Students say 'Ciao' to Italy's history

Wearing leather garb, a red cape, and a gold helmet with a red feather, Jonathan Loomis, 13, warned onlookers not to come too close.

His Roman sword might get in the way.

"I am Julius Caesar," he told a group of students stopped in front of his presentation board Wednesday afternoon at Saint Teresa of Avila school. "I was born July 13, 100 BC."

Every year, sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders in Jolena Johnson's geography classes are assigned a country to research. This year it was Italy for seventh-graders. Students are graded on oral presentations, research papers and display boards.

"I love Italy," said Johnson, who has traveled to multiple countries on multiple continents. "It's one of my favorite places to be."

Seventh-grade topics focused on places like Milan, Venice, the Vatican City, Sicily, Pompeii and Pisa, as well as subjects like gothic cathedrals and Roman coliseums and people like Galileo and Leonardo da Vinci.

Jonathan talked about Caesar's life - how he married twice, how he had one daughter - at least one legitimate one, named Julia, and how at 25 on his way to Greece he was kidnapped by pirates.

"They asked Rome for a ransom," he said in character as Julius Caesar. "I told them I was worth five times more than they asked."

Later, he hunted the pirates down and slit their throats in a gesture of kindness instead of crucifying them.

Caesar became a Roman consul in 59 BC and by 45 BC declared himself dictator for life - a very short life, though, as he was assassinated the following year. Over the course of his service to Rome, Caesar doubled the size of the empire, Jonathan explained.

"I read online that he was respected by historians as the greatest military leader of his time," he said.

Angelo Calabrese, 13, came to know the Italian artist well, and dressed like da Vinci for his project presentation in the auditorium.

"I chose Leonardo da Vinci because I thought he was an interesting artist, and I was curious about his inventions and paintings," he said.

His project featured images of some of da Vinci's well-known paintings, like the Mona Lisa, "The Last Supper," "Lady with an Ermine" and "Adoration of the Magi." Angelo said his favorite da Vinci painting is the Mona Lisa.

"I like the colors he used," he said. "You can look at it all day."

While the class has studied European counties all year, Angelo was thrilled his teacher assigned Italy. "I'm Italian," he explained. "I was excited to study this country."

• Contact reporter Maggie O'Neill at moneill@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1219.