Dip into learning

Find a sweet selection of classes at Oregon Coast Community College

‘Twas the month before winter term, when all through the county

Every creature was waiting for non-credit bounty.

The non-credit classes had been planned with great care

And mailboxes knew the ‘Catch’ soon would be there.

The ‘Catch’ — Oregon Coast Community College’s Catch the Wave noncredit course schedule — indeed will be there, on or about Dec. 7. Inside, readers will find 20 pages overflowing with creative ways to learn, be entertained, and even impress their Valentine with a surprise, hand-crafted treat.

This term, knitting instructor Rachel Yoder will spin a new yarn, and will try to hook a classroom of students on the art of crochet — marking the first time it has been taught at Oregon Coast Community College.

This class joins a lineup of recent favorite returning classes — such as the popular “Oil Painting Using the Wet-on-Wet Method,” being taught at the college’s Waldport campus by Georgina Nielsen. But, “Beginning Crochet” is not the only new offering for the term — far from it. In fact, you could say the college is Dublin-down on new courses, as it debuts “Irish Dancing for Adults,” led by the talented Nora Sherwood at the North County Campus in Lincoln City.

And, though online registration has only been open for a few days as this edition of the TODAY went to press, for those hoping to get into one of the college’s perennial favorite non-credit courses — “Beginning Guitar with Richard Paris” — the song remains the same, and the course is sold out.

If your chance to play some rock and roll is gone for this term, take heart; there is still time to rock. Geology faculty member Gib Bernhardt is offering the college’s first-ever non-credit geology class, “The Geology of Oregon,” at the Central County Campus in Newport.

Here’s to you

Last year, Lincoln County volunteer extraordinaire David Jamieson led a Community Emergency Response Team training course at the college, which is returning this spring. For winter term, however, Jamieson is helping prepare for another type of emergency: being asked to deliver a toast or a eulogy. His public speaking workshop is another first for the college’s community education lineup.

Much of the rest of the schedule is designed to help us look past the dark, wet winter months. And to keep us looking up. A pair of OSU Master Gardeners will have us thinking about the spring to come with another all-new offering, Creating Your Own Garden Design. Meanwhile, professional astronomer Sifan Kahale will make sure you make the most of those clear nights we do get this winter, with a series of five astronomy classes. She is offering astronomical savings, too — buy four of these $25 classes, and you’ll get the fifth one free. At that price, space will run out quickly, Soyuz might want to order soon.

All about the Benjamins

The Winter Term, which runs from January through mid-March, will encounter a couple of different holidays in February. You can mark Presidents’ Day by remembering Washington and Lincoln, but also by preserving your Andrew Jacksons and US Grants — not to mention your Benjamins (even if Franklin wasn’t a president) — in a new “Legacy Planning” course led by three Newport-area professionals.

We’ve got you covered for another big holiday in February, too. Your Valentine will appreciate being registered for “Argentine Tango” in Newport, and their heart will melt, just like the decadent chocolate mix you’ll learn how to create in Chris Chandler’s new “Chocolate-Covered Strawberries” class.

Registration open now

All told, there are more than 30 non-credit courses to choose from this Winter at Oregon Coast Community College. Find the entire lineup, and links to online registration, at oregoncoast.edu/communityed. Or, watch your mail around Dec. 7 for your copy of Catch the Wave. Inside you’ll find complete descriptions of all these courses, plus a complete list of the many credit courses scheduled for the college this term. Remember, too, that the college offers tuition waivers for credit courses to anyone aged 60 or better, though college and course fees still apply. Anyone with questions about the senior waiver should call 541-867-8501.

Oregon Coast Community College, founded in 1987, serves Lincoln County through its locations in Waldport, Newport, and Lincoln City. It offers associate and transfer degrees and a growing number of career-focused certificate programs. Learn more at oregoncoast.edu.