New classes offered at Clovis Adult Education

Care to cha cha? Have a hankering for holiday baking?

Perhaps you’d like to cook as if it were Christmas in Naples, Italy.

All of these things and more can be learned at various sites around town as part of the Community Education Program at Clovis Adult Education.

Chalk Painting 101 and winter holiday-themed classes are the highlights in the upcoming fall session.

“We always advertise in our catalog that we’re looking for new instructors,” said Community Education coordinator Kelly Peterson. “We say if you’re passionate about something and want to share it with others, contact us. I meet with them and see if it’s a good fit and we come up with the classes.”

That’s why this semester’s course offerings are so diverse. At least a dozen new classes have been added.

“Chalk Painting is something that is really popular right now, and we already have a lot of people registered,” Peterson said. “That was a hit right off.

“The chalk painting instructor has been doing this for years, and she just came to me to set up a class. She has this way of doing it — she buys latex paint and has a way to turn it into chalk paint — so that it’s less expensive.

“Students will be asked to bring in a small sample jar of latex paint and a small project like a frame or cabinet door, and she’ll be teaching how to make the paint and the whole process. It’s a $29, one-day class.”

A pottery class is also planned.

“We haven’t had that one in a while, so we’re hoping people will sign up for that,” Peterson said.

The cooking classes offered at Clovis Adult Education have proven to be popular. Many of them are one-day classes, so more people show up because they don’t have to make a commitment to come week after week, Peterson said.

“I wanted a lot of holiday stuff in this catalog, so we have one-day holiday baking, Christmas in Naples, and a whole sewing series to make holiday gifts,” she said.

Students who are itching to pull out their dancing shoes have expanded options this semester.

“The school’s ballroom dance teacher is doing a basic swing and cha cha class, and we have a new teacher for our line dancing class,” Peterson said. Basic ballroom and belly dancing will also be taught.

Clovis Adult Education has also partnered with a company that offers online courses.

“We have a couple registrations for those,” Peterson said. “We offer a Google analytics class, Instagram for business, Google apps for business … it’s all online.”

Yoga, water aerobics and golf, although not new to the school, remain steadily popular.

“It’s a great way for people to do fun things for themselves,” Peterson said.

Classes are held at various Clovis Unified schools, along with other venues.

Anyone can register any time up until the class starts. They can even show up on the first day of class and register then, Peterson said. To view a course schedule or register, visit

www.clovisadultschool.com or by calling (559) 327-2876.

Veterans receive a 10 percent discount on any community education class.

This story was originally published August 20, 2015 at 2:22 PM with the headline "New classes offered at Clovis Adult Education."