More than 130 courses are offered.
Registration is now under way for the spring semester at the Princeton Adult School.
Offerings this year include more than 130 courses ranging from abstract art and classical music to mystery novels, a 13-week movie series and financial planning. Students can register by mail or sign up for classes at in-person registration Jan. 14 at Princeton High School.
Highlights this semester include several new courses and lectures. Historians from Princeton and Rutgers universities will examine how various presidents of the United States have responded to threats to our nation in "War, Crisis, and the Presidency." There are also two new cooking courses, Latin for music lovers and a hands-on millinery workshop. In addition, course listings include such old favorites as introduction to computing, hatha yoga, ballroom dancing and automotive repair.
"Every year we aim for the proverbial something for everybody," said Princeton Adult School President Nancy Beck, "and I think we’re closer than ever. We have more than a dozen new courses.
"We’re really excited about the series offered with the Rare Books and Special Collections Department at Firestone Library. This year, students will get to visit the smaller, specialized libraries for the first time.
"Our opera course will get music lovers ready to really appreciate the complexities of the works to be staged at the June Opera Festival. And Nicholas Barberio, the gifted draper who designed the fabulous hats in the McCarter production of ‘Crowns,’ is going to share his talents with our students in ‘Millinery, The Art of Hat Making.’
"In addition, we continue to offer and have expanded our very popular foreign language programs. This year we added ‘Latin for Music Lovers’ and ‘It Pops,’ a course in Italian popular culture, songs, proverbs, idioms, even expletives and slang. We’ve also expanded English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) and have a few advanced courses that came in too late to be included in the catalogue.
"I’m also happy to announce that our popular film series is returning to its Wednesday night slot at Kresge Auditorium."
The course listing for the coming semester includes 25 language courses, nine lecture courses, 14 studio arts workshops, 18 recreation and fitness activities, 12 music classes, 14 courses listed under hobbies and special skills, and three cooking classes. Subjects range from professional-level courses such as beginning free-lance writing and how to start and succeed in your own business to courses tailored to individual needs like tai chi and beginning piano for adults.
Classes, which are held Tuesday and Thursday evenings at Princeton High School and other locations in the community, begin Jan. 30 and Feb. 4. In-person registration is scheduled for Jan. 14 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Princeton High School cafeteria.
Registration by mail is already in progress. Students can register by mail using forms in the back of the adult school catalog. Those who have not received a catalog can obtain a copy at any area public library. Registration forms and information are also available on the adult school Web site: www.princetonadultschool.org.
ESOL registration only is Jan. 13 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Princeton High School. In-person registration is required for ESOL. Students should come to the front entrance on Moore Street.
The Princeton Adult School has been offering classes for more than 60 years. Over the years, courses have ranged from bird watching and gourmet cooking to lectures on the universe by leading astrophysicists. Princeton Adult School teachers, who are professionals in their respective fields and often nationally noted authorities, include faculty from Princeton and Rutgers. Recent speakers have included such notables as Neil Tyson, director of the Hayden Planetarium, novelist Joyce Carol Oates and historian James McPherson.
Beginning with 20 classes in 1939, the school offered over 100 different courses in each of two terms last year with a total enrollment of over 5,000.
"We are especially pleased with the public’s response to the adult school," added Ms. Beck. "Last year’s enrollment was one of the largest we have ever had. In fact, enrollment has recently been so strong that there are always several courses that are filled before in-person registration night by those who register by mail. We always have to turn people away from popular classes with space limitations courses like wine appreciation, and some of the studio courses and ballroom dancing."
For in-person registration, the Princeton High School cafeteria is accessible from Walnut Lane between Houghton Street and Franklin Avenue. For information, call (609) 683-1101.