ASCANIUS ANNOUNCES NEW WEBSITE


WAYNESBORO, VA ­ The Augusta County Institute for
Classical Studies has a new name and a new look! On August
1, the Institute changed its name to Ascanius: The Youth
Classics Institute. A new, more organized, and more useful
website, www.ascaniusyci.org, accompanies the change.

The Institute began as a small summer program in
Augusta County, Virginia, and was instantly successful. At
the time, no one could have guessed that over the next five
years the Institute would introduce Latin to over six hundred
students across the country.

Since its inception in Augusta County, the Institute
has expanded its vision and has become a major national
nonprofit organization. Students in four states have now had
the opportunity to attend a LatinSummer program, and nine
different states have expressed interest in hosting the
program. The Institute is the first and largest organization
of its kind in the country, and its new name reflects this
broader audience that it now serves.

Executive Director Doug Bunch remarked, "We never
imagined that we would accomplish so much in such a short
amount of time. Although our name has changed, the
Institute's purpose remains the same: to promote the teaching
of Latin and Classics on the elementary and middle school
levels."

The Institute takes its new name from Ascanius, the son of
Aeneas. After the fall of Troy, he accompanied his father to
Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Romans. The
Institute would like to recognize and thank its website
designer, Tiffany Broadbent of the College of William & Mary.