We are receiving wonderful feedback about our spring courses. Your course evaluations help us so much in planning what works and what doesn’t for our members. Please do fill out those survey forms, an email is sent to you on the last day of the class. You can also find the evaluation form on your course web page on our website.

The spring semester will wrap up with our last class on May 22. We have been experimenting with hybrid courses, recording courses, offering classroom space to view virtual classes and whatever else we can reasonably do to make our Encore Learning courses accessible, convenient and enjoyable.

Don’t forget that eight courses are being recorded this term and will be available for registered participants to view online until July 31. Check out the list of recorded courses here.

Course Reminders:

Zoom Login Information for Virtual Courses: All Zoom login information is on the course webpage, that login information will be sent to you with the class reminder. You will use the same Zoom login information for all class sessions, so we recommend saving the login information to your desktop. For tips on using Zoom, see these resources. We do not send out reminders before each class session.

Class Media: All course materials provided by instructors will be uploaded to a password-protected webpage on our website. The course webpage also has the links for recordings for any course that is being recorded. The course webpage link and password is shared in the course reminder email sent before the first class session. You will also receive notifications with the link and password anytime new materials are added. Links to all course pages are available through “access class media” in the Courses menu on the main Encore Learning website. However, you will need the password provided in your course reminder email to access them.

Class Evaluation forms are also available on the course webpage (scroll to the very bottom of the page).

As our classroom space is donated, all of us need to treat representatives of our host institution with the utmost courtesy. Though rare, there may be times when there is a conflict with classroom space or meeting rooms. Please respectfully accede to GMU personnel and contact Encore Learning staff immediately to assist with a resolution. You can also help ensure our future access to FREE classroom space by keeping noise levels down in the hallways when entering/exiting class. We are fortunate to have access to this beautiful facility and must strive to be respectful guests at all times.

Civil Rights activist Joan Mulholland was a guest speaker at the first session of Voices of Resilience: Arlington’s Black Community From Enslavement through Jim Crow, which met at the Black Heritage Museum of Arlington. She shared her story as a white freedom rider during the Jim Crow era, her participation in drugstore sit-ins to integrate lunch counters in Arlington and elsewhere in the South, and her lifetime of activism. -Photo courtesy Susan Bornstein

Intelligence Community 101 Instructor Caryn Wagner (left) invited retired Lieutenant General James Clapper (right), former Director of National Intelligence, as a guest speaker on April 24th.

Volunteers – Encore Learning Heroes!

Do you know that Encore Learning has more than 150 volunteers helping in so many different ways?

What does it mean to be volunteer? Maybe delivering catalogs to a local library. Or helping to staff an information table for a special event. Maybe you’d be interested in welcoming fellow classmates to a class you are already interested in taking (and you would get guaranteed enrollment for that class!).

Or maybe you have a bit more time and would like to help one of the several committees Encore Learning counts on to find great professors, or suggest courses, or help encourage new memberships. Or maybe you’d like to help with one of several clubs, maybe even one you may already belong to.

Or maybe you have a specific talent, with IT, marketing, communication, or something else we don’t even know we need, but would be delighted to discuss with you.

Whether you have an hour, an afternoon, or more time to contribute, Encore Learning appreciates EACH of our volunteers, and we thank you for helping further our success! – Jane Nagy, Volunteer Committee Chair

PS – What will YOU gain from volunteering with Encore Learning? New friends, something to look forward to in your schedule, the satisfaction you get from contributing to your community and fellow students, and a great deal of gratitude from all of us – Thank you!

To learn more visit our Volunteer page on our website. You’ll find a Volunteer Application you may complete or contact info@encorelearning.net to volunteer. Photo – recent Class Aides discuss best practices at a Class Aide semester debrief coffee.

On Monday, April 28th, all current Encore Learning members should have received an emailed notice of election and link to the board election electronic ballot. Encore Learning must achieve a quorum of members to vote to have a valid election.

The Encore Learning Board of Directors is composed of Officers and Committee Chairs. You must be a current member to vote, check your membership status by logging into My Account and scrolling below your contact information to find your expiration date. If you did not receive an email on April 28th with the ballot, contact info@encorelearning.net to update your membership.

The Special Events committee has been busy planning exciting events for our members. Join us for Zoom presentations and in-person tours – to learn something new and make the most of your membership. Most virtual presentations are recorded and available on Encore Learning’s YouTube channel. Visit our Special Events page for complete details on all our upcoming events.

Want to explore the idea of joining the committee or share a topic, speaker or tour idea? We’d love to talk to you. Contact Louise Kenny at LKenny1208@gmail.com.

Arlington Philharmonic February Fanfare Performance

If you missed the concert sponsored by Encore Learning or enjoyed it so much you want to see it again… a video of the performance is now available. Click here to view on YouTube.

Tour of the George Washington Masonic National Memorial

Did you know…that George Washington was a charter Master of the Alexandria Masonic Lodge in 1788, a year before he was president? Or that the Washington family contributed many family

artifacts, including the family’s 1789 Washington family Bible, to the George Washington Masonic Temple? Our in-person tour allowed members to see inside this iconic building and enjoy the beautiful views.

-Photos courtesy of Tom Underwood, Special Events Committee

Upcoming Special Events:

May 12 – Encore Learning Presents: Not Just Playing Around – Board Games Today (virtual). Hear from Kevin Bertram, the founder and owner of Fort Circle Games based locally; and Tory Brown, the designer of Votes for Women, a board game about the American Woman Suffrage Movement.

May 14 – Walking Tour of the Historic Washington Navy Yard (in-person), the Navy’s oldest active on-shore facility.

May 19 – Encore Learning Presents: Mental Health: The Signs and Ways to Help Someone with Potential Mental Health Conditions (virtual). Join Darcy Gruttadaro, Chief Innovation Officer at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), for an informative discussion on this increasingly important topic.

May 19 – Bring Your Natitude to a Tour of Nationals Park (in-person). Get up close and personal with a behind the scenes guided tour of Nats Park.

June 9 – Encore Learning Presents: Ann Friedman, Founder and President of Planet Word (virtual) – a museum dedicated to renewing and inspiring a love of words and language.

Please email the Encore Learning office if you are interested in joining any of our clubs or would like more information. You can also visit our Clubs page on our website for details and a full list of our clubs.

Please note: Clubs are maintained by Encore Learning as a benefit to our members. If you’re not a member or have let your membership lapse, please go to our membership page for how to join or renew. Thank you!

Chamber Music Club

The Chamber Music club continues to enjoy free, Friday Morning Music Club chamber concerts the first and second Friday of the month, through May. Upcoming concerts will be on May 2 and May 9.

After the May concerts there will be a 4-month summer hiatus. We’ll reconvene in October when the Friday Morning Music Club begins its 2025-2026 chamber music season.

All performances start at noon.

Location: St. George’s Episcopal Church, 915 N. Oakland St, adjacent to the Virginia Square Metro. – Rhoda Ritzenberg, Coordinator

Cinema Club

The Cinema Club meets monthly for a movie, lunch and discussion. The next movie dates are Friday, May 16 and Tuesday, June 10. –Caroline Wooden and Dru Dowdy, co-coordinators

Current Issues Discussion Group

The May meetings of the group are scheduled for Wednesday, May 7 and Wednesday, May 21 at 3:30 PM.

Steve Shapiro will be filling in for club Coordinator Richard Lawrence for the time being. Club members are invited to raise any issue that they feel warrants discussion. -Steve Shapiro

Electric Vehicle Club

The EV club met on April 23 and had a presentation of the development of the modern EV battery by Ken Heitner. The club will next meet on May 7 at 4:00 PM and we will discuss the electrical systems of current EVs

A link will be sent a few days before the meeting. To join the club contact Barry Ginsberg at btg100@gmail.com.

Mindfulness Club

The Mindfulness Club meets most Wednesdays between Noon and 1:00 PM for discussion, socialization and a 20 minute meditation period. We welcome anyone who would like a low-pressure break from their routine. Our meditation periods are not exotic, typically a bit of body scan and practice bringing the self into this moment to the degree possible. If you haven’t practiced mindfulness before, this would be a good opportunity for you. To receive information on joining the weekly Zoom sessions, contact the Encore Learning office. – Dwight Rodgers, Coordinator

Nonfiction Book Club

The Encore Learning Nonfiction Book Club met on March 10 in the Lubber Run Community Center to discuss The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder. The Wall Street Journal called the book “A tour de force of narrative nonfiction.” All 18 of us who attended the session agreed. It’s a terrific book, well worth reading for those interested in this type of genre.

The Club will meet next on May 12 at 1:30 PM in the Arlington Central Library to discuss The Swerve by Stephen Greenblatt. The book won both the Pulitzer Prize for Nonfiction as well as the National Book Award. The Swerve tells the story of how, in the winter of 1417, Poggio Bracciolini, the greatest book hunter of the Renaissance, discovered Lucretius’ ancient poem On the Nature of Things. It was a beautiful poem of the most dangerous ideas: that the universe functions without the aid of gods, that religious fear is damaging to human life, that pleasure and virtue are not opposites but intertwined, and that matter is made up of very small material particles in eternal motion, randomly colliding and swerving in new directions. Its return to circulation changed the course of history. New members are welcome and encouraged to come. Notify the office to be added to our mailing list. – Ed Rader, Co-coordinator

Travel Club

The Encore Learning Travel Club met on the 4th Friday in April instead of the usual 3rd Friday because of the religious holiday, Good Friday. Lora Pollari-Welbes, the Executive Director of Encore Learning, gave an excellent presentation of her trip to India in 2023 with her niece. It began with the chaos of Delhi and ended at a quiet ashram in Northern India with stops in Jaipur, Agra, and Pushkar.

The May meeting will be on the usual 3rd Friday of the month, May 16, at 3:30 PM on Zoom. The May presentation will be given by Charlie Hallahan on his 2019 trip to Northern Greece. The trip starts in the 2nd largest city in Greece, Thessaloniki. We arrived a day early to get a feel for the city. Northern Greece is very mountainous and quite scenic. The highlight of the trip was visiting the area of Meteora, the site where monasteries are perched on the top of sheer rock pinnacles. Another highlight was visiting the underground tomb of Phillip II of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great. It wasn’t discovered until 1977 and was essentially undisturbed.

Meteroa

Gold Box found in tomb of Phillip II

-Photos courtesy of Charlie Hallahan

The Encore Learning Travel Club meets once a month, usually on the 3rd Friday of the month at 3:30 PM on Zoom. To become a member of the club and receive the club announcements, send an email to info@encorelearning.net. We hope to see you virtually on Zoom!

-Charlie Hallahan, co-Coordinator.

The new FUSE building will open in June. Encore Learning will host tours of the building later in the summer.

Interested in events, programs and other news happening at George Mason University at Mason Square in Arlington? Email Toni Andrews, Sr. Associate Director of Community and Local Government Relations to be added to the distribution. Her email is tandrew7@gmu.edu.

To get updates on what is happening mostly outside on the Mason Square Plaza, like free music and yoga, sign-up for the mailing list here. Or visit the Mason Square website.

Orchestra Concert and Tea Party

Encore Learning members are invited to visit Thomas Jefferson Middle School on Wednesday, May 14 from 3:00 – 4:00 PM for a concert and a tea party. Orchestra students want to visit with our members and ask them how music has impacted their lives; and chat about life in general.

Lots of parking in the lot under Fleet Elementary School.

The event takes place in the Thomas Jefferson Middle School Auditorium lobby and in the auditorium. Location: 125 S. Old Glebe Road Arlington, VA – Door Number 1.

-Click on image for larger view. 

Poet Laureate

Arlington County seeks applications for its next Poet Laureate. Eligible candidates must be residents of Arlington. Click here for details and to apply.

Member Jeff Hoffman reports that his radio show, previously on WERA, was recently approved for the Pacifica Network. This means our local DJ may have his show streamed on independent community radio stations around the country. To listen to Jeff’s Happy Joyous and Free episodes anytime, visit here.

Encore Learning instructor Bill Fogarty has taken on a new challenge, serving as the Man in Arlington with the Falls Church News Press. You’ll find his columns covering a range of topics, recently about the Arlington Historical Society. Bill shared: “I am grateful for the opportunity to write this column, inspired by the columns written by Richard Barton and Charlie Clark in the past 20 years. I aim to explore various themes, including the history of Arlington’s grassroots organizations.” And you can enjoy one of his courses again this fall, when he’ll offer 20th Century Arlington: History By The Decades (1900-1930).

Recently board member and instructor Marty Suydam spoke to the local Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) at Columbia Gardens Cemetery Event Center and for the Crystal City Rotary Club. Thank you, Marty for promoting Encore Learning.

The end of the spring semester seems around the corner but as I write this we still have 17 classes in session. If you are not currently taking any classes, don’t forget you can sign-up for one the recorded classes that will be available to view until the end of July.

A highlight of the year was our movie screening and filmmaker talk held earlier this month. We are so glad many members and guests could join in for the journey about music from 50 years ago that is still so fresh in our minds. The gathering has inspired us to develop more opportunities to learn, have fun, and socialize.

The Annual Meeting is our next big event on May 15. We hope every member, and even non-members, will attend. It’s a wonderful way to learn about what Encore Learning has been doing over the past year. We’ll feature a slideshow and are offering an optional laughter yoga session following the business meeting. The most important part of this meeting is the announcement of newly elected board members. It is sad to see some board members depart from their service, but they all will continue in many other roles with Encore Learning. Remember to vote by 9:00 AM on May 14.

This past month we formed a new partnership with The Fitzgerald of Palisades. We look forward to welcoming their new residents attending virtual classes in the fall.

I look forward to seeing you online at the Annual Meeting.

~ Lora 

Lora Pollari-Welbes

Executive Director

Important Date Reminders

• Annual Meeting is Thursday, May 15 at 10:00 AM on Zoom.
• The office will be closed on Monday, May 26 for Memorial Day.
• The Fall Semester catalog will be mailed and online in early August. The Course Preview will be September 4 and registration begings September 8.

Please note that our regular office hours are 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. If you contact us after 2:00 PM weekdays, you may not receive a response until the next business day.

During March 2025, we welcomed the following new members and look forward to having them become active participants in Encore Learning. Please introduce yourself to them if you meet them in a class, club or event. Margaret Burkhardt, Barbara Fillip, John Husovsky, Susan Lunde Minnick, Margaret Riccardelli, Frank Sammartino, Ron Seckinger, Stuart Shlafer, and Barbara Vobejda.

Thank you to Cristie Carlisle, Ellie McCann and Charles Self for referring friends who became members of Encore Learning! Spread the word and please refer friends and family to Encore Learning. If you’d like to bring Encore Learning into your community (residential building or neighborhood) to share information about membership, let us know.

Encore Learning is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Any donation is a charitable contribution deductible from income tax to the full extent permitted by law. Members, friends and organizations wishing to support Encore Learning may direct contributions to our General Fund to support our sustainability or to the Arthur W. Gosling Youth Scholarship Fund. If you wish to designate a charitable gift in someone’s honor or memory, please email us indicating how the gift should be recognized. If you would like to discuss tax benefits of charitable giving and charitable remainder trusts, please view our Donate page or contact the office.

We hope you enjoyed this edition of The Inside Scoop. If you would like to submit an article or share some photos of members participating in Encore Learning activities, please email us at info@encorelearning.net.

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