Maggie Yamamoto, executive director of the Sakura Gakuen Japanese language school for children and active Roslyn community member, has announced that she will hold classes in the art of the Japanese Tea Ceremony.

"In these very stressful times, I want to provide an oasis of calm and a oneness with nature to those who seek it," said Ms. Yamamoto The tea ceremony is a ritual, with each step and movement having a purpose. The ceremony itself is a form of meditation - relieving stress, sharpening the senses and promoting relaxation. In addition, the green tea used in the ceremony, with its powerful antioxidant properties, has been found to contain many health benefits.

Maggie was born and raised in Osaka, Japan where she took classes in the tea ceremony for two years and came to the US when she was 14. She married Shohei Yamamoto, who owns and runs the Pasta Presto chain of restaurants in Manhattan and settled in Roslyn Estates. After raising her two children Erika (Yuko) and Jay (Koichi) she turned her attention to language school in 1995.

Shortly after she joined the Roslyn Adult Ed Advisory Committee, where she often brought in Japanese masters to perform tea and incense ceremonies, some held in Japanese restaurants where attendees would dine on the cuisine while learning the culture. This semester she is teaching an Adult Ed class in origami, the traditional Japanese art of folding paper to form flowers, animals and other figures. She is a member of the National Council of Teachers of Japanese, the Japanese Women's Association on Long Island (Nadeshiko Kai), and a member of the Great Neck peace organization SANE.

The classes will begin March 1 from 1:15 - 3 p.m. and continue for two Saturdays per month until June 21 at the Greek Orthodox Church, 34 Cedar Swamp Road, Glen Cove. The fee is $100 with a nominal additional charge for a trip to an authentic Tea House in Manhattan at the end of the session. Call Maggie at 621-8677 for further details.