Spring is here, but it’s not too late to join our engaging spring courses! It’s so wonderful to see so many of our members in-person or on Zoom. Whether you love writing, public affairs, social sciences, the arts or literature, we have a spot for you starting this April. Visit our courses page for a wealth of information on our spring classes.

Check out these classes starting in April

with space available for you!

• Diplomacy Origins, Evolution, Future – Alex Karagiannis – April 7 at GMU
• Writing Japanese Poetry in English: Haiku, Senryu, Tanka & More – Kathleen Decker – April 7 on Zoom
• Creative Age: Classic vs. Contemporary Plays – Tessa Klein Harber – April 8 at GMU
• Demystifying Islam – Usama Rehman – April 8 at GMU
• Magic of Motown: Music, History, Legacy – Michael Agron – April 8 on Zoom
• Dao, Zen, and Creativity: East Asian Arts for Balance and Harmony – Dawn Li – April 9 on Zoom
• Poverty and Disparities in the Land of Opportunity – Anne Vor der Bruegge – April 9 at GMU
• China’s “Belt and Road” Expands: the US, Latin America, and the New Cold War:? – Robert Albro – April 10 at GMU and on Zoom
• Regulating Artificial Intelligence: Balancing Innovation and Responsibility – Neelam Shukla – April 13 at GMU
• Hamlet’s Children – Iska Alter – April 17 at GMU
• Tragedy of Othello – Michael Collins – April 23 on Zoom

Visit Class Pages for Zoom Links,

Class Materials and Recordings

All Zoom login information, as well as class media, can be found on the Class Page on our website. You do not need to login to your Encore Learning member account to access your class web page. The Class Page link and password will be shared in the course reminder email sent two business days prior to the first class session. Please make note of the class page password so you can access all class information, including virtual class Zoom links and recordings if available, at your convenience. All class sessions use the same Zoom link each week. See the image below that shows where you can find the link to all class pages on the homepage of our website.

Our Spring Semester started on March 3 and we have 24 classes being held at this moment. Students are happy to see each other in-person and connect online. We are getting some wonderful feedback from our members. Thank you to all of our volunteer instructors and class aides!

Photos: Upper – Ambassador Richard Kauzlarich and Ambassador Wiliam Taylor lead the first virtual session of the ever popular Global Hot Spots. Lower left – Instructor Stephen Gailliot and class aide Mildred Patterson in the timely Foreign Policy Decision Making and Iran course. Lower right – Dr. Barbara Fillip leads the in-demand hybrid course Generative Artificial Intelligence.

Join us for Special Events – Zoom presentations and in-person tours – to learn something new and make the most of your membership. Click here for a full list of upcoming events, and to register for those that require it. Most virtual presentations are recorded and available on Encore Learning’s YouTube channel.

Lots of interesting, fun special events in March:

• Popular Dan Sherman brought us Hamilton: The Man and the Musical, through Zoom. As always, it was a hit. Dan Sherman has also kindly shared with Encore Learning the link to his Wagner in film music presentation.
• We hosted a virtual presentation by the National Cryptology Museum “Battle of the Codes.” This is a wonderful museum that offers a range of presentations so we will keep them on our radar screen.
• On 3/31, we have our tour of the headquarters and museum of the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution). Since it sold out quickly, we will explore scheduling another tour later in the year.

Encore Learning members enjoyed a wonderful tour of the historic Octagon House. Due to popular demand, a second tour has been scheduled which has also sold out.

Dan Sherman had large turnouts for both his in-person (at the Central Library), and virtual presentations of Hamilton: the Man and the Musical.-Photos courtesy of Tom Underwood.

Our energetic special events team has uncovered more interesting experiences in April and May:

• 4/21 Tour of the Inventors Hall of Fame
• 4/27 Zoom presentation about handicapping horse races with Jeremy Baskin, who has been handicapping races since his law school days. This presentation is timed to give you insights into the Kentucky Derby on May 2.
• 4/29 Tour of the Octagon House, brought back by popular demand (sold out)
• 5/4, join us at the Arlington Library for a special presentation of the documentary film Rosenwald, that profiles Julius Rosenwald, the CEO of Sears Roebuck and major philanthropist who saw the inequality of African Americans in the Jim Crow South and founded, with Booker T Washington, over 5,000 Rosenwald schools. He then went on to partner with the African American community to fund affordable housing and nurture the talents of many African American artists. The film’s director, Aviva Kempner will join us to discuss the making of the film and answer questions.  
• 5/7 we will explore the new Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream, a beautifully restored building highlighting many versions of the American Dream and ways to achieve it. (Pending)

More May events, including a Hillwood Gardens tour and a Nationals game – coming soon!

We do request that you let us know if you are not able to attend an event that you registered for. Many of our tours have limited capacity and sell out quickly. So please allow as many people to attend our events as possible by letting the Encore Learning staff know if you cannot attend an event.

Thanks,

Louise Kenny, Tom Underwood, Jan Burchard, Tom Kilfoyle and Nancy Kilpatrick, the Special Events Committee   

On March 23 the Arlington Central Library hosted a panel on retirement featuring some alternative perspectives such as being entrepreneurial, finding temporary work, or seeking skilled volunteer opportunities. Encore Learning was pleased to be a sponsor of this event and share information with prospective members as well as see some familiar faces. Thank you to Tom Adams for being the moderator. The panel featured:

Lisa Fikes, President and CEO of Leadership Center of Arlington

Tara Palacios, Manager, Arlington County BizLaunch

Sheila Murphy, Founder and Partner of Flex Professionals

We are currently seeking volunteers for a variety of roles:

• Posting our events in public calendars (such as ArlNow, the Beacon, NextDoor, Positive Aging, etc.).
• Developing strategies to diversify our membership and ensure we are inclusive.
• Planning academic courses or Special Events.
• Joining a forming Public Relations/Marketing committee.

If any of these opportunities are of interest to you, please visit our Volunteer page or send an email to info@encorelearning.net.

The Encore Learning Nominating Committee has been formed and information about the slate of candidates will be shared in April. If you would like to nominate someone for a board position, please send a message to info@encorelearning.net.

Please email the Encore Learning office if you are interested in joining any of our clubs or would like more information. You may 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!

Breakfast Club

The Breakfast Club continues to meet every Wednesday at 8:00 AM at La Madeleine, Baileys Crossroads, for breakfast and conversation. We don’t take reservations; just show up and follow the noise to our table in the outer room. -Ron Wise, Coordinator. Photos courtesy of Lee Cooper.

Bridge Club

The Encore Learning Bridge Club met on Friday, March 13th, for a Bridge game at Cynthia Baskin’s condo. We had four tables for Bridge, 16 players, and were trying out our new system: to play Bridge from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. with only snacks and drinks provided by the host. We used to meet at 12:30, have lunch and then play Bridge, but decided that having lunch was a lot more work than simply having snacks and drinks. We’ll try out this new arrangement for the next several months, then check with our members to see which system they like best. We’re always happy to welcome new players, so anyone who is interested should contact the office and they will send the information to Sharon Bisdee and Joan Carter, co-chairs of the Club, who will contact prospective members. -Joan Carter and Sharon Bisdee

Chamber Music Club

The Chamber Music Club meets every first and second Friday of the month, at noon, from October through May, to hear chamber concerts sponsored by the Friday Morning Music Club, a venerable institution dating to 1886.

The musicians are superb and the programming diverse and interesting.

Please note there is only one concert next month on April 10.

The venue is St. George’s Episcopal Church, 915 N. Oakland St., adjacent to the Virginia Square Metro station. For those who drive, the church has a small parking lot. On-street parking is available as well. Please contact the office if you wish to join. – Rhoda Ritzenberg

Cinema Club

The Encore Learning Cinema Club meets monthly to see a current film, usually at Cinema Arts Theater in Fairfax. Recent movies have included Calle Malaga, Oscar Nominated Live Shorts, and Blue Moon. We talk about the movie over lunch at a nearby restaurant, and the discussions are usually interesting and animated. The number of attendees range from 8 to about 15. Join us for a movie and a discussion over lunch nearby. Our next meeting dates are April 22 and May 12. –Caroline Wooden and Dru Dowdy. Photos courtesy Lee Cooper.

Global Lunch Club

The March meeting of the Global Lunch Club met at Padaek on South Glebe Road for excellent Thai and Laoatian cuisine in an attractive room. The club meets once per month to enjoy the area’s great international cuisine. Suggestions welcome for future meetings.

-Jan Rothstein, Coordinator

Mindfulness Club

The Mindfulness Club meets by Zoom Wednesdays at Noon for an hour of connection, discussion and meditation. The Club mailing list receives a weekly email with tips on mindfulness and meditation, and with the link to the Zoom. We welcome new members who have no experience with mindfulness practice, as well as those who have years of practice. Many of the Club’s participants find our group meditations to be a useful supplement to their solo practice. Members attend as their schedules permit, regularly, occasionally or sporadically. To be added to the Mindfulness Club email list, contact the Encore Learning office. –Dwight Rodgers, Club Coordinator

Nonfiction Book Club

The Encore Learning Nonfiction Book Club will meet next on May 11 in the Arlington Central Library, Bluemont Room, at 1:30pm. We’ll be discussing An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s by Doris Kearns Goodwin. The author takes you along on the emotional journey she and her husband, Richard (Dick) Goodwin, embarked upon in the last years of his life by artfully weaving together biography, memoir, and history. New members are welcome. Please feel free to join us. If you’d like your name added to the mailing list, please let the office know.  – Ed Rader and Pat Chatten, co-coordinators.

Travel Club

Our March presentation was given by Dick Juhnke on his travels in Bulgaria.

The Travel Club meeting for April 2026 will be on Friday, April 17 at the usual time of 3:30 PM on Zoom. It will be presented by Janet Glendenning on Sri Lanka. Janet will speak about her three week self-organized trip to Sri Lanka in January of this year. This will include the practicalities of independent travel, as well as sharing some of the highlights of her trip including UNESCO World Heritage sites, ancient and modern temples, cities and countryside, and abundant wildlife. 

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 the office. We hope to see you virtually on Zoom! -Charlie Hallahan, co-coordinator. Photos courtesy of Janet Glendenning.

University Life at GMU Mason Square has numerous fun events planned. Please click on the images below to see what’s coming up this Spring.

March is one of our busiest months with 24 classes launched (some have already completed), and many more coming up in April. It’s a joy for staff to visit with members as they arrive for class and see members connecting with each other. We are all so impressed with our instructors who spend time preparing for class and following up on every request. One instructor, Barbara Fillip, has even added practice sessions to the Generative AI class to allow for practice and deeper exploration of topics covered the day before.

We are also delighted to see so many new members join Encore Learning in recent months. Please be sure to introduce yourselves and share what you have discovered while being an Encore Learning member. We’re holding another New Member coffee aimed at those who have joined over the last six months on April 16.

The Annual Business Meeting sounds kind of boring but this year will be different. Held in-person for the first time since 2019, this event at Arlington Central Library will include performances by the Encore Learning Improvisers and the Heritage Harmonizers. All are welcome to this event on May 21. We do ask that you register so we know how many to expect.

Enjoy the beautiful spring and appreciate the bounty of learning and connecting opportunities offered by Encore Learning.

~ Lora 

Lora Pollari-Welbes

Executive Director

During February 2026, 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.

Thank you to the following for referring friends who became members of Encore Learning! Goodwin Living, Maria Biernak, David Briggs, Daphne Collgan, Michele Creedon, Phil Finnegan, Sue Fishbein, Joyce Husick, Henriette Kellum, Nancy Kilpatrick, Karen Lehman, Sylvia Liroff, Rich Liroff, Anne McAllister, Bob McAllister, Denice McCullough, Anne Miduch, Penny Miller, Kristin Neun, Lora Pollari-Welbes, Bill Reilly, Bev Rush, Joanne Rutkowski, Julie Schumacher, Sharon Schuler, Theresa Sims, Jim Warlick, Nancy White, and Richard Young.

If you’d like to bring Encore Learning to your community (residential building or neighborhood) to share information about membership, please 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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