The Illinois Humanities program has granted funding to twelve different projects across Illinois and our Classics department is one of them. According to a statement on behalf of Illinois Humanities, “The Community Grants program guidelines include three areas of activity: Vision grants, for planning and evaluation; Action grants, for projects meant to grow audience, experiment with interactive programming and try out new digital tools; and Multiplier grants, for ambitious statewide or regional partnerships.” Since the program has started, they have given out $17 million in grants to organizations that promote the humanities.
The Department has received a $2,100 grant for the fifth-annual Classics Day, which will take place in the fall of 2020. It features other cultures from around the world, such as Japanese, German, Egyptian, and Native American (Scots Day Monmouth College). It attracts students from local high schools and students from colleges and universities from Illinois and Iowa. The funds will be used on an assortment of materials from Roman catapults to bronze to forge a Greek-style discus and tips for Greek-style javelins.
What the grant does for our Classics department and our school, proves how notable our Classics department is across not just the state, but the region as well. Professor Robert Simmons, director of the Classics department, says, “It will allow us to provide yet one more opportunity for students in Classics classes to have a hands-on experience of the classical world, and to teach others at Classics Day in a hands-on way as well. What we do better than any other school in the nation is involve students in the physicality of the ancient world, whether through wool-working, creation of faience objects, participation in ancient sports, or many other means.” Professor Simmons also goes on to say that students gain vital teaching experiences: “The students who have learned in this way then have a chance to bring their learning to life by teaching it to the hundreds of attendees at Classics Days as well.”
Liam Meyer - Contributing Writer