Grants Pass Now

If that isn’t something you are interested in, how about learning how to use a computer or how to drive a big rig? Perhaps you are thinking of how nice it would be to have a class about raising your grandkids, or how nice it would be if junior learned how to drive himself to school.

These ideas and many more are why the community education program exists at Rogue Community College. There are a variety of options, including languages, small business management, pottery, and health. Taking classes through this program is great for those who have been out of school for a while and would like a few refresher courses before committing to the more costly and intense credit courses. It reintroduces the classroom, minus the hall passes, squeaky chalk, and assigned seating.

New to the line-up of offerings is Dutch oven cooking. A Dutch oven is a very heavy pot with an equally heavy lid, usually made of cast iron, that allows food to be cooked slowly and over a period of time. Think of it as an old fashioned crock pot! However, a Dutch oven requires much more skill to use than a crock pot and is often used over an open flame. Learning to cook with one is a fun challenge that will not only connect you with the days of the past, they will enable you to cook like a chef while on a camping trip and add variety and interest to your home cooking skills.

Another newcomer is Argentinian tango, which originated among the low class but quickly gained popularity for its exciting yet soulful, seductive moves. Unlike ballroom dance, the tango allows much room for improvisation and has partners embracing each other chest to chest rather than keeping their shoulders arched from each other. The Argentinian tango is much less formal than ballroom dancing and just as romantic.

If doing the tango is too tame, the community education program offers a course in white water rafting. For just under $400, you can go on a three day rafting trip down the Rogue with college President Peter Angsadt. The cost includes lodging, food, and equipment, and only requires that you bring your own clothing.

While many of the classes offered are meant to provide the community with general knowledge on topics of personal interest, there are also a number of classes designed to sharpen work-related skills. For example, there are classes in commercial truck driving, marketing strategies, and management skills training. Many of these classes are self pay, but some employers provide funds for work related classes or offer a refund after the class is successfully completed. However, some of the classes are not just for fun or business, they are meant to help make lives easier. For example, the caregiver’s class helps people who are caring for a friend or loved one at home. For grandparents who now have custody of their grandchildren, there is a class focusing on the ins and outs of raising a second family.

A wildly popular program with over 1,000 people involved is RASCA:Ls, which stands for Rogue Area Senior Computer Assistance League. They have general meetings at the Fairground every Tuesday, and classes are held in downtown Grants Pass at RCC’s Small Business Development Center. (SBDC) RASCALs has their own monthly newsletter, and provides assistance to members online and over the telephone. You don’t have to be little to be a RASCAL, you just need to be 55 years of age or older.

It’s easy to register for community education classes at Rogue Community College. You may mail in your enrollment or do it over the phone. If you’re in Josephine County call 956-7501, and Jackson County residents may call 245-7501. You may also go to the college in person, or visit www.roguecc.edu/rel to register. For the latest offerings, watch for the spring edition schedule of classes, which comes out in the Daily Courier towards the end of February. You may also visit the RCC website at https://www.roguecc.edu/BCWD/default.asp to read more about which classes are being offered, and to watch for updates to the schedule, which will be happening soon.-Gina Locke