School fair

ROCKLAND – Penobscot School will host its fourth annual International Language Fair and Cafeteria from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14, at 28 Gay St.

The fair is one of many community events offered by Penobscot School during its yearlong celebration of 20 years as a center for language learning and international cultural exchange in Maine. There is no fee. Donations will be accepted in support of the school.

Classes will begin the week of Jan. 23. A discount of $20 will be offered for early registration through Jan. 20. The complete calendar and registration forms are available through www.languagelearning.org. For more information, call 594-1084.

ACT exams set

College-bound high school students have until Jan. 6 to register to take the ACT exam on the next nationwide test date, Feb. 11. The ACT will be administered in all states except New York.

Students who miss the Jan. 6 postmark deadline can do late registration through Jan. 20 for an additional $18 fee. Normal cost of the ACT is $29 (the cost is $43 if students choose to take the optional writing test). Students can register online at www.actstudent.org, or they register by mail. Registration materials are available from high school guidance counselors.

The writing test was added to the ACT in February 2005, and made optional because most colleges in the United States don’t require a writing test score. Students can find out if their prospective colleges require a writing score by searching on ACT’s Web site, www.actstudent.org.

Seeking applicants

PORTLAND – EqualityMaine Foundation is calling for applications for the Sen. Joel Abromson Memorial Scholarship.

The scholarship is named in honor of the late Senator Joel Abromson, a long-time advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality and civil rights in Maine. The contest is open to all high school seniors in Maine who have been accepted to any institution of higher learning.

Recipients will be chosen based on their responses to the essay question: “How can schools become safer for all students regardless of their sexual orientation or gender expression?” Recipients will be awarded up to $1,000 each to assist in financing higher education. Applications must be postmarked by April 15.

For guidelines and requirements, go to www.equalitymaine.org or call 761-3732 to request an application by mail. All application information, along with full text of winning essays from past years, is available online at www.equalitymaine.org.

Poetry conclave

FRANCONIA, N.H. – The Frost Place is accepting applications for the Conference on Poetry and Teaching being held June 26 to 30. The conference will bring middle and high school teachers and poets together to address how poetry can be most effectively taught.

Conference Director Baron Wormser, poet laureate of Maine and author of six books of poetry, will be joined by nationally recognized poets Marie Harris, Jack Wiler, Carolyn Wright, Catherine Doty and Eloise Bruce.

Applicants are asked to write a brief letter describing their teaching position, background and interest in teaching and poetry.

Tuition is $350 ($450 for out-of-state residents). Three graduate credits are available through the University System of New Hampshire. Applications can be mailed to The Frost Place, Conference on Poetry and Teaching, PO Box 74, Franconia, NH 03580 or submitted to rfrost@ncia.net.

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