Mens sana in corpore sano: Savremena’s students’ Latiniad at Ada

On 25, 26 and 27 April, a sports Latiniad under the slogan Mens sana in corpore sano was organised for Savremena’s students at the sports fields and courts at Ada Ciganlija.

The beautiful weather allowed Year 10 and Year 11 students to compete in unusual and original disciplines and, apart from practicing the “dead” language, this was an opportunity for Savremena’s students to be physically active.

Interdisciplinary Latin and PE lesson

All the sports Savrenena’s students participated in were symbolically named after Latin phrases.

Therefore, a game called Citior, altior, fortior required not only the speed to carry pieces of paper with Latin words from one part of the court to the other, but also the skills to use those words to form grammatically correct sentences.

The students strived to hit the hoops in the intense game called In medias res, after which they formed a sentence about a person they learnt about in Latin lessons. The students tested their good fortune in the Fortunae rota discipline, and their stretchability in the Twister game, by placing their arms and legs to the right or to the left, according to the instructions Dexter - Sinister, Pes - Manus.

A challenging relay race Veni, vidi, vici awoke a competitive spirit in Savremena’s students who gave their best to transfer a hidden, secret task from one part of the field to the other. Speed, comprehension and combinatorial skills were necessary to unveil sentences they successfully mastered.

During these three days, wise proverbs could be heard throughout the sports fields and courts, such as: Hoc facias homini quod cupis esse tibi, Qui ventum seminat turbinem metet, Amicus, certus in re incerta cernitur, Lupus pilum mutat non mentem... Savremena’s students were reminded to do unto others, as they would have them do unto them, that he who sows the wind, will reap the whirlwind. They confirmed that a friend in need is a friend in deed, and that it is easier for the wolf to change his coat, than his disposition, and so on.

Ad infinitum – limit of Savremena’s students

Lessons like these develop both the students’ team spirit and desire to accomplish more. Every day they proved that Latin is not an insuperable obstacle while mastering the challenges created by their teachers, including the visit to Ada Ciganlija.

I am extremely pleased and proud to be the parent of a Savremena student. During my first encounter with the school management, when I asked about my child’s potential enrolment, I saw how much love, enthusiasm and professionalism you put in your work. I was impressed by your approach, ideas and methods. I couldn’t believe something like this existed in our country! It doesn’t take long to realise that this is a school you would recommend to everyone. Creativity, modern technology, top-quality education, and most of all, the humaneness that can be seen throughout the school, make it truly different and worthy of its name – Savremena Gimnazija. With such an approach, the success of this school and, consequently, our children’s success, is unavoidable. Congratulations! Jelena Đorđević, Andrija’s mum
Contemporary in any sense of the word, our school offers functional knowledge and quality preparation for tertiary education in Serbia and abroad. Implementing modern and creative teaching in the classroom, where the teachers’ pedagogy and students’ performance are aligned with the highest academic standards for the high-school finals, our school develops linguistic, mathematical, scientific, artistic, cultural, technical and ICT competence, which is a prerequisite for further education and professional development. Teaching is supported by the interactive whiteboards and educational software, whereas practice exercises research and critical thinking.