Treat Your Valentine to Dance Lessons through UM Communiversity

OXFORD, Miss.­­­ – The start of a new year is always a good prompt to reflect on how you can try something different, form new habits or make time for enriching experiences. The University of Mississippi Communiversity program has a spring schedule full of noncredit courses sure to inspire.

“There is a little something for everyone,” said Gazel Giles, Communiversity coordinator. “There are no grades or homework, but there are many opportunities to learn about things you may be interested in.”

Residents are invited to the free “UPD’s Personal Safety” class at noon Jan. 31 at the Oxford-University Depot. Find out how to protect yourself and develop an awareness of threatening situations. There is no cost for this hourlong course, but participants are encouraged to register online.

Treat your Valentine to ballroom and Latin dance classes with professional instructor Arman Sahakyan. This step-by-step class takes place Monday evenings Feb. 19-April 30 in Residence Hall 2, on the former site of Guess Hall.

The ballroom sessions are set for 6:30-7:30 p.m. while the Latin dancing course will follow from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. The cost is $10 per session.

Gardeners and anyone wanting to spruce up their yard this spring can enjoy Communiversity’s popular lunch and learn classes. The first in the series will be “Pruning Like a Pro” with Jeff McManus, ISA-certified arborist and director of UM Landscape Services, on Feb. 21.

The “How to Create a Hummingbird Garden” class with Mitch Robinson from Strawberry Plains Audubon Center is set for March 28. Each class costs just $10 and will be conducted from noon to 1p.m. at the Depot.

Residents looking for resources to enhance their employability and work performance can check out “Landing Your Next Job” with career training coach Leslie Kendrick.

“The main goal of this class is to help people feel more comfortable with applying for jobs and interviewing for positions,” Kendrick said. “The class is not meant to overwhelm participants. I want people to feel confident that they can do this.”

Kendrick will share tips for interviewing as well as writing resumes and cover letters from 5:30 to 7:30 March 20 and 27 at UM’s Insight Park on Hawthorn Road.

Another course to help with enhancing job skills and work performance in 2018 is “Advanced Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint: Going Beyond the Basics,” taking place 5:30-7:30 p.m. Feb. 5 and 7 at Weir Hall. The cost is $85.

Focusing on improving personal health is a popular goal for many in the new year. The “Advanced Essential Oils” class provides ideas for living a healthier lifestyle through blending oils for wellness applications and replacing toxic home and personal care products with more natural materials.

The class will meet 5:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesdays, April 3, 10 and 17, at the Depot. The cost is $75.

“CPR and First-Aid Training” will help participants make a plan for emergencies and develop the skills necessary to help an adult, child, or infant who is not breathing. The class is slated for 9 a.m.-2 p.m. March 31 at Insight Park. The class also meets requirements for foster care, adoption and child care workers.

Preparing for emergencies is a topic that also will be discussed during the “Safe Sitter Essentials” class for youth ages 11 to 14. Participants will learn lifesaving skills so they can be safe when home alone or watching younger children. Set for 9 a.m.-4 p.m. May 5 at Insight Park, the course costs $65.

Fishtail, Milkmaid, Crown, Upside Down – these are some of the latest on-trend hairstyles that Melanie Armstrong will teach participants how to craft during the “Introduction to Professional Braiding” class taking place 9 a.m.-noon March 3 at the Depot.

Armstrong, who operates the Armstrong Braiding Academy in Tupelo, will share her best techniques and hair care secrets with class members who can practice on and keep their own hair mannequin. The cost, including materials, is $99.

Aretha Nabors of Tupelo will share her best tips and practices for saving money during the “Beginning Couponing Course,” from 9 a.m. to noon April 21 at the Depot. The course fee is $35.

Nabors perfected her couponing skills a few years ago when the first two of her five sons were enrolled in college at the same time.

“Couponing has saved me thousands of dollars each year,” Nabors said. “I needed to supply necessities not just for my own household, but also for two student residences.

“Now I buy enough at deeply-discounted prices throughout the year to stock them with food and supplies that they need without breaking the bank.”

Nabors said that she doesn’t extreme coupon but does get the maximum savings on products and even restaurant visits.

“I’m so excited to show others how to save money and time,” she said. “It just doesn’t make sense to pay full price.”

People looking to take their photography skills to the next level can learn the best digital camera and image editing techniques from Robert Jordan, who recently retired as director of university photography. His “Advanced Digital Photography” class will address control techniques, various format cameras and photographic lighting techniques.

The class meets 8 a.m.-noon April 14 at Insight Park. The cost is $85.

Food Network regulars Jeff and Kathleen Taylor of Oxford’s Sweet T’s Bakery will share their creative techniques during the “Sweet Treats for Mother’s Day” class, slated for 6-8 p.m. May 3 at the Depot. Enjoy the class with family members or surprise mom with a delicious and beautiful cake, cupcakes or cookies. The cost is $69.

On May 5, enjoy a covered-wagon ride while learning the history of native plants and landscapes in north Mississippi during a guided excursion at Strawberry Plains Audubon Center in Holly Springs. The cost is $30 and includes group transportation from Oxford.

Senior citizens 55 and older get a 10 percent discount for courses costing $30 or more. For more information or to register, visit http://www.outreach.olemiss.edu/spring2018.