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Our Classes
Watercolor for Beginners and Intermediates: Thursdays
with Mike Duffy
This is an in-person, classroom-based course at Mount Desert Island High School.
This class will gently guide you into watercolor painting. We'll cover the basic stuff like how to do a wash, what kind of brush, what kind of paper and what kind of paints to use. We'll also cover more advanced and stylized skills in this class. Drawing skills are not needed.
Learn how to mix colors and how to understand the color wheel. Each week or two we'll create a masterpiece suitable for framing.
PLEASE PLAN TO PAY $10 to the instructor on the first night of class for materials.
Cancellations: If the high school is closed during the day for any reason (weather, power, other), the evening classes are also cancelled unless otherwise notified. It would be wise to check your email before driving to class for any last minute updates.
Putting Literacy in Financial Literacy: Book Club with FAME
with FAME Finance Authority ME
This is a live, online class.
Join FAME’s College Savings Counselor, Maire Pelletier, in exploring the book Girls That Invest by Simran Kaur. This course is a great introduction to investing. All experience levels are welcome! (For general education purposes only, and should not be used as legal, tax, or financial advice)
Book Synopsis: Your step-by-step guide to financial independence―from the creator of the #1 investing education podcast, "Girls That Invest". Ever wondered how on earth the stock market works, but felt too intimidated to ask "those" questions? This is the book for you! In this guide to investing in stocks (aka shares), Simran Kaur teaches the essential principles you can apply to any market, anywhere in the world. Because money provides the freedom to say yes or no, the freedom to handle whatever life throws at you, and the freedom to grow and prosper. This book is your invitation to join the thriving community of women who are building a better financial future. Investing is for everyone. Pick up Girls That Invest, become an investor-in-training, and claim a space for yourself in the world of finance―so you too can find financial independence and create generational wealth.
Quickbooks: Basic Accounting Principles and QB Online
with Val Landry
This is a live online class using ZOOM.
During these three sessions, you will learn basic accounting principles and how to apply them to setting up QuickBooks online for a small business or organization. The design of the course is that you'll attend the class and also do 2-3 hours of work between sessions which greatly enhances your learning. For this workshop, you have the option to receive a yearlong subscription to QB online. Upon registration, the survey provided will provide information about this opportunity.
Please take a few minutes to complete the survey included in your automated receipt so the instructor can tailor the course to meet your needs.
You will want to have Microsoft Excel on your computer for this workshop and many people find it helpful to have two monitors though it is certainly not necessary to benefit from the sessions. There are two ways to accomplish this: 1) attach an external screen to your computer (contact our program if you need technical assistance with that); 2) use two computers (one for Excel and the other for the ZOOM meeting.
Val is a lifelong business educator and academic advisor focused on helping enrich and enhance students' educational and life purposes. He is experienced in college management and, as an adult educator, having taught at the Mid-State College and Kennebec Valley Community College. His teaching experience covers over 45 years in the areas of computer applications, accounting, and Quickbooks training workshops.
"The M-Factor" Shredding the Silence on Menopause
with Christy Seed
Join us for a special screening of a documentary on Menopause"The M-Factor" Shredding the Silence on Menopause
The film runs 60 minutes and will be followed by a short question and answer period with Dr. Seed who is certified by the North American Menopause Society to help patients with the menopause transition.
Information about the film:“Menopause is the one universal female experience….You may not have a lot of things that affect women. Menopausal, I guarantee you, you will be.” —Sharon Malone, OBGYN.
“The M Factor: Shredding the Silence on Menopause” is the first US documentary exploring the hidden impact of menopause on women's lives. With 55 million women in the United States currently experiencing menopause, this life stage is often surrounded by silence and misinformation, exacerbating the broader crisis in women’s health.
Menopause symptoms can derail careers, disrupt relationships, and cause unnecessary suffering. This film presents evidence-based solutions to challenge the negativity associated with menopause and empowers women to take control of their health. Women of all walks of life open up about the physical and mental anguish they live with every day. Doctors and policymakers speak out on the changes that need to be made, especially in the workplace where roughly 44% of women are over the age of 45. While some women experience mild symptoms, many face issues ranging from hot flashes and weight gain to anxiety and fatigue. With insights from renowned experts including Dr. Sharon Malone, Dr. Somi Javaid, Dr. Mary Jane Minkin (Yale School of Medicine), Dr. Wen Shen (Johns Hopkins Medicine), and Dr. Stephanie Faubion (Mayo Clinic and The Menopause Society), the film dispels myths about hormone replacement therapy, evaluates over-the-counter supplements, and addresses how women of color uniquely experience menopause.
“The M Factor” empowers women to make informed health decisions and aims to remove the stigma surrounding menopause and aging.
Ukulele for Beginners
with Duncan Perry
This is a live, online class.
Learn to play the ukulele! It has never been more popular and you don't even need to know how to read music! On the uke you can knock out folk music, rock, blues, jazz, pop, country, tunes old and new -- even classical music. Duncan Perry, who has taught more than 700 students of all ages, will introduce you to essential chords and playing skills using familiar songs. There are lots of laughs along the way and learning to play an instrument is good for your brain!
You will need a playable ukulele and an electronic tuner or a tuner app. And when folks hear you play this happy instrument, well, they just have to smile! If you don’t own a ukulele, please contact us (uketime24@gmail.com) for information. What are you waiting for? Grab a uke and get ready for a musical adventure, then spread the joy!
Biography
Duncan is an experienced multi-instrumentalist who has been performing and teaching folks how to play the ukulele for the last 14 years. Having served as a volunteer music therapist in medical and hospice settings, he quickly came to understand that music is medicine and that learning to play an instrument not only sharpens the brain but helps reduce stress. It also brings joy to those who play the uke and to their audiences. Duncan has taught in a variety of Maine communities and did not let the COVID-19 epidemic stop him. He simply moved from teaching in person to an online format and now reaches students all over Maine, New Hampshire and beyond.
Microsoft Excel Basics
with Val Landry
This is a live, online class.
Microsoft Excel Basics During this workshop, you will learn how to navigate a simple Excel worksheet, enter data in a worksheet, use basic math functions, do basic formatting, how to replicate data, use built-in functions and work with columns and rows. The design of the course is that you'll attend the class and also do 2-3 hours of work between sessions which greatly enhances your learning. This is a live online class using ZOOM.
Please take a few minutes to complete the survey included in your automated receipt so the instructor can tailor the course to meet your needs.
You will want to have Microsoft Excel on your computer for this workshop and many people find it helpful to have two monitors though it is certainly not necessary to benefit from the sessions. There are two ways to accomplish this: 1) attach an external screen to your computer (contact our program if you need technical assistance with that); 2) use two computers (one for Excel and the other for the ZOOM meeting.
Val is a lifelong business educator and academic advisor focused on helping enrich and enhance students' educational and life purposes. He is experienced in college management and, as an adult educator, having taught at the Mid-State College and Kennebec Valley Community College. His teaching experience covers over 45 years in the areas of computer applications, accounting, and Quickbooks training workshops.
Adulting 101: For the Love of Money
with FAME Finance Authority ME
This is a live, online class.
Adulting is tough. Finances can be one of the trickiest parts of adulthood. Whether you’ve been Adulting for decades or are just getting started, banking basics, spending plans, credit scores and budgeting tools are available to make things a little bit easier. Join Steve Kautz, Financial Education Programs Specialist from the Finance Authority of Maine for this 1-hour virtual workshop as we explore fundamental money skills.
How To Play Piano by Ear
with Craig Coffman
This is a live, online class via Zoom.
Learn one of music’s deepest mysteries: how to play songs without relying on music. A very practical presentation of music theory that includes predicting chord progressions, learning from recordings, and transposing-all expressed in everyday language. This is an ideal follow-up to the “Instant Piano” class and is open to anyone who has a basic understanding of chords on any instrument. Expand your musical horizons, and free yourself from sheet-music dependence, and be the life of the party! Prior experience with chords recommended. Fee includes the online book, online follow-up lessons, a recording of the class and an optional monthly question and answer session. Class is held online using zoom.
Craig Coffman is an experienced piano and guitar instructor, professional pianist and music director. He has over 30 years’ experience teaching piano privately. His piano and guitar seminars, offered through Community Colleges and Community Education Programs, have been attended by over 30,000 students throughout Arizona, Minnesota and the United States over the last 27 years. He has a degree in Sociology from Illinois Wesleyan University in Illinois (where he also studied piano) and a Master of Divinity degree from Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon.