For the first time in eight years, the RCHS Latin Club bought t-shirts. While this may seem insignificant, it has attracted new members and rejuvenated the old ones, creating a more active club for Rockbridge Latin students.

“I feel like in past years we haven’t really done much,” said senior Oishani Basu. “The t-shirts really cultivated club spirit.”

Over 30 students purchased the club shirts. These “ringer” style t-shirts display a picture of Julius Caesar’s face, along with a well-known line from his commentaries on the Gallic Wars, “At Caesar.” Translated, this means “But Caesar,” which Caesar commonly says when he is about to talk about his own heroism. This quote was chosen because of its reference to the glory of the Roman Empire and of Caesar’s reign as a military dictator.

“I’m excited about the shirts because I get to show my Roman pride and my love for Julius Caesar,” said sophomore Kate Hentz.

Latin Club sponsor Dr. Patrick Bradley is also pleased with the effects that the shirts have had on Latin spirit.

“I am ecstatic, it’s the first time in seven or eight years,” said Bradley. “I think it is always a nice tradition.”

Another reason behind getting the club t-shirts is the lack of a strong club or Honors Society for the Latin Department. While not as many students are enrolled in Latin as in French or Spanish, there are many students who take the language seriously and wish their efforts were more recognized.

“Latin students work just as hard as French and Spanish students considering the difficulty of the course,” said Hentz.

Although there is a Latin option similar to French or Spanish Honors Society, the National Junior Classical League Latin Honors Society (NJCL), RCHS students are not given the option to become members. This is due to the small size of the department, with Bradley being the only Latin teacher.

However, the number of students enrolled in Latin has increased dramatically in the past several years, with last year having the highest enrollment yet at 103 total students. Bradley hopes this, combined with the strong middle-school Latin programs, will increase the department’s visibility in the school.

“I would always like to, although it’s difficult because I’m the only Latin teacher, to get these things going,” said Bradley. “There are things we could do in the future.”