Study Ancient Greek Language and Philosophers

Calder Classics invites students entering 9th through 12th grades to join us in Thessaloniki in the summer of 2023. Over the course of a 2-week program, we bring the Classics alive through the study of the ancient Greek language, engagement with works of ancient philosophy, and exploration of archaeological sites. We reside in two beautiful settings, both in view of Mount Olympus, where we enjoy the daily life, food, and weather of modern Greece.

Students spend their days in an atmosphere shaped by classical history. During the first half of the program, we use the classrooms and residence halls of Perrotis College at the American Farm School while discovering Thessaloniki and visiting local archeological sites. The evenings feature Greece’s many cultural, leisure, and culinary offerings.

In the second half of the program, we continue our Greek studies in our own guest house on the slopes of Mount Olympus where we will be inspired by the Greek gods and breathe the cool mountain air. This portion of the course will also include a visit to ancient Dion, the tomb of Phillip of Macedon at Vergina, walks on Mt. Olympus, and a side trip to the beach.

Learning to Read Ancient Greek

Beginner students of ancient Greek dedicate a morning and/or an afternoon session each day to learning the basics of the ancient Greek language—including noun, adjective, and verb forms, and other parts of speech, as well as the basics of Greek syntax. Those with some experience in the language can enjoy portions of the course as a review. We use Athenaze by Maurice Balme and Gilbert Lawall, a textbook designed to provide exposure to the vocabulary and grammar encountered when reading actual texts. Every day we cover a chapter of the book. Each chapter is a self-contained instructional unit, with challenging exercises carefully tailored to reflect the vocabulary and grammar learned to date.

Beginner-level Greek students have an opportunity to advance their skills quickly through the intensive personal attention of Cindy Calder, President of Calder Classics, along with a teaching assistant.

Reading Ancient Greek

Intermediate to Advanced level students dedicate a morning and/or an afternoon session each day to reading ancient Greek authors. Readings are accompanied by grammar lessons, allowing intermediate and advanced students to experience portions of the course as a review. While emphasizing fundamentals, these ancient Greek sessions begin immediately with the reading of unadapted prose and poetry by such authors as Homer, Herodotus, Plato, Sophocles, and Aristotle. We then analyze texts from a grammatical, literary, and philosophical perspective.

Intermediate to Advanced level Greek students have an opportunity to advance their skills quickly through the intensive personal attention of Dr. Eric Casey, a Classics teacher at Trinity School, New York City.

Exploring Greek Philosophy

In addition to ancient Greek classes, Calder Classics is excited to offer sessions each day that explore ancient Greek philosophy.  While residing near the birthplace of democracy, we will take a close look at Socrates’ response to Athenian governance through a reading of Plato’s Πολιτεία (via G.M.A. Grube’s translation entitled The Republic), written after the Peloponnesian War. Through this reading, we will attempt to answer questions regarding the viability of democracy, and we will further examine how humans decide to organize power. The experience of being physically in Greece will bring much light and life to Plato’s ancient dialogue.

All Greek students in the group participate together in this portion of the program and have the opportunity to analyze Plato’s work with Felicia Kang, a History and Philosophy teacher at Saint Ann's School, Brooklyn. Felicia’s sessions will also include full group symposia on topics related to comparative philosophy, politics, and mythology.

Dive into Greece's Culture and History

Throughout the course, we explore historic treasures of northern Greece, including the Thessaloniki National Archaeological Museum, Byzantine monuments, Ottoman ruins, and the Royal Tombs at Vergina. Students take in the visual delights of Thessaloniki with their newfound Greek learning, which is guaranteed to enhance their experience and deepen their appreciation of the beautiful ancient history of this wondrous city. Highlights of the trip include a multi-day trip to Mount Olympus with a visit to the ancient archeological site of Dion.

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Accommodations

From July 12-21 we stay at Perrotis College, on the pastoral campus of the American Farm School, 15 minutes from the lively center Thessaloniki, the second-largest city in Greece. A state of the art, LEED-certified residence hall provides students of all ages with an oasis on campus where they can live and study together. Along with classrooms, a library and dormitories, the campus contains an educational farm comprised of gardens and greenhouses, a winery as well as poultry and dairy units that produce milk, eggs and turkeys renowned for their quality throughout Greece. The widely spread out terrain is ideal for cross-country runs and personal athletic training. Our rooms have terraces overlooking the educational vineyards with a magnificent view of Mount Olympus. There is local flora everywhere with gardens and fruit trees covering the surrounding area. The shared suites have a common living area, air conditioning, WIFI, and laundry facilities. While every student has a single bed, rooms are shared.

On July 21 we travel by private bus to the base of Mount Olympus in Dio-Olympos, where we will be the occupants of several picturesque guest houses located in a quaint mountain village with views of both the sea and the mountain top.

Dates and Fees

July 12-26, 2023

The $6,500 tuition includes accommodations, transportation within Greece, museum entries, and instruction. (Students purchase their own textbook.) Breakfast, plus either lunch or dinner, are also included. Depending on our daily schedules students may be on their own for either a  lunch or evening dinner break.  Students are responsible for the cost of their own activities outside of the group.  Airfare is not included.

Students who wish to join us on the preceding Calder Classics Reading Latin program in Florence from July 2-12 may travel with Cindy Calder between Florence and Thessaloniki. Students who wish to join us on the next Calder Classics Journeys to the Underworld program from July 27-August 3 may stay overnight with Cindy in Thessaloniki on July 26 and travel with Cindy Calder to Florence to meet the Tuscany group on July 27. Please contact us by email to confirm travel arrangements.

Application Deadline

Students are accepted on a rolling admissions basis while space is available. Please submit your application by the deadline of February 15 to receive priority consideration for this program. Applications received before this date will be considered as they are received and acceptances will be granted based on careful consideration by our staff. Applications received after this date will be carefully considered as they are received as long as spots are still available.

Your application will be processed and you will receive a reply regarding your acceptance status within one to two weeks of your submission date provided that we have received your teacher reference.

Transportation

Students make their own travel arrangements to Greece. Those high school students who wish to travel with a chaperone between New York City and Thessaloniki should contact a Calder Classics representative during the application process.

Thessaloniki International Airport is approximately 30 minutes from our first residence by taxi/car. We will provide the group with transportation from our second and last residence to Thessaloiniki Airport on the last day of the program.

Testimonials

" The Calder Classics ancient Greek summer program created the perfect balance of academic studies and cultural activities for our daughter this summer. Highlights included: visiting markets in Thessaloniki, climbing Mount Olympus, visiting ancient ruins, cooking traditional Greek dishes, and learning Greek dances. The teachers are experts in their field and their passion for Ancient Greek studies has inspired our daughter to continue her Classical education in college. This is her second summer with Calder Classics and each program has fostered her passion to learn. Thank you Cindy for creating a program that teaches the students to look at the world a little differently."  parent, Florence and Thessaloniki student

"Before going to Thessaloniki I had taken one year of Greek, so for me the purpose of this trip was really to reinforce the existing foundations in grammar. But unexpectedly, with all due credit to our professors, Calder Classics has given me so much more: it has given me the tools to be able to read Greek fluently. And I say "tools" instead of "ability" because no, nobody can immediately attain fluency in three weeks.  So thanks, teachers. You will both prove to be influential in my progress as a student and a classicist, and my words do no justice to the gratitude welling from the bottom of my heart. I love this program, and will definitely come back someday!"   Andre C., student

"It was with slight trepidation that I embarked on my study of Ancient Greek, for unlike my fellow students, I've never studied any ancient language before, not even Latin, but it didn't take long for me to realize that my fears were misplaced. Within the warm embrace of the JV team, I started from my alpha beta gammas and slowly moved up to face the many faces of the complex beast, also known as GRAMMAR. It was surprising to see how much progress we had made, from the illiterate 'this is all Greek to me' phase to the 'this is still Greek but I can translate everything I know about it' phase. ..One thing I really loved was how our activities and studies were scheduled intermittently so that every day we had something to look forward to. Whether it was a shopping trip near Aristotelous Square (with grumpy Aris sulking in his chair), a class on Greek cooking, a visit to an archaeological museum or even just an afternoon hanging out by the seaside, listening to the waves lapping and feeling the sea breeze against your cheek, everything was new and exciting and quite marvelous." Morgan Y., student

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