the legions display their ornamenta triumphaliaSaint Mary’s once again competed successfully in the Salisbury Classical Association’s annual Reading Competition, held this year at Marlborough College.

In the Minimus category, a group from Upper 3 Edmund won Gold (Gabriella M, Gabriela H, Molly, and Olivia), followed in second place, by a group from Upper 3 Columba (Flora, Hannah, Natasha and Ffion).  Both teams gave a lively performance of an extract from the Minimus textbook; the military props, provided largely by Olivia, helped them to maximise the comic potential as the mischievous young boy Rufus dangerously grabs a series of weapons out of curiosity.

Rowan won Silver in the Junior B category, reading Ovid’s colourful yet poignant account of Icarus plunging to his death after flying too close to the sun with the wings made for him by his father Daedalus.  Emma won Gold in the intermediate B category.  Her passage was also by the poet Ovid, an imaginative account of an enormous flood loosed upon the earth by the god Poseidon in response to humankind’s wickedness.  Both girls were praised by the judges for achieving variety and emotion without compromising their accuracy in following the poetic metre.  Giulia and Ella also competed in these two categories, narrowly missing out on the medal spots, but both being specifically praised by the judges.

Mr Daley and Mrs Clark congratulate all involved for performing so well and practising so carefully.