Spanish ~ Lots of classes - keep scrolling
Reminder: Advanced registration and payment is required.
Classes are listed below. Some classes are in person and some are on Zoom. Please note location for each course below.
Spanish for True Beginners, Part 1 - Evening
This course is for students who have had little to no Spanish instruction. It covers basic vocabulary, grammar, and conversation using the present tense. The text is Learn Spanish Fast for Adult Beginners: 3-in-1 Workbook: Master Spanish with 15-Minute Daily Lessons, Practical Exercises, Common Words and Phrases, and Essential Grammar Rules to Live By (Easy Spanish) by Speaker Abroad Academy (make sure you order the beginners 3-in-1, not the Intermediate 5-in-1). Instructor Norma Lopez-Burton, Emerita. She taught all levels of Spanish at the University of California at Davis. Department of Spanish and Classics, College of Letters and Science.
8 Sessions
Tue., Please call (203) 431-2812 or email ridgefieldce@gmail.com to be on a notification list for future dates.
Spanish for True Beginners, Part 2 - Day and Evening
This course is a continuation of Spanish for True Beginners Part 1 (above, Fall 2024). It covers more vocabulary, grammar and conversation in the present tense. The text is Learn Spanish Fast for Adult Beginners: 3-in-1 Workbook: Master Spanish with 15-Minute Daily Lessons, Practical Exercises, Common Words and Phrases, and Essential Grammar Rules to Live By (Easy Spanish) by Speaker Abroad Academy (make sure you order the beginners 3-in-1, not the Intermediate 5-in-1). Instructor Norma Lopez-Burton, Emerita. She taught all levels of Spanish at the University of California at Davis. Department of Spanish and Classics, College of Letters and Science.
8 Sessions
Tue., Please call (203) 431-2812 or email ridgefieldce@gmail.com to be on a notification list for future dates.
Spanish for True Beginners, Part 3 - Day
This course is a continuation of Spanish for True Beginners Part 2 (above, Winter / Spring 2025). It covers more vocabulary, grammar and conversation in the present tense. The text is Learn Spanish Fast for Adult Beginners: 3-in-1 Workbook: Master Spanish with 15-Minute Daily Lessons, Practical Exercises, Common Words and Phrases, and Essential Grammar Rules to Live By (Easy Spanish) by Speaker Abroad Academy (make sure you order the beginners 3-in-1, not the Intermediate 5-in-1). Instructor Norma Lopez-Burton, Emerita. She taught all levels of Spanish at the University of California at Davis. Department of Spanish and Classics, College of Letters and Science.
8 Sessions
Tue., Please call (203) 431-2812 or email ridgefieldce@gmail.com to be on a notification list for future dates.
Spanish: Intermediate, Part 1 - Evening
Prerequisite: two beginner classes. Newcomers with equivalent experience are welcome. Text is Madrigal’s Magic Key to Spanish. Selections from Spanish the Fast and Fun Way will be used as a review source. Other handouts emailed. Class discussi ons and conversations will be emphasized. Instructor Oscar Vargas is a native of Colombia, who has lived here since 1969. A graduate of NYU, he worked in international business for about 20 years, and has traveled extensively in Latin America and Spain. He then ran his own business. He has taught Spanish here for over 28 years. Makeup date, if needed, is added to the end.
6 Sessions (12 hours) $ 174 (Ridgefield Sr./Disab. $ 155)
Mon., please call (203) 431-2812 or email ridgefieldce@gmail.com to be on a notification list for a class from 7 to 9 p.m. on Zoom.
Spanish: Advanced Conversation - Evening
A continuation from the class this past fall. Newcomers with equivalent experience, who can maintain a conversation in Spanish are welcome. Class will be conducted in Spanish and will include review of grammar concepts and vocabulary, reading and class discussion of current events and articles, and discussion of assigned movie. Instructor Oscar Vargas is a native of Colombia, who has lived here since 1969. A graduate of NYU, he worked in international business for about 20 years, and has traveled extensively in Latin America and Spain. He then ran his own business. He has taught Spanish here for over 28 years.
6 Sessions (12 hours) $ 174 (Ridgefield Sr./Disab. $ 155)
Thur., please call (203) 431-2812 or email ridgefieldce@gmail.com to be on a notification list for a class from 7 to 9 p.m. on Zoom.
Why Learn a Foreign Language? in Person? or Online with active Instruction and Participation?
Step away from a rote computer program and into live, active learning of a foreign language.
Absorb news as heard in another country.
Visit another country to see the sites, converse, eat, and enjoy the culture.
Use original genealogical sources.
European History and Ridgefield Archaeology and History - Starting at Various Dates and Times from March 21 through April 23
Diego Velazquez – The Painter’s Painter
As painter to the royal court of Spain, it was Velazquez’s role to create images of King Philip IV and his family and record major events of the era. It was his talent to produce portraits of piercing realism and truth; it was his genius to do it through the seemingly effortless handling of sensuous paint. An exploration of his life and masterful works is a delight for the eye and spirit. Instructor: Nancy Maxwell weaves the story and makes the historical personalities come to life.
1 Session $29 (Ridgefield Seniors and Disabled pay $25)
Wed., 6/11 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Zoom.
The Rise of Civilization in Meso America ~ the Olmecs and the Zapotecs
Before pyramids appeared in Egypt, they were being built in Mexico, by people who had no written language, and used only stone tools. One by one, civilizations in Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, and Belize rose and fell. In this course, we will look at hunter gatherers, the beginning of agriculture and small farming communities, and how they morphed into the first cities of the Olmecs, and the empire of the Zapotecs. Instructor Lynn-Marie Wieland is a lithic (stone tools) archaeologist specializing in southern New England prehistory with an emphasis on the Indians of the Ridgefield area. She minored in Meso American Archaeology and has traveled extensively in Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras.
3 Sessions $ 77 (Ridgefield Sr./Disab. $ 65)
Wed., 10/15, 22, 29 from 10 a.m. to 12 noon at the Annex (66 prospect Street) + Zoom (hybrid)
The Rise of Civilization in Meso America ~ the Teotihuacan, Mayans, Toltecs, Aztecs
This course follows the people of Teotihuacan, the Mayans, the Toltec, and the Aztecs from their beginnings to the formation of their cities, states and empires. They spoke different languages, but produced the same wonderful art, played the same ballgame, established extensive trade routes, built monumental cultural centers, practiced human sacrifice, and had similar pantheons of gods. The builders of these civilizations were an artistic, passionate, fierce people, who will fire your imagination. Instructor Lynn-Marie Wieland is a lithic (stone tools) archaeologist specializing in southern New England prehistory with an emphasis on the Indians of the Ridgefield area. She minored in Meso American Archaeology and has traveled extensively in Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras.
3 Sessions
Winter / Spring 2026. Contact us to be on a notification list or visit website.
The Creation of Italy
A visitor to Italy today travels freely about to explore the prized cities of Florence, Naples, Rome, and Venice. But it was not always so easy: Italy is a relatively new country, and the fabled cities may indeed be regarded as prizes, because they did not all join Italy willingly! It took a combination of the wily statesman Camillo Cavour, the political activism of the secret revolutionary Giuseppe Mazzini, and the romantic nationalism of Giuseppe Garibaldi – none of whom wanted to work together - to draw disparate “Italians” together. And even that wasn’t quite enough. Napoleon III and Bismarck had something to add. This presentation will look at the remarkable personalities and events that led to the emergence of a unified Italy in 1871. Instructor: Nancy Maxwell (scroll down for bio).
1 Session $29 (Ridgefield Seniors and Disabled pay $25)
Tue., 6/10 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Zoom.
The Wives of Henry VIII
The king had six wives! - a piece of history we all seem to remember from our school days! Henry’s marriages were about both love and power, but romance with this king could be a dangerous game. He needed an heir, but what else was the Henry hoping to achieve through these marriages? And who were his wives? Were they hapless victims or ambitious schemers or perhaps a combination of the two? Each one’s story was unique. Let’s meet these six very memorable 16th century ladies of the English court. Instructor: Nancy Maxwell (scroll down for bio).
1 Session $29 (Ridgefield Seniors and Disabled pay $25)
Wed., 7/30 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Zoom.
Hans Holbein - Painter to the King
In the era before photography, it was the role of the court artist to convey visual “news” both to and from the monarchs. It was a tricky road to tread for such messengers! How to portray Anne of Cleves, a prospective bride? Or Sir Thomas More a foe of the king? What if the monarch didn’t like what he saw? What if he did, but the reality was different? What if the monarch was the impulsive and vengeful Henry VIII? As official painter to the Tudor court, Holbein had to be both diplomat and visual journalist, ‘though in what order is not always clear! Instructor: Nancy Maxwell (scroll down for bio).
1 Session $29 (Ridgefield Seniors and Disabled pay $25)
Wed., 8/6 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Zoom.
Click here to view the European History and Local History and Archaeology classes above.