Shepherd Sojourn to Southern France
If you’ve been pondering a little immersion to brush up on your French, how about doing it in quaint town in Provence in Southern France? Shepherd University’s Dr. Rachel Ritterbusch is leading a two-week French language immersion experience to the Mediterranean town of Hyères. The trip, scheduled for May 24–June 7, is open to students and the public alike. It will be preceded by a one-week pre-departure orientation at Shepherd from May 19 to 23.
Participants will attend courses at ELFCA, the Institut d’Enseignement de la Langue Française sur la Côte d’Azur (http://www.elfca.com). Themes of study will include political and social life in France, French literature, French regions and history, cuisine and wines, and slang and colloquial French.
Hyères is situated on a peninsula with 20 kilometers of sandy beaches on both sides of a peninsula. Lodging will be with local families, with the option to stay in hotels or to rent an apartment. Students will have free days to explore the region. And there is much to explore.
Just 15 minutes by boat is the island of Port-Cros. The island was made a national park in 1963 to preserve the ancient forts on the island and the distinctive seabeds surrounding the island. There is a guided snorkeling trail encircling the island, one of the few national parks in the world that you can explore underwater.
ELFCA is a mid-sized language school (130 students total). The teachers, professional and dedicated, are all university graduates with considerable experience teaching French to foreigners. There are an average of 8 students per class, with a maximum of 12. There are 6 to 10 different levels, from elementary to advanced. For information, contact Dr. Ritterbusch at rritterb@shepherd.edu.
Local Artist Adorns White House Tree
First Lady Laura Bush wanted to celebrate Christmas by inviting a few of America’s great treasures to the White House—nearly 400 of them. There are 391 park units within the national parks system, says the National Park Service, and, in keeping with Mrs. Bush’s wishes, each is represented on the 18-foot White House Christmas tree by a specially painted ornament. Shepherdstown artist Sheila Brannan was selected to decorate the ornament representing the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, the long skinny national park running 2,175 miles from Georgia to Maine. The “AT” passes through Harpers Ferry, headquarters of its NPS administrative office and of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the nonprofit group that manages the trail.
Brannan was asked by Appalachian Trail superintendent Pamela Underhill to create a design that would capture the pathway on the plain gold ball sent by the White House. The ornament depicts the trail wending through woods with the trail’s signature white blazes showing on the trees. On the opposite side of the ornament there is a panoramic view of a mountain range. The logos for the Appalachian National Scenic Trail and Appalachian Trail Conservancy were applied over the finished art.
Brannan specializes in stained glass creating custom designs for homes and businesses, as well as free form designs incorporating hand-blown West Virginia glass, copper, and found objects. She also paints murals and faux finishes on walls. She has lived in Shepherdstown since the mid 1990s. Locally, her work is often on display at Lost Dog on German Street, Shepherdstown. A sampling of her work can be seen on her website at www.sheilasstainedglass.com
