Jane Dunlap

Head of Language Department
Joined George School 1966–69; 1977–82; 1983


“I get psyched approaching each new school year.”








Describe a magical teaching moment.

One rainy Friday afternoon in early spring, the IB and AP students in Latin 4/5 were slogging their way toward the River Styx through the underworld in Book 6 of Virgil’s Aeneid. We began with the lines that personify ills of mankind residing there. For some reason the ceiling lights were off, and the students suggested that we lower the shades and share the underworld ambiance.

With only the light of the SmartBoard projecting the text, we spent the period in the dark conjuring up images of pallentes Morbi (pallid diseases), turpis Egestas (shame-inducing poverty), and mortiferum Bellum (death-bringing war). Some students said it was their favorite class, and I suspect that when they sat for their tests in May, they recalled these lines quite sharply.

I enjoy sharing my love of Latin with George School students. It never ceases to amaze me how they spontaneously engage with this ancient language and make it their own modern experience.


More about Jane:

With a double major in Latin and Greek from Wilson College, Jane is inspired by continuing classical scholarship, which she pursues at a summer institute at Dartmouth College—or, as she likes to call it, Latin Nerd Camp. In addition to serving in many campus capacities over the years, Jane has led her students on more than a dozen spring trips to Rome, Florence, and Pompeii.