Fall Community Education Series can enrich your life
When merchants start to put away swimsuits and send coupons for composition notebooks and erasable pens, it's a sign that the school year is upon us. Even though most of us are probably way past our elementary school days, who doesn’t feel a little bit of excitement at the first sighting of those big, beautiful, yellow school buses on the road? We're all guilty of a little nostalgia around this time of year.
Learning shouldn’t end when we stop riding the big yellow school bus or when we grow up. Motivational speaker and author Brian Tracey encourages people to “commit to lifelong learning. The most valuable asset you’ll ever have is your mind and what you put into it.” Few of us find enough time for ourselves. Unfortunately, life is busy and full of chores, challenges and commitments.
Still, we all instinctively know that time spent on our own enrichment serves everyone in our lives. Health requires nourishment. Brain health requires learning. With the new Community Education Series at HACC’s Gettysburg Campus, you can nourish your brain and enrich your life! Unlike so many pesky tasks of life, time spent learning is never wasted.
The series will feature an array of classes offered in a short workshop format held at different times on Fridays from Sept. 9-Nov. 18, 2016. You can choose the topics that interest you the most. The cost is $15 for one day (one class); $25 for one day (two classes); or $120 for six days (12 classes).
One of the first topics for Sept. 9 will be Jane Malone, a Licensed Gettysburg Town Historian, taking you back to 1917 when the “Great War” began for America. As the U.S. entered this war, people rallied to support their country and its armed forces. Malone will share stories and even some “lost” local history of how Gettysburg citizens and our town impacted the war.
On Sept. 23, Mike Corradino, dean of academic affairs and government and politics faculty member at HACC’s Lancaster Campus, will present “Foreign Policy Challenges for the Next U.S. President.” This interactive session is designed to help participants think about U.S. foreign policy in ways that go beyond candidate sound bites. By discussing the challenges that await the next president upon taking office, Corradino hopes to give participants the ability to develop their own frameworks for evaluating the issues and candidates we’ll be voting for on Nov. 8.
If politics and history aren’t your thing, we’ll also be offering a number of sessions to enhance your computer skills. Lisa Shaulis, computer user support technician at HACC’s Gettysburg Campus, will offer a session on the new Microsoft Windows 10 Operating system where you’ll have a chance to explore the new Internet browser, Microsoft Edge, and meet your new personal assistant, Cortana. Shaulis will also be offering sessions on Introduction to Word and PowerPoint 2016 as well as how to download the free Windows Movie Maker from Microsoft to turn your digital pictures into movies you can enjoy with your family and friends.
For a complete listing of class sessions and to register, please visit http://tinyurl.com/ju455ok or call 717-337-3855, ext. 119903. While you’re at it, head out and buy a composition book or two in case you want to take some notes during class!
Shannon Harvey is vice president of HACC’s Gettysburg Campus.