Arundel Community College

If you have a desire to pursue a hobby, chase a dream or perhaps paint a rainbow, Anne Arundel Community College has a course for you.Classes to be offered in the adult education program this year include "Quilts from Scraps," "German for Tourists" and "Beginning Watercolors."Classes will be held at the new North County High School, 10 E. First Ave. in Ferndale.A complete list of classes is available at local library branches.For more information or to register, call 222-5385.*The Arundel Improvement Association is getting ready for its annual crab feast from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday at the association's hall.

Maybe the kids seem too loud, too playful, too unrelenting. Maybe a spouse has grown accustomed to doing things alone and isn't ready to let go of a newfound independence. Or maybe routine noises such as slamming doors or clanging silverware trigger flashbacks or uncontrollable twitchiness. Combat has many dangers, but returning home can also be fraught with peril for troops. Using private funding, Anne Arundel Community College next week will begin "Reunited: Family Life After Deployment," a free, four-week seminar aimed at helping military families readjust to life at home.

Anne S. Agee is packing for camp this summer. Crackers, juice boxes and mice.The Crofton resident who teaches English and coordinates instructional technology at Anne Arundel Community College will be spending most of next month running Camp WYSIWYG -- 2 1/2 -hour courses aimed at helping a teacher become computer confident, ready to sit in front of a tube, mouse in hand.The program, named after the frequently used computer acro- nym -- what you see is what you get -- was chosen by the National Council of Instructional Administrators last month as Exemplary Instructional Program from 18 other entries in the computer staff development category.

Gov. Martin O'Malley, in his first commencement speech as governor, told more than 1,400 graduates at Anne Arundel Community College last night that the country and the world are waiting - and counting on them to move society forward. In a keynote speech that began with a light confession - that "Navy and Johns Hopkins [University] didn't invite me" - O'Malley praised community colleges as "where America goes to college ... very much like a community garden of opportunity." At the college's 45th commencement, under an illuminated white tent on an athletic field, O'Malley said he chose to come to the campus because of its reputation for inclusion and diversity.

It wasn't quite as dramatic as a boardroom meeting with The Donald on The Apprentice, but the third annual Business Plan Competition at Anne Arundel Community College still had its moments of excitement. About 30 students submitted business plans, and a selection committee of six business leaders from the community winnowed the choices down to three. Those finalists were invited to present their plans to the judges: Michael Williams, senior vice president of BB&T, which sponsored the competition; Griff Hall, executive director of Leadership Anne Arundel; and Patricia Troy, president of FacetsWoman Inc., a Web-based organization for women.

In one day, Martineta Leka made $200 selling hot dogs from her hot dog stand.But the money was just part of a computer simulation Leka and three other Albanian high school teachers were using at Anne Arundel Community College."

Moonlight Troupers' "Guys and Dolls," which opened last weekend at Anne Arundel Community College, is closer to a Broadway show than a community college production in terms of the talented cast, skilled directing, great staging and lively orchestra in the pit.Robert F. Kauffman, director and head of the AACC drama department, has assembled an excellent cast and crew to bring to life the colorful gamblers, gangsters, missionaries and showgirls from Damon...

Das Puppenspiel Puppet Theater weaves a magical spell with its recreations of Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales using puppets from cultures around the world.More than 800 people were wrapped in that spell last weekend as the group's four puppeteers performed "The Snow Queen" at the Pascal Center for the Performing Arts at Anne Arundel Community College.The group used African masks, English hand puppets, French marionettes, Indonesian shadow puppets and Japanese "bunraku" puppets to enhance the drama of the story of Gerda, a little girl who heads to the far north in search of her best friend, Kai, who is taken away by the Snow Queen.

Trix Bruce has earned a reputation for making her audiences laugh without saying a word. The Seattle-based performer, who has been profoundly deaf since she was 6 months old, is bringing her improv comedy act to Anne Arundel Community College tomorrow. She'll perform at the Pascal Center for Performing Arts from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The show will be in American Sign Language (ASL), with an interpreter for audience members who don't know the language. "It's going to be a very funny show," said Nan Pennington, vice president of the college's American Sign Language Club, which is sponsoring the event.

In its first eight regular-season games, the No. 11 South River girls lacrosse team has had only one close one, so the Seahawks relished the chance to play some tough nontraditional rivals at the annual Anne Arundel Community College tournament. On Saturday, making up the game that had been rained out the Saturday before, they nipped No. 12 Fallston, 12-11, as Brooke Griffin scored five goals and dominated the draws while goalie Kim Kolarik made 14 saves. In Monday's tournament game, the Seahawks (9-1)