PANAMA CITY BEACH — It’s never too late to learn at Gulf Coast State College.
Through a partnership with the Bay County Tourist Development Council (TDC), the college is once again offering a lineup of free enrichment classes for winter residents beginning this week.
“Just as exercising the body keeps us physically fit, exercising the mind keeps us mentally fit,” said Jim Barr, continuing education coordinator at Gulf Coast State College. “We put an emphasis on the fact that we’re never too old to learn.”
This year’s winter enrichment program includes 10 classes to be offered over the next few weeks, ranging from Facebook tutorials to a new class on pyrography, the art of decorative wood burning.
Other hands-on classes will teach participants to cook a coastal meal, fish in local waters, create wire-wrapped jewelry, draw and paint, take beautiful pictures and write their life story.
“These individuals like the hands-on classes like the arts, the painting, the photography,” Barr said. “They want to stay active and I really believe there’s an underlying reason why there’s a desire to participate in these classes.”
Barr said the program was wildly successful last year, with the college often receiving twice as many inquiries as the classes had space.
“There is really great interest in these classes,” he said. “A lot of winter residents have said they come to Panama City Beach because of the educational opportunities that the college and the TDC provide.”
The TDC provided the funding for the classes and GCSC developed the program.
“We just appreciate the opportunity to participate with the TDC on this project,” Barr said. “I commend the TDC for the great interest they’ve expressed in providing this program.”
In additon to organizing the winter enrichment program, GCSC also provides Educational Encore classes, designed for adults interested in continuing education.
“It’s an opportunity to relive the college experience,” Barr said. “They can come and there’s no stress, there’s no pressure. We put a lot of emphasis on our motto: No test, no grades, no stress, just fun.”
This year, GCSC broke a record for Educational Encore with 629 participants, about a third of which are winter residents. The six-week spring program began in January and will conclude later this month.
“We really value the participation of our winter guests, not only for our Winter Enrichment classes but also for our Education Encore program,” Barr said. “We try to make it a rewarding experience for our winter guests in Panama City Beach; that’s our objective.”
2014 Winter Enrichment Classes
- Thursday: Fishing Local Waters
- Feb. 17: Facebook
- Feb. 17: Digital Photography
- Feb. 18: Drawing Sea Shells
- Feb. 19: Cooking Class: Coastal Medley
- Feb. 24: Location Photography
- Feb. 24: Pyrography (decorative wood burning)
- Feb. 25: Acrylic Painting: Seascape with Palms
- Feb. 26: Writing your life story
- Feb. 27: Basic wire wrapping techniques for Jewelry
Call GCSC at 872-3823 to sign up. All classes begin at 9 a.m. Location varies.