Exelauno Day: A Distinctly RL Celebration of the Classics

Roxbury Latin students and faculty gathered in Rousmaniere Hall on Wednesday to celebrate a distinctly RL tradition: Exelauno Day. The tradition dates back over 130 years, when Classics master Clarence Willard Gleason inaugurated a celebration of the Classics, in which Greek students would be exempted from homework for the day. Today, the event allows for the singular annual pleasure of hearing from declaimers of every age and level of exposure to Latin and Greek. Gleason chose March 4th as a punny reference to Xenophon’s Anabasis and its use of the verb “exelauno,” meaning “to march forth.”

During the morning’s special Hall, boys in Class VI through Class I competed in this year’s David Taggart Clark Competition in Greek and Latin Declamation—reciting ancient words from classic texts that brought to life scenes such as “Epops summons his fellow avians,” “Cicero accuses Marc Antony,” and “Icarus flies too close to the sun.” Classics Department Chair and Exelauno Hall emcee, Mrs. Morris-Kliment, welcomed Jay Kardan, Professor Emeritus of Randolph College, to the lectern to announce the results. This year’s winners were Ky Lima of Class V (Lower School Latin), Andrew Kramer of Class IV (Intermediate Latin), Marco Suri of Class I (Upper School Latin), and Aspen Johnson of Class I (Greek).

RL extends its heartfelt gratitude to this year’s Exelauno Day judges, the aforementioned Jay Kardan; Andrew Chappell, Head of School of The Derryfield School; and Erin Russo, Latin Teacher at Newton Country Day School.

View a video of the morning’s Exelauno Day Hall in its entirety. You can also view a complete gallery of photos taken in the morning by Evan Scales. Congratulations to all of the day’s declaimers for impressive performances across the board.