions on less-commonly taught languages such as Farsi, Chinese, Japanese, Greek, Korean and Bulgarian
• Dance demonstrations and lessons
• Games; arts and crafts, including calligraphy and origami
• Artwork and construction models
• International Cafe
• Language and cultural proficiency assessments (middle and high school level)
• The general session at 6:15 p.m. will feature UK football player Jeremy Jarmon and kindergarteners from the Spanish immersion program at Liberty Elementary. 

FCPS contact: Alicia Vinson, (859) 381-4261