The Anacortes Senior College is offering a dozen afternoon and evening class, ranging from Spanish, Health Fads, Garden Threats and Retirement & Investment Planning, for its spring term, starting on April 14.
Anacortes Senior College Spring Term begins on Tuesday, April 14, and continues through Thursday, May 21. Afternoon classes meet 3:30 p.m. -5:30 p.m. Evening classes meet 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Classes are 6 weeks in length unless otherwise noted. A 6-week class is $30. A 3-week class is $20.
Tuesday afternoons
- Introduction to Spanish. Yadi Young, a native of Costa Rica, taught college and high school Spanish for 30 years. She will focus on achieving greater understanding of a new language through role playing, games and songs.
- Mysteries of Personal Communication. Dr. Robert Dionne will lead the class into improving interpersonal communications with significant others and friends. Dionne taught at California State University for 35 years.
- Health Fads—Fact or Fiction? Part II (3 weeks: 4/14, 21, 28). Patricia Downing, a clinical nurse specialist, will unravel fact from fiction by showing how to detect differences among the endless streams of new scientific findings.
- A Brief History of Important Metals (3 weeks: 5/5, 12, 19). Early artisans in metals revolutionized human culture. Jim Strong shares expertise as a college professor and researcher to fathom eras shaped by metal.
Thursday afternoons
- Great Choral Works of the Baroque Period. Roupen Shakarian, Director of the Skagit Symphony and music composer, reveals the beauty of vocal works through motets, madrigals, cantatas, oratorios and passions.
- Continuing Dances: Government and our Economy. Dr. Michael Newbrough examines politics, economics and special interest groups in shaping policies. He was professor at Palomar College, San Marcos, Calif., for 30 years.
- Garden Threats: Insects and Diseases of the Pacific Northwest. Dr. Robert Gara digs into disease and insect damage to trees, shrubs, flowers and lawns. He is retired from the College of Forest Resources at the University of Washington.
- Lies, Damned Lies… and Statistics. Dr. Bill Kaigh offers ways to discern the mistakes and abuses of statistical information often presented to influence public opinion. He spent 30 years on the faculty of University of Texas-El Paso.
Thursday evenings
- French: Chocolat et Chansons. Susan Redd, encourages seniors to sing in French for pronunciation and understanding, along with tasting chocolate. Redd taught 37 years at Mount Vernon High School.
- Retirement & Investment Planning (3 weeks: 4/16, 23, 30). Thor McIlrath, a certified financial planner with decades of experience, will tutor students on managing investments, using new tax laws to advantage and more.
- Listening like a Jazz Musician (3 weeks: 4/16, 23, 30). Learning to listen effectively, led by musician Todd Anderson, will inform students about the improvisation, stylistic musical elements and nuances of jazz.
- The Archeology of Ancient Israel/Jordan (3 weeks: 5/7, 14, 21). Dr. Douglas Clark, Director of the Center for Near Eastern Archeology at La Sierra University, Riverside, Calif., explores sites and discoveries on both sides of the Jordan.