Julia Marchman (288)

At the beginning of the 2025-26 school year, Central welcomed Mr. Thomas di Giulio to its faculty as a Latin teacher. Mr. di Giulio has years of experience with Latin and studied under the late Father Reginald Foster, the Vatican’s chief Latinist, in Rome, before arriving at his current position. Mr. di Giulio grew up in Fox Chase and fondly remembers the days when he used to play in Burholme Park. As a high schooler, he went to St. Joseph’s Preparatory School, and even though he thrives in Latin now, this hasn’t always been the case. When asked what he thought of his high school experience, he responded by saying that it was mixed due to him falling behind his peers, especially in Latin. While his classmates had taken Latin before, he hadn’t and therefore wasn’t prepared for the course. It didn’t help that his teacher was neither helpful nor supportive. Mr. di Giulio admitted that he came into school having no study skills, no sense of grammar, and not being a reader.  

When asked if he thought high school shaped him in any way, Mr. di Giulio responded by saying that he had to teach himself all of the previously mentioned skills that he lacked. Throughout that process he became his own teacher and he concluded that learning can be an emotional experience. Especially if you’re like him and are learning, or have to learn, how to cope with anxiety about schoolwork and performance.  

Failing Latin in his freshman year was one of the reasons that motivated Mr. di Giulio to become a Latin teacher, as he wanted to “become better.” Mr. di Giulio believes that one’s attitude towards a subject is really what will impact how they learn it. He explained that a fundamental part of learning is understanding that if you have a positive attitude towards the material, your performance and comprehension will flourish, stating that “the quality of your attention determines the quality of your success”. 

Having recently joined the Central faculty, when asked if there was anything that has stood out to him about the school, di Giulio remarked that all of the students are very curious, enthusiastic, and willing to put in the work, and the faculty has been very supportive and welcoming.

Nahfi Rothwell (288) is a Latin 1 student of Mr. di Giulio’s, and has this to say about class: “I like that [the students] participate every day, and [Mr. di Giulio] has interactive lessons that tell the stories he’s teaching us. When we performed a class play, I was in it, and it was very fun.”

Throughout these first few weeks of school, Mr. di Giulio’s classes remain exciting and never lacking enthusiasm. Central’s Latin students are in great hands and are very lucky to have such a wonderful and passionate teacher.