Some students studying Hebrew at Grimsley High want to better understand their culture. Or become fluent. Or better understand the Torah and the Bible. Or learn about an entirely different culture and language.
Whatever their reasons, students can’t take the course anywhere else in Guilford County Schools. Or any other public school in the state, according to the N.C. Department of Public Instruction.
Grimsley offers six levels of Hebrew in three classes with about 40 students enrolled.
The program will earn even more distinction this fall with the addition of an International Baccalaureate class.
Six schools in the United States have students registered to take IB exams for which they might earn college credit, according to an IB spokeswoman.
Students who take the class say they walk away with more than a better understanding of a language.
On a typical day, there is only the hum of the air conditioner and the voices of Rina Wolfgang, who has taught the class for about five years, and her students, reading and talking.
With Wolfgang perched on a stool, facing the students, their discussions take on a more intimate feel.
The discussion shifts from the language to politics, Middle East conflicts, how history repeats itself and life.
“Grimsley has a star — not in me, but in the Hebrew program,” said Wolfgang.
