By Pam Starling

University of Mississippi

OXFORD, Miss. — What does learning to decorate a home like Joanna Gaines, spinning around the dance floor like your favorite “Dancing With The Stars” couple and decorating a cake like you’re a contender on “Cake Wars” have in common? These are just a few of the things participants can learn during the University of Mississippi’s fall 2017 Communiversity classes.

“We want to give people the chance to change their, ‘I wish I coulds’ into ‘Yes, I cans,'” said Gazel Giles, Communiversity coordinator. “People may want to try something new, like learning to use essential oils or putting together a show-stopping Christmas tree, and with Communiversity classes, now they can.”

With several options this fall, the schedule features new classes and several returning favorites, including the popular $10 fall “Lunch and Learn” classes. These classes teach participants how to design their perfect holiday table, trim a beautiful tree and even make a Christmas tree for the birds.

“Communiversity classes are for everyone,” Giles said. “We try to offer a broad range of short workshops and classes that will give community members the opportunity to learn something new.

“There is a wealth of knowledge to pull from in our community. People enjoy sharing the hobbies, skills and techniques they are passionate about. Our Communiversity teachers make these classes fun.”

The fall schedule kicks off this weekend with an excursion to the 2017 Hummingbird Migration and Nature Celebration at Strawberry Plains Audubon Center in Holly Springs. Birdwatchers on the sold-out trip will enjoy one of the biggest nature festivals in the area and enjoy the thousands of hummingbirds, live shows, arts and crafts, and native plant sales.

Next week, the popular “Ballroom and Latin Dance with Arman” class begins for the fall. Arman Sahakyan will host his step-by-step dance instruction classes on Monday evenings at a location to be announced.

Participants can come for one or all of the classes taking place from Sept. 11 to Nov. 27. Ballroom dance lessons run from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., and Latin dance classes are 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. The cost for each class session is $10 per person.

The popular “CPR and First Aid Training” class is set for 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 23 at Insight Park on Hathorn Road. Students will learn resuscitation techniques for infants, children and adults, along with how to use Automated External Defibrillators, or AEDs.

The course also covers first aid, home safety, splinting and victim assessment. This course meets requirements for foster care, adoption and child care workers. The fee is $79 and includes American Red Cross CPR certification.

Ole Miss graduate Maila Rogers of Southaven enrolled in this course last spring and used the first aid information she learned while serving as a camp counselor this summer at Camp Lakeside in Scobey.

“I felt better prepared and calmer when I needed to recall my training,” Rogers said. “Unfortunately, we did have a few minor accidents at camp this summer that needed quick responses. I was glad to have the knowledge and skills to help.”

“Safe Sitter Essential Skills for ages 11-14” is a nationally recognized program where teens learn lifesaving skills to stay safe when they are home alone or watching younger children. The class meets 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 4 at Insight Park. The cost is $45.

Community residents who would like to learn more about the healing power of natural remedies are invited to try Communiversity’s special classes with Ann Marie Farrell on Thursday evenings in October.

“The Healing Power of Herbs and Spices” class meets 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 5 at the Oxford-University Depot. The cost is $39. “Advanced Essential Oils — Lifestyle Change” is set for the same times Oct. 19 and 26. The cost is $85 plus a $9 materials fee.

Learn more about how to take photos like the pros in “Getting to Know Your Digital Camera” from 8 a.m. to noon Sept. 30 at Insight park. Robert Jordan, UM director of photography services, will teach participants to take professional-looking photos and share his tips on enhancing images, archiving photos and techniques for printing. The cost is $85. Students will have an opportunity to practice their skills with their own camera during lessons around campus that same day.

For beginning photographers who want to learn more about digitally enhancing photos, the “Adobe Photoshop Workshop: Getting Started,” is set for 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 7 at Weir Hall. The cost is $89.

Local seniors interested in learning more about their tech devices are invited to the “iPhones?, iPads?, iWhat?” class offered from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Nov. 16 at Weir Hall. The fee is $45. Participants will learn basic settings, navigation, how to take photos, send texts, download apps and much more.

“Marketing Your Business Using Social Media” will meet from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 5, Oct. 12 and Oct. 19 at Weir Hall. The cost is $69. This course teaches participants how to set up and optimize social media accounts for their business, generate leads through Facebook ads and gain traffic to their websites.

Two-time winners of Food Network’s “Cake Wars,” Jeff and Kathleen Taylor, of Oxford’s Sweet T’s Bakery, are back this fall with their popular cake design classes. They will lead a Halloween-themed “Cake Decorating: Spooky, Scary and Spectacular” class from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 23 at the Depot. The class covers techniques for creating piping, cake borders, flowers, rolled fondant and modeling techniques. The course fee is $75.

The Taylors also will lead “Holiday Sweet Treats” from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Dec. 12, again at the Depot. This family-friendly class will cover how to take a simple cupcake or cookie and turn it into something special. The class fee is $59.

Communiversity’s popular $10 holiday Lunch and Learn classes return to help participants deck their halls with lots of festive cheer and decor. Each class will be offered from noon to 1 p.m. at the Depot.

The first Lunch and Learn class is set for Nov. 8, when one of Oxford’s favorite designers, Jordan Brown, of Discount Building Materials, shares her unique “Tips for Trimming Your Tree.” Learn her easy-to-re-create design ideas for putting together your own show-stopping tree this holiday season.

Brown also will teach fun DIY holiday decorating ideas for designing “Easy to Elegant Tablescapes and Centerpieces” during a noon class on Nov. 29.

The final Lunch and Learn is slated for Dec. 13, when Mitch Robinson from the Strawberry Plains Audubon Center shows participants how to attract feathered friends to their yards with his class, “Christmas Tree for the Birds.” Students will get hands-on training to decorate an evergreen tree with decorations that will attract birds and various wildlife.

Visit http://www.outreach.olemiss.edu/inspired for more information on these and other classes happening this fall. Discounts are available for ages 55 and older. UM employees can use payroll deduction for any class over $60.