Penobscot School plans open house

ROCKLAND — An all-day open house will be held Friday, March 15, at Penobscot School. The public is invited to visit and get information about spring classes in French, Spanish, Italian, German and Arabic. A 6 p.m. talk is planned. School founders Julia Schulz and Joe Steinberger, who recently returned from the USSR and Eastern Europe, will discuss their trip.

“Now in its fifth full year of operation, Penobscot School plans its largest number of courses yet, including entirely new classes,” said Julia Schulz, school president.

New this spring is a seminar titled “The Religion of Islam,” offered jointly with the First Universalist Church of Rockland. This 10-week course will meet at 5:30 p.m. Mondays at the church. Seminar leader Dave Johnson has taught courses in classical Arabic for two years at Penobscot School.

For the first time this spring, the school will offer two Spanish classes for children. Both will meet Mondays, starting March 18, at 3:45 p.m. for ages 6 to 9, and at 5 p.m. for ages 10 to 14. Instructor Kim Ward taught sixth grade in San Jose, Costa Rica, and is now the sixth grade teacher at the Appleton Village School.

Other spring courses at Penobscot School include classes in French for children on Tuesdays with instructor Marianne Bockli. Also in French, but for adults, are three levels with three instructors: “Introduction to Conversational French,” taught by Elisabeth Schneider, “Pour Parler,” a new intermediate-level conversation course taught by Sarah Bastide, and “Le Francais Courant,” with Julia Schulz and invited guest speakers.

Classes in Italian, with Gabriella Mira; Spanish, with Billy Smith; and German with Dietlinde Hibben, round out the spring course schedule. Penobscot School courses are open to the public. According to Schulz, most classes are small, and all are conducted in a comfortable, informal atmosphere. Advance registration is encouraged, but not required.

Penobscot School staff will discuss courses and answer questions over refreshments at the open house March 15. Hours for the open house at 28 Gay St., Rockland, are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. More information is available by calling Penobscot School or writing P.O. Box 7, Rockland 04841.