The first ever Latin trip sponsored by Harvard-Westlake will give students the opportunity to travel to Rome April 3-10.

Middle school Latin teacher Mercedes Barletta will chaperone the trip along with a teaching assistant from The Paideia Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the study of classics.

Students will be staying in monasteries and guesthouses. Throughout the trip, students will visit historical sights including the Coliseum, the Pantheon and the ruins of Pompeii. At each location, chaperones will read students Latin and English passages that relate to the sight they are visiting.

“My hope is that students take away not only a better understanding of the city of Rome and its significance in world history, but also a deeper appreciation of the legacy of the ancient Romans,” Barletta said in an email.

Barletta credited her students’ excitement at the idea of a trip for inspiring her to sponsor the tour.

“Seeing their excitement was enough incentive to make me start looking into the process of organizing a trip,” Barletta said.

The trip’s deadline for early registration was Dec. 15, but students may sign up now for an additional fee. All Latin students are allowed to sign up, but a maximum of 14 students are allowed to attend. The cost of the trip is $4,200 per student.