Out of school and still looking to learn? Registration for adult classes is open in Herricks, East Williston and Roslyn school districts.
“I think it’s a great service to the community,” said Susanne Weiss, an adult education coordinator. “We have a lot of people in the community who don’t have children in the school district anymore. They should still have the opportunity for continuing education.”
The decades-long program is set to resume in early October, offering classes for anyone over 18 on a wide range of topics, including personal finance, computer and technology skills, health, wellness and exercise, culture and cooking.
The program is run jointly by Herricks, East Williston and Roslyn. Classes are offered virtually and at buildings across the three districts. Registration closes the day before the class starts, which, depending on the course, falls in the first or second week of October.
The courses don’t provide any degree or certificate-bearing credit and are purely for personal learning, Weiss said. The intent is to provide adults in the community with an opportunity to learn a new skill, exercise, grow personally and make friends.
“I think because it’s a wonderful opportunity to try out new things and meet new people,” Weiss said. “It’s personal enrichment. You get to try something new. Everybody wants to try something new.”
Weiss said she encourages members of the community to sign up for class and try something new, particularly one of the program’s newer courses, including Mediterranean cooking, Chinese calligraphy, emergency awareness, genealogy, gentle yoga and stretching and Culture Lecture: “Those Boisterous Boys from the Borscht Belt.”
“We did a survey last year that asked what people wanted, so we responded to that this year,” said Cynthia Younker, the program’s director. “Suzanne does research on what’s new out there and tries to find teachers to match the subjects…We’re always eager to get new proposals from teachers with different subjects.”
Other unique courses this semester include Introduction to ChatGPT, Decoupage Pumpkin and Botanical Card Making Workshops, Mah Jongg, photography and eight virtual and in-person exercise courses ranging from interval training to ZUMBA to basketball.
The program also includes finance courses for seniors, like estate and retirement planning, and Herricks senior citizen programs, including the Adult Day Program for those with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, run by the Sid Jacobson JCC and the Herricks Leisure Club.
Once people start attending, they tend to come back every year, Weiss said, with many religiously registering for the same course to hone their skills while also picking up a new class to expand their horizons.
She said she was proud of the district’s ability to keep the program running, as many other districts’ adult education programs have folded.
The courses range in cost, with one-session workshops and lectures hovering around $30-$40 and semester-long courses typically falling between $100-$150. There are discounts for those who are district residents and over the age of 60.
Weiss said the program expects to welcome hundreds of adult students this fall and again in the spring semester, which is set to start in March. The fall semester runs through mid-December.
Those looking to learn can view the course catalog and register online at https://www.roslynschools.org/community/adult-continuing-education.
