The community talked and Calhoun Community College officials listened.

This fall, the junior college began offering community education classes again.

“It’s all about us being responsive to the community,” said Janet Kincherlow-Martin, Calhoun’s Assistant to the President for Public Affairs.

She said the college has been bombarded in recent months asking if they offered particular specialty classes.

Among the community education classes offered this semester are, Introduction to Basic Woodcarving, Knifty Knitting, Manners are Magic, Art History for Art Lovers, Ballroom Dance, Beginning Cartooning and Animation, Buying Investment Property, Digital Photography, and How to Sell on eBay the Right Way.

“I think the most important thing is to realize that people in the community have other options to continue their education than just a traditional classroom setting,” Kincherlow-Martin said.

The college offers other non-credit short-term classes, like welding, for example, but community classes are not a full semester or the full cost of regular classes.

Donna Bass, coordinator of Non-Credit and Continuing Education, will choose classes based on interests of the community.

“She’ll change up different classes depending on what’s going on at the time,” said Kincherlow-Martin. “People may want to take an art history class but not want to stay the whole semester. Or just about everyone has a digital camera now but a lot of people don’t know how to use them.”

She said the costs of the classes are kept to a minimum to cover the cost of the instructors and supplies needed. The fees for the classes will help fund the community education program.

“As far as we’re concerned, this is the community’s college” said Kincherlow-Martin. “We want people to feel comfortable coming out here.”

Registration for the community education classes is available up to 3 days before the class begins. For information about registration visit Calhoun online at www.calhoun.edu/BIS/CommunityEd or call 260-2462. Bass can e-mailed at dbass@calhoun.edu, as well.