This fall, a course in beginning American Sign Language (ASL) will be offered through the Continuing Education Division at Northwest Mississippi Community College. The class will be held on Tuesdays, Oct. 17-Nov. 14 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the Calhoun Building, Room 109.

The course will introduce the basics of ASL utilizing elements of the language, such as alphabet and vocabulary. It is an excellent course for all ages to learn or improve communication skills between deaf and hearing people.

Thye instructor for the course will be Vera Edwards, and the cost of the class is $60.

For more information contact Patricia Lowder, coordinator of Continuing Education at 562-3349 or e-mail pwlowder@northwestms.edu.

Northwest Mississippi Community College is offering an ACT Preparation Workshop on Monday, Oct. 16 and Tuesday, Oct. 17 from 6-9 p.m.

The course provides an overview of the ACT format, followed by a review of verbal and mathematics fundamentals for solving typical test questions. Also discussed are management and test taking strategies. Previous students of this course have raised their scores significantly.

The course will be taught by Kim Haas and Kristie Waldrop. It will be held in the Tunica Bldg. on the Northwest campus in Senatobia. The cost of the course is $75.

Act Preparation will also be offered on Nov. 27 and 28.

For more information contact Patricia Lowder, coordinator of Continuing Education at 562-3349

A grant writing workshop, "Learn to Write Winning Proposals" will be offered at Northwest Mississippi Community College on Oct. 30-31 from 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. the course will be taught in Room 104 of the David M. Haraway Center on the Senatobia campus.

Instructor Bob Bradley will teach inexperienced and experienced proposal writers to create hard-hitting, target grant proposals. The cost of the course is $145 if registered on or before Oct. 24, and $185 if registered after Oct. 24. 1.3 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) given on request.

For more information contact Patricia Lowder, coordinator of Continuing Education at 562-3349 or e-mail pwlowder@northwestms.edu

Northwest Mississippi Community College and The Center for Interdisciplinary Geographic Information Technology are offering a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) training session on three Fridays during October. The classes will meet on October 6, 13 and 20 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Batesville Enterprise Center, Batesville Industrial Park.

The session will be project-based and will introduce the fundamental concepts of three GIS desktop applications: ArcCatalog, ArcMap and ArcToolbox. The class will be led by Talbot Brooks, director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Geographic Information Technology at Delta State University.

The class will benefit tax assessors, planner and appraisers; water, wastewater, engineering, transportation, and police departments; police dispatchers; telecommunications, pipeline and electric utility companies; hydrologists, biologists, meteorologists, emergency and water resource managers, firefighters and businesses.

The cost of the course is $60 for the book and Continuing Education Units (CEU) credit is available for a $20 processing fee.

For more information, or to reserve a seat, call 662-562-3458 or e-mail Joyce Brasell at jbrasell@northwestms.edu.

The sounds of Brahms, Bach and Grieg will fill the air as the Northwest Mississippi Community College Singers present their Fall Concert on Tuesday, Oct. 3 at 7:30 p.m. in the Fine Arts Auditorium on the Senatobia campus.

The choir is under the direction of Susanne Spencer VanDyke, director of choral activities. Also conducting for this concert is Dr. Kenneth Sipley, division director of Fine Arts. Accompanists will be Fine Arts faculty members Saundra Bishop and Jo Ellen Logan.

The dates have changed for a beginning computer class offered by the University of Mississippi and Northwest Mississippi Community College at DeSoto Center this fall.

This beginning, hands-on course is designed to create a comfortable learning environment for adults who have never used a personal computer or have limited knowledge of one. The class will now be offered in two sessions.

Session I will be held on Sept. 23 and 30 from 9 a.m.- noon. The instructor will be Debra Batton.

A second offering of the same course will be held on Nov. 7,9, and 14 from 10a.m.- noon. Session II will be taught by Doris Stepp.

The fee for the course is $60. Classes are taught at DeSoto Center, located at 5197 W.E. Ross Parkway in Southaven.

For more information, call (662) 393-6601 or register online at www.olemiss.edu/southaven.

Northwest Mississippi Community College President Gary Lee Spears (left) and University of Mississippi Chancellor Robert C. Khayat (right) celebrate the success of the 2+2 Scholarship Initiative with Holly Merrifield of Coldwater and her parents, Dr. Robert and Shirley Seymour of Hernando, at a reception Sept. 5 at the Historic DeSoto Museum in Hernando.  The initiative, which has raised funds exceeding $500,000, has reached the midpoint of the five-year goal of $1 million in scholarships for students enrolled in the 2+2 Program at Northwest and the University at DeSoto Center in Southaven. Merrifield and the Seymours are co-chairs of the initiative's Steering Committee.  (Photo by Julie Bauer)

Northwest Mississippi Community College’s Department of Continuing Education is offering a trip to the Viking Culinary Arts Center in Memphis for a fun and exciting learning experience Lifelong Learners will never forget! The deadline to register for this exciting event is Wednesday, Sept. 13, and the trip is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 27.

Participants will feel as if they are in the kitchen of a five-star restaurant as they hone culinary skills, working side by side with one of the Viking chefs. They can learn by doing as they are guided through all the techniques needed to prepare a delicious class meal, which everyone will enjoy for lunch.

As a gift for attending the workshop, each participant will receive a 100 percent cotton Viking apron. Participants may shop in the Viking Store after class and will receive a 10 percent discount that day.

According to Patricia Lowder, coordinator of Continuing Education, class enrollment will be limited, so early registration is advised. There are no refunds offered after Sept. 13

Participants will leave Northwest at 9 a.m. and return at 3 p.m. The cost of the class is $95 and transportation and lunch is included.

For more information, contact Lowder at 562-3349 or e-mail pwlowder@northwestms.edu.

“The Hero Project” will be the subject of this month’s Reading Roundtable at Northwest Mississippi Community College. The book, which was written by Robert and William Hatch, is described as “two teens, one notebook and 13 extraordinary interviews.” Margaret Rogers, director of Learning Resources at Northwest, will lead the group in discovering who our heroes are, and whether we even reflect on people who have made a difference these days.