Though it is probably unwelcome to most residents, fall has arrived. And with it come cooler, shorter days with longer, even colder, nights.
Now that you can’t spend the evening in the yard (either with a cold one in hand or a garden trowel), you’re probably looking for something else to do. Or maybe your spouse, significant other, or roommate has something going on to fill their evenings, leaving you home alone.
Well, ignore the new fall line-up on the boob tube and instead sign up for an educational and invigorating night class at the high school.
A registration night is scheduled for next Wednesday (Oct. 1) from 7-9 p.m. in the atrium for a variety of classes. Can’t make it? Then call the school (274-7747) and leave a message for Mark Kowalchuk.
The high school is offering the women’s woodworking class once again, only this year there are two sessions due to the increase in interest.
“We still have some openings for this term,” said Kowalchuk, who has been organizing the night classes. “We’re already taking bookings for next year.”
He explained the two sessions will run Monday and Wednesday nights and will accommodate 32 women—16 in each one—but that there were only a few openings left for this fall.
Kowalchuk did suggest a male or mixed class might be offered if enough interest was shown. “If we had requests for woodworking for men then we would consider that,” he said.
The woodworking class, set to begin in early October, has a $100 fee, with students also paying for all additional material expenses. Projects are flexible and usually can be chosen by the student.
The high school has a group of other classes on the agenda for the fall providing enough interest is shown, such as one on small engine repair.
“The key goal of this class is to give people the independence in keeping their own lawn mower repaired,” Kowalchuk noted. “Tune-ups, valve adjustments, any kind of repairs that need to be done on an ongoing basis.
“It’s cheaper to take the course than take it to a repair store,” he added, explaining that students will bring in their own machine—whether it’s a lawn mower, snowblower, or other piece of equipment with a small engine—and learn to diagnose problems.
“It’s a hands-on course with your own equipment,” he said. “The instructor will help diagnose problems, buy parts, and go through repair manuals.”
Kowalchuk said students also will be encouraged to bring their own small tool kit so they learn to repair with the tools they’ll have at home. Other tools will be supplemented by the school.
The tuition fee is $100 and the class will start Wednesday, Oct. 22.
“The last time this course ran, it was mostly females that were in it,” Kowalchuk noted.
Not into engines, or perhaps you already know how to change the spark plugs on your snowblower, than maybe the basic cooking class is more your style.
“This is for people who don’t have a lot of cooking skills,” said Kowalchuk, though he noted students will learn how to do different things for meals like quiches and omelettes—not exactly the most basic fare.
He said the course would take place in the home economics room at the high school and could accommodate up to 20 students.
“The idea is to get them away from pre-packaged foods,” said Kowalchuk, adding the course will focus on nutritious meals and snacks. “Just because it’s sold on a grocery shelf doesn’t mean it’s healthy for you.”
He said the instructor also will go through comparison shopping with the students to help them learn how to get the best deals, and plan meals for one, two, and more people.
Kowalchuk also stressed the course will run into the holiday season, allowing for some festive meal choices.
And as an added bonus, the students get to take home all the leftovers.
This course, also scheduled to start Oct. 22, costs $100 tuition, with an extra $200 lab fee to cover the cost of groceries.
“We’ve had some requests for an ethnic cooking course, so if we had more interest, we might put one together,” Kowalchuk said.
Anyone interested in the basic or ethnic cooking course can sign up at the registration night.
This spring, the high school also is throwing around the idea of holding a residential landscaping workshop, which probably would consist of three sessions with a local greenhouse operator.
“We won’t offer [the workshop] until just before the planting season in 2004,” Kowalchuk said.
The workshop would cost between $30 and $50, and would help people create a site plan for their property, choose flowers and other plants to add to their yard, learn about care and feeding of plants, and give them a sneak preview at what might be new for planting this spring.
“[Interested people are] encouraged to take pictures of their yard at this time of year [before the snow flies], so they can show their house with the greatest advantage of planting,” explained Kowalchuk
Another possible course to be offered in the near future, depending on interest, is a quilting course. Kowalchuk said this is a beginner’s course “for people without a sewing machine” at home.
Finally, the high school will be offering credit courses to adults in one or all of the following: Grade 11 Math, English, and Chemistry.
At this point, Kowalchuk said names and phone numbers of interested people are needed to know whether there is enough interest to go forward with one or all of these courses.
The courses would begin sometime in October. Anyone interested is asked to register during the sign-up night or call the high school.
Kowalchuk suggested other types of classes also are possible, depending on interest. “If we had a group of people that wanted a course run, we’d make every effort to accommodate them,” he stressed.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
