It is the only community school organization to have been able to present classes every year since the community school idea was launched on P.E.I., according to the 2015 co-chair Ann Brander, who is working with Astrid Johnson to organize the winter session.
Brander attributed the school’s success to more than just interest in new activities. While new learning is always an incentive, some students return to the same classes over multiple years, hoping to pick up a new tidbit of information or advance understanding and practice. Many also return just to catch up with other participants.
“I think it is the social time, seeing old friends,” Brander evaluated the longevity of the Kensington program.
She noted the 50 year achievement of the Kensington Community School will be honoured through weekly prize draws as well as a celebration party at the end of the 10-week session.
On par with previous years, the Kensington Community School is offering 15 course choices, including new options for jive dancing, introduction to technology, and counted embroidery.
“Introduction to technology is for anyone who has questions about their device, whether i-phone, tablet, or whatever,” advised committee member Janice Mulligan, who was pre-registering participants on Saturday.
Beverly Brister will be instructing the counted embroidery, or Hardanger, something she has been practicing since 1995. She explained that the name is a popularized term for Charted Hardanger Embroidery, which has origins in Norway.
“If you can count to five, you’re in,” she summed up the pre-requisite for her course.
Wendell Warren signed up for an introduction to digital photography, his first community school course. He and his wife do some traveling, so bought a digital camera to help capture their experiences.
“We bought a camera, and neither of us know how to use it,” he laughed, explaining his decision to attend the community school.
The full listing of community schools across the Island was recently published as an insert in a distributed flyer pack, and is available on the website http://peicommunityschools.com .
The Kensington Community School has also created a website specifically for their courses, at www.kensingtoncs.wordpress.com.
Classes begin after final registration on Wednesday night, Jan. 7. There is no age limit for Kensington Community School, but Mulligan advised that all who attend are expected to participate in their class activities.
