Language teachers use new equipment
Arizona Republic
Apr. 26, 2007

Gilbert students learning Latin on laptops

Doug Carroll

GILBERT - The marriage of Latin and laptops at the new Gilbert Classical Academy is one made in heaven for the school's principal, Brian Rosta.

"What could be more symbolic than a student doing Latin homework on a computer?" Rosta said after the governing board of the Gilbert Unified School District approved three Latin textbooks Tuesday.

Rosta said he has finished hiring teachers for the school, a unique old-new blend of classical education and modern technology that will open in August with 200 students in the seventh, eighth and ninth grades. Each student will be supplied with a laptop. Two of the academy's 14 instructors will teach Latin, which has been a draw for parents and students alike, Rosta said.

"You don't learn it to speak it," Rosta said. "You learn it because it was the foundation of other languages. You're really learning grammar when you learn Latin. "