Katzin Music to host instrument try-out day
Katzin Music’s Fall 2013 Instrument Try-Out Day will be held from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday at Katzin Music and Studies, 1316 Main Ave.
This event is designed to assist students, parents and school music teachers in their recruitment programs as well as reaching any adults who would like to try instruments.
Professionals on band and orchestra instruments, percussion, guitar, piano and voice disciplines will give participants a mini lesson about each instrument, so students can make an educated decision about an instrument.
For more information, call 259-2211.
Big Brothers, Sisters seeks volunteers
Big Brothers Big Sisters is in need of adult volunteers to act as mentors to kids in Durango School District schools as part of the Study Connection Program.
Mentors spend one hour a week during the school year at a school studying, playing games and talking with an assigned student.
For more information, call 247-3720 or visit www.bbig.org.
Education center offers bilingual seminar series
The Durango Education Center, formerly Durango Adult Education Center, and Jim Fitzgerald, former Fort Lewis College sociology professor, will offer a bilingual, English and Spanish, seminar series about contemporary Latin America with a focus on Chile through bilingual discussions of its recent history, politics, art, music and poetry. The class will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays from Sept. 18 to Oct. 2.
The first meeting will be an overview of Chile, the politics, music from the era of Salvador Allende and the military coup that displaced him. The second meeting will be a viewing of the Chilean documentary “NO,” which deals with the plebesite that ended the rule of the dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet in 1990. The third meeting will discuss the candidates and the influence of the past on the upcoming presidential elections in November.
This class is appropriate for any level of Spanish/English speaker. The cost is $30 and advance registration is required.
For more information or to register, call 385-4354.
Arts center offers visual arts classes
Durango Arts Center, 802 East Second Ave., will offer “Mondays are for ART,” kids visual arts classes, in September.
These monthly classes are geared toward students ages 5 to 9 who want to learn more about art and develop their artistic skills in an experimental studio environment. Students will learn about a variety of materials and techniques.
The cost is $40 for three 90-minute classes a month for members and $50 a month for nonmembers.
September’s classes will focus on clay collaborations and will be held from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Sept. 9, 16 and 23.
To register, visit www.DurangoArts.org or call 259-2606.
Anna Ortega awarded Pinnacol scholarship
The Pinnacol Foundation has awarded a scholarship to Anna Ortega of Fort Lewis College for the 2013–14 school year.
Scholarships are awarded to the children of Colorado workers who were killed or seriously injured in work-related accidents.
Students may use the money at any accredited institution of higher learning for vocational training and undergraduate degrees, and may reapply for up to five years or to age 25.
To qualify, a student must be the natural child, adopted child or stepchild of a worker killed or seriously injured in a compensable work-related accident while employed by a Colorado-based business. Scholarships are awarded based on the severity of the parent’s injury, financial need, academic achievement, social responsibility, recommendation letters and a personal essay.
For more information, call (303) 361-4775.
Education center to offer financial series
Durango Education Center, formerly the Durango Adult Education Center, invites the public to learn how to achieve financial life goals with the class “Ten Weeks to Financial Awakening” by Paul Lemon, CPA/PFS, CFP and author from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays from Sept. 10 to Nov. 19.
This 10-week, do-it-yourself financial planning series is for people who have a moderately complex financial portfolio with bank accounts, credit cards, retirement account and investments. The series will allow people to make informed decisions about work, debt, investing, insurance, taxes, retirement and estate planning. The cost is $125 and advance registration and payment is required.
For more information and to register, visit www.durangoedcenter.org or call 385-4354.
Touchpoints seminar available
The Early Childhood Council of La Plata County announces that a “Touchpoints Individual Level Training” seminar for professionals who work with young children and families will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Oct. 4, 11 and Nov. 1 and from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 8.
Touchpoints is a seminar designed for health-care, child care, early education, and social-service providers who want to incorporate elements of the Touchpoints Approach into their practice.
Touchpoints helps professionals engage around key points in the development of children and is a practical approach for enhancing the competence of parents and building strong family-child relationships from before birth through the earliest years, laying the foundation for children’s healthy development. The registration deadline is Sept. 20.
To register, email Heather Hawk at heatherh@ecclaplata.org, call 247-0760 or visit www.ecclaplata.org.
Colorado Lifework announces classes
Colorado Lifework will offer these classes:
“The Gift of Years!” will start meeting at 5:30 p.m. Friday in Room 6 of Christ the King Lutheran Church, 495 Florida Road. There is a $20 fee for materials. For more information, call Barbara Elliott at 779-1037.
“Divorce and Beyond!” will meet at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 9 in the Parish Center of Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 254 East Fifth Ave. This is a 10-week program. The cost is $50. For more information, call Paula Schaub at 749-3027. “What About the Children” will be held while the parents are meeting. Children ages 6 to 12 are involved in activities that help them articulate their concerns.
“The Choice of Transcendence!” will meet at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 10. This is a 10-week program. The cost is $50. For more information, call Therese Michels at 247-0435.
“Study Group on Dreams!” will meet at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 11. This is a six-week program. The cost is $40. For more information, call Marilyn Monger at 247-4052 or Michels at 247-0435.
“Healing of Memories!” will be held upon request. For more information, call Michels at 247-0435.
“Listen and Speaking with Presence!” will be offered in October. This is communication workshop. For more information, call 247-2046.
Big Brothers, Sisters announces partnership
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Colorado announces its partnership with Durango School District schools and the launch of its new High School Bigs program.
The program is funded by the El Pomar Foundation and engages high school students as peer mentors for elementary school youth. Currently, 16 “Bigs” from Durango High School, Durango Big Picture High School and Animas High School will spend one hour a week with 16 “Littles” from Needham or Park elementary schools. Bigs attended training before being matched with their Little, which included information about program commitments, safety issues, mentoring strategies and team building. The matches will be supervised by Aubrey Beals, the High School Bigs Program lead, who will provide planned activities each week and training and support for the Bigs.
For more information, call 247-3720 or visit www.bbig.org.
Riverview Elementary to host open house
Riverview Elementary School will host an open house from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
Animas Valley opens farmers market
Animas Valley Elementary School teacher Gala Gaines and her fifth-grade class will open a farmers market as part of their economics unit.
They will sell vegetables from their Learning Garden before and after school Tuesday through Thursday starting today.
College representatives to visit Durango High
Durango High School students can sign up in the DHS counseling center at least one week before meeting these college admissions representatives:
Colorado College at 12:30 p.m. Sept. 9.
Montana State University at 8:30 a.m. Oct. 8.
University of Colorado at Boulder at 9 a.m. Oct. 9.
Northern Arizona State at 9:45 a.m. Sept. 19.
Passes will be sent to the student the day of the visit. All meetings will occur in the DHS counseling center.
‘Admission Game’ presentation to be held
“The Admission Game” presentation will be held at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 12 in the Fort Lewis College Ballroom.
The Admission Game founder, Peter Van Buskirk, will teach students to find the colleges that fit them best and to make decisions that help them compete for admission.
Needham seeking volunteers for garden
Needham Elementary School is seeking volunteers for its garden work day from 3:15 to 5:15 p.m. Thursday.
The school will provide snacks and drinks. Participants should bring kids, rakes, wheel barrows, gloves and shovels. In cooperation with The Garden Project of Southwest Colorado, the Needham garden is expanding to 7,500 square feet and will provide a learning classroom for students and teachers through garden-based learning and experiential education.
For more information or to volunteer, call Beth Saren at 247-4791, ext. 3662.
Education partnership committee to meet
A Durango Character Education Partnership Committee meeting will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. Sept. 12 at the Durango School District Administration Building, 201 E. 12th St.
Community members are invited to join the district, community organizations and schools to hear about this initiative and how they can get involved.
Durango school board to meet Sept. 17
The Durango School District School Board will meet at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 17 in the board room of the Administration Building, 201 E. 12th St.
The school highlight will be Animas Valley Elementary School.
Animas High School announces programs
Animas High School has these announcements and programs:
There are a limited number of openings for ninth, 10th and 11th grade. For more information, call 247-2474 or visit www.animashighschool.com.
The school will host open houses at its new campus from 9 a.m. to noon Sept. 7, 14, 21 and 28 at its Twin Buttes location. The entrance is 1.7 miles west of the DoubleTree Hotel on U.S. Highway 160.
The Back to School Picnic will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the gazebo in Rotary Park. Ninth-grade parents are asked to bring appetizers or salads; 10th- and 11th-grade parents a main dish; and 12th-grade parents desserts. Participants will meet advisers and teachers and hear from Head of School Jake Lauer.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 26 at the school.
The Parent Advisory Committee will meet at noon Monday at the school.
Continuing education available at FLC
Fort Lewis College Continuing Education Program will offer these classes:
“Writing Creative Nonfiction” will be offered by Will Gray, a writer who spent 33 years with National Geographic, on Tuesday evenings from Sept. 24 to Nov. 12. This course focuses on the genre of creative nonfiction, with emphasis on literary style, observation, personal experience and thorough knowledge of the subject. The cost is $174 for eight classes.
“Nonprofit Management: Making a Difference” will be held Wednesday evenings from Sept. 25 to Nov. 20. The class will be facilitated by Paulette Church with expert guest instructors teaching about entrepreneurial leadership, board development and member engagement, fundraising, grant writing and strategic master planning. The fee for the series is $185, or individual sessions may be taken for $44. Hours will count toward a Professional Nonprofit Management Certificate for people registered in that program.
Advance registration is required. To register, call 247-7385 or visit www.fortlewis.edu/ContinuingEd.
CSU-Pueblo announces scholarship program
A new automatic merit scholarship program has begun at Colorado State University – Pueblo.
Freshmen who meet two of the three minimum academic requirements based on a completed admissions application will have their choice of undergraduate scholarships. No additional application is required. The scholarships are renewable for up to three additional years if the student maintains the required minimum grade-point average.
New students also may be eligible for the $1,000 Commitment to Colorado Scholarship or the $1,000 First Generation Scholarship.
For more information, visit www.colostate-pueblo.edu/academics/honors or www.colostate-pueblo.edu/financialaid/scholarships.
Herald Staff
