immersion programmes.

Last year the language school's director, Riquette Bonne-Smith, moved the classes from her home to Canal Road, Pembroke.

After a year at the new location and on the eve of a trip to Paris, Mrs.

Bonne-Smith took time to tell The Royal Gazette of the school's development.

"French is still the dominant second language in Europe and Spanish has a North and South American appeal,'' she said.

"But Italian has so much to offer...the beauty and the art of the country.'' Twelve children are currently enrolled in the Italian classes and interest is increasing as more people discover the new offer.

Mrs. Bonne-Smith's dream to introduce foreign languages to every student in Bermuda remains strong.

The school promises to provide small class sizes, courses designed to teach the functional rather than the grammatical use of language, and an emphasis on cultural understanding.

"With the uncertainty of the future, you never know what exposure Bermuda will have,'' she said. "Bermudians need other languages, I want every family to speak more than one language.

"Starting at 15, 13, or ten years old is too late.

"It's like music. If children start at a young age, the language becomes second nature and they can become virtuosos by the time they are teenagers.'' At Le Maison de Francaise, students begin learning a new language from as young as three years old.

Despite Bermuda's remoteness, Mrs. Bonne-Smith said she believed the Island provides unique opportunities for students of foreign languages.

"There are so many different cultures here in a such a small community,'' she explained.

"These pockets of people can be resources for language study and then the language becomes a living subject.

"We are now in the reality of a global village and Bermuda is part of it.'' At present, the school has more than 150 adult and child students learning French, Spanish and Italian under five part-time teachers.

The latest addition to the staff is Italian teacher Ester Celio.

Mrs. Bonne-Smith's future plans include the introduction of an Asian language and art classes conducted in French.