Arlington Community Education Spring Registration opens March 1

The Arlington Community Education Spring 2021 catalog will soon be arriving in mailboxes. Preview the interactive catalog online now at ArlingtonCommunityEd.org. Registration opens Monday, March 1 at noon and classes for adults and kids begin the week of April 5. Classes will be held online unless otherwise noted.

“Although virtual classes will likely always be a part of our programming, being in person again is finally becoming a reality. Reopening will be a slow and careful process, but we are thrilled that we are able to offer a handful of classes in person—small, masked, and socially distanced, of course,” said ACE director Jen Rothenberg. “We held a successful in-person VacationFun program for youth over February break and we are really excited to bring our SummerFun program back to Ottoson Middle School.”

This semester, a limited number of adult classes, including woodworking, quilting, and sewing, will run in-person on Tuesday nights at Arlington High School. Outdoor offerings for adults, families, and kids have also been expanded, and include walking tours, landscape painting, and hikes. Also new this spring is a partnership with the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, designed to connect and support local businesses, plus a collaboration with area museums including Zoo New England. These exclusive offerings include private virtual and in-person experiences and even a family visit with an endangered animal, the red panda.

Among the nearly 200 adult classes being offered this spring, there are almost 40 new classes. Capture the beauty of nature with photography or learn how to take better photos with your smartphone. Take up the age-old art of Chinese ink brush painting, learn the basics of painting with acrylics, or make your own printmaking “studio” at home as you learn the foundations of making linoleum relief prints without a press. Learn how to take care of your houseplants or grow clematis and roses in your garden. New language offerings include Mandarin and translation for Spanish speakers.

In Food & Drink, learn to buy (and taste!) ethical chocolate; make over your pantry; or explore cuisines from India, Japan, Vietnam, and the Mediterranean. New Wellness classes focus on spring makeup & skincare, CPR & First Aid, and creative journaling. In Writing & Literature, read and discuss Where the Crawdads Sing, take your personal experiences and translate them to the page, or compare classic short stories with versions “covered” or “remixed” by contemporary authors.

New Technology classes examine media in the digital age, go beyond the basics of iphone/ipad features, and introduce Microsoft Word, Excel & Powerpoint. Investigate whether your website is engaging your customers, practice delivering effective presentations, or learn how to manage a website with WordPress. Get assistance when life doesn’t go as planned: “Designing Your Life: Coaching & Support for Work/Life” will help you understand what brings meaning to your work life and map out a plan to explore next steps, while “Planning for Financial Success After Divorce” will help develop a clear roadmap of how to get back on track.

Focus on the urban environment with the new classes “City Drawing & Illustration,” which will explore visualizations and illustrations of the urban environment, and “Exploring Cities Through Literature,” where students will read, discuss, and write about the role of cities in our lives. Inspiring in-person History Walking Tours include explorations of the picturesque Eustis Estate at the base of the Blue Hills, Art Deco In The Back Bay, and the road to the vote for national woman suffrage.

Plenty of favorites are returning as well, such as banjo, guitar, ukulele, and West African drumming; drawing, painting, and watercolor pencils; knitting, crochet, and embroidery; bridge, chess, and mah jongg; Spanish, Italian, French, Arabic, Russian, and American Sign Language; haiku and memoir writing; dog training, auto repair, lawn care, and composting; cake decorating; tea and tequila tasting; biking, BollyX, country western line dance, and Zumba; Essentrics, yoga, Qigong, tai chi, and barre; plus nature walking tours and birdwatching.

Highlight events include beer tastings that explore German lagers, California’s beer scene, and road trip worthy New England breweries. Gain access to private, exclusive art experiences at “Virtual Visits with the Institute of Contemporary Art.” Learn various strategies for maintaining—and boosting—your brain’s capacity to remember, discover how pop music of the 1950s through the 1980s became the hits that we know and love, learn to grow your own organic produce, or explore the dynamic art of modern dance. A duo of family nutrition classes will help set your children up with healthy eating habits.

The Curious Minds series will investigate climate change, astronomy, and genealogy. At “Fight Climate Change in Your Kitchen,” co-sponsored by Food Link and the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, cook along with the instructor or simply watch and learn ways to reduce food waste both as individuals and a community, and how to prepare meals with items that are past their prime.

There are 15 options for adults and children to take a class together. Learn Spanish, or make crepes, calzones, or sushi. Focus on cute and cuddly animals: make them out of clay, from fondant to top cupcakes, and visit with them “live” at a virtual zoo chat focused on conservation and endangered species with Zoo New England. In-person classes include a series of “Off the Beaten Path” family hikes, plein air art workshops, and a trio of explorations at Mass Audubon Habitat.

A new term of ACE Kids classes begins in April. Offerings include arts & crafts, cooking, fitness & dance, STEM, languages, life skills, and more. New classes feature “Crazy for Calzones,” “Animation: Digital & Stop Motion,” “DIY Science Lab,” and “Minecraft Modding with mCreator.” There will also be several outdoor, in-person classes including Mass Audubon Habitat and parkour. Driver’s Ed, SAT prep, and classes such as “College Admissions in the Age of Coronavirus,” and “Explore Arlington Through Urban Planning,” are available for high school students.

Preview the spring catalog now at ArlingtonCommunityEd.org so you can make your selections and reserve your spot as soon as registration opens on March 1.

Arlington Community Education is a program of the Arlington Public Schools that is completely supported by tuition received from our courses. ACE provides affordable education and enrichment for residents of Arlington and surrounding communities.