Education Notes
Cape Coral
Rotary Park Environmental Center
Rotary Park Environmental Center, 5505 Rose Garden Road, presents:
– Saturday: Girl Scout Badge Class from 1-4 p.m. Get the girls together and come to Rotary to earn some badges. The maximum group size is 25 girls. Your Outdoor Surroundings is the theme for the class. The cost is $5 for residents and $8 for non-residents.
– Oct. 30: School’s out nature camp, for ages 8-14, from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. A day of hands-on learning, fun and adventure as children explore the nature park and learn about plants, bugs and creatures. Cost is $30 for residents and $45 for non-residents.
For information or to register, call 549-4606 or visit: www.capeparks.com.
Carmine Lombardo
Carmine Lombardo, 78, a retired language arts teacher from Cape Coral, has won the 2009 Florida Senior Poet Laureate Award for his poem, “A Lamp of Love,” in the 17th annual national Senior Poets Laureate Poetry Competition for American poets age 50 and older, sponsored by Amy Kitchener’s Angels Without Wings Fdn. of Monterey, Calif.
Haunted Hike and Safe Trick or Treat
Mike Greenwell’s Family Park presents the Haunted Hike on Friday, Saturday, Oct. 23-24 and 28-31 at 35 Pine Island Road N. The cost is $10. There also will be a Safe Trick or Treat from 5-8 p.m. Oct. 30. Dress in costume and bring a goodie bag. This is a free event for children 12 and under. A donation of pet food and supplies will be accepted for LCHS and ARC. For information, call 574-4306.
Little Karate Kids
Little Karate Kids, for ages 3-5, is held from 6:45-7:15 p.m. Wednesdays at Four Freedoms Park, 4818 Tarpon Court. The traditional Japanese Karate-Do program teaches concentration, coordination and self-discipline in a format that makes learning fun. The cost is $45 for residents and $50 for non-residents. A uniform is not included but can be purchased from the instructor. Pre-registration required. For information or to register, call 574-0804 or visit: www.CapeParks.com.
Sounds of Florida Chorus
The Sounds of Florida Chorus meets at 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays in the chorus room of Cape Coral Methodist Church, 4116 Coronado Blvd. The chorus sings a variety of music in four-parts. No auditions are necessary. Tapes are provided to help members learn each part. For information, call Dick Knapik at 542-045.
Cape Coral Arts Studio
There is still time to sign up for fall classes at the Cape Coral Arts Studio, 4533 Coronado Parkway. Mini-classes will start Nov. 16-Dec. 19. Register early for classes in the fine arts and fine crafts for adults and youths. Popular adult classes include beginning clay, watercolor and oil/acrylic painting, glass beadmaking, PMC, wire wrapped jewelry, silversmithing, glass fusing, beaded jewelry design, gemstone polishing, digital and abstract photography. Youth classes include drawing essentials, cartooning, and draw/paint. Supplies for all classes can be purchased at the Arts Studio supply store. For information or to register, call 574-0802 or visit: www.CapeParks.com.
Martial Arts Training Institute
The Martial Arts Training Institute, a state-registered nonprofit organization offering martial arts training for youths and adults, has set its 2009-10 school year day camp schedule. The next starting dates are Oct. 29 and Nov. 11, 25 and 27. It also offers a women’s self-defense class for free. The class meets from 1-2:30 p.m. Sundays at 1490 N.E. Pine Island Road. For information, call 322-7003 or 673-7740.
Business & Industry Services
Business & Industry Services presents:
– Monday-Oct. 29: QuickBooks Pro 2009, Level II, at High Tech North, 360 Santa Barbara Blvd. Prerequisite QuickBooks I or equivalent. Cost is $75.
– Monday-Tuesday: Word 2007 at Lee County Public Education Center, 2855 Colonial Blvd., Fort Myers. Cost is $60.
– Wednesday: Using the Internet at Lee County Public Education Center, 2855 Colonial Blvd., Fort Myers. Cost is $45.
– Oct. 23: Time Management for Social Media from 9 a.m.-noon at Lee County Public Education Center, 2855 Colonial Blvd., Fort Myers. Cost is $45.
– Oct. 26-27: Intro to Computers at Lee County Public Education Center, 2855 Colonial Blvd., Fort Myers. Cost is $60.
– Oct. 28: Vista at Lee County Public Education Center, 2855 Colonial Blvd., Fort Myers. Cost is $45
For information or to register, call 939-6320 or e-mail JoanneLO@leeschools.net.
Fort Myers
After School Arts Program
The Alliance for the Arts has created an After School Arts Program for students seeking supplementary instruction in visual and performing arts classes. The program is offered for students in first through eighth grade and runs through Dec. 18 in coordination with the school year calendar. Bus routes will stop at the Alliance for the Arts, on the corner of Colonial Boulevard and McGregor Boulevard. Pick-up time for parents will be 6 p.m. Students who do not attend public school are invited to attend. For information or to enroll, contact Scott Guelcher at 939-2787 or e-mail education@artinlee.org.
Florida Gulf Coast University
Florida Gulf Coast University presents the following:
– Today: Prospective students can attend the Graduate Studies Fall Expo from 5-7 p.m. in the Student Union ballroom. For information, call 590-7881 or e-mail graduate@fgcu.edu.
– Monday-Oct. 23: Level II Code Enforcement Certification Training, Administrative Aspects of Code Enforcement, from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. The exam is from 10 a.m.-noon Oct. 24 at the Atrium Executive Center, 8695 College Parkway, Suite 1181, Fort Myers. The cost is $480, plus the cost of the exam for F.A.C.E. members, or $600 for the cost of the exam for non-members. For information, call Joanne Hartke at 425-3273 or e-mail jhartke@fgcu.edu.
‘Can You Hear Me Now’
Home Schoolers “Can You Hear Me Now” will be held from 1-3 p.m. Friday at the Edison Ford Winter Estates. Registration required. Estate members pay $5 and non-members pay $15. The fee includes one adult and one child. There is an additional $5 charge per child. For information, call 334-7419 or visit: www.efwefla.org.
Calusa Nature Center, Planetarium
The Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium, 3450 Ortiz Ave., Fort Myers, presents:
– Mondays-Thursdays: Manatee encounters, a multi-media show, at 11:50 a.m.
– Tuesdays: Guided walks at 9:30 a.m.
– Tuesdays: Solar observing at 11 a.m.
– Fridays: Guided walks at 9:30 a.m.
– Fridays: Insect explorations at noon.
– Sundays: Snake feeding at 11:15 a.m.
– First Sunday of every month: Dog Day Sunday from 4-6 p.m. The cost is $5 per dog for non-members and $2 per dog for members. Owners are free.
n Oct. 21-31: Haunted Walk from 7:30-9:30 p.m. Admission is $10 for non-member adults, $6 for non-member children 12 and under, $5 for member adults and $3 for member children 12 and under. Halloween night admission is $12 for non-member adults and children, and $6 for member adults and children. This event may not be suitable for young children. For information, call 275-3435. Volunteer ghouls are needed. For information, e-mail HauntWalk@lusanatre.org.
– Oct. 24-25 and 31: 11th annual Friendly Forest. Trick-or-Treat from 3-6 p.m. An opportunity for families with younger children to get into the Halloween spirit without bringing the little ones to tears. Admission is $9 for adults and $6 for children ages 3-12. Half-price admission for members. Volunteers needed. For details on volunteering, e-mail Friendlyforet@calusanature.org.
– Oct. 27: Pre-school program, What I See at Night, at 11 a.m. What animals come out at night? Children must be between the ages of 3 and 5. Register by Oct. 26 at 275-3435.
For information, call 275-3435 or visit: www.CalusaNature.org.
Criminal justice students place at competition in Ky.
Four criminal justice students from Southwest Florida College ventured to Richmond, Ky., to observe the 2009 Lambda Alpha Epsilon Region 5 Conference. They had no intentions of entering the competition, but they returned with one first place medal, two second place medals and one third place medal. Max Tinkey, Kyle McClinton, Oscar Lopez and Scott Siebert, all members of the American Criminal Justice Association, subchapter of Delta Omega Gamma Zeta, at Southwest Florida College, competed against other regional colleges and universities such as the University of Central Florida, Eastern Kentucky University, Florida State, ITT Tech Alabama and ITT Tech Jacksonville. For information, call toll-free (888) 526-7973 or visit: www.swfc.edu.
Magic Carpet Family Concerts
The Gulf Coast Symphony performs the first two of this season’s Magic Carpet Family Concert series at 5 p.m. Saturday at the S.T.A.R.S. Complex, 2980 Edison Ave., Fort Myers, and Sunday at Harlem Heights Community Park, 7340 Concourse Drive, Fort Myers. The concerts are free and open to the public. No tickets or advanced reservations required. Children’s activities start at 3 p.m. For information, call 277-1700 or: www.gulfcoastsymphony.org.
Call for artists
ArtFest Fort Myers announces a call for artists for the high school art competition and exhibit, Art Under 20. The special feature is located in the heart of ArtFest Feb. 6-7. A large gallery tent provides the opportunity for participating students to exhibit their artwork in a professional setting to 55,000 ArtFest patrons. Cash prizes totaling $6,000 will be awarded to student competition winners. Call 768-3602, e-mail info@ArtFestFortMyers or visit: www.ArtFestFortMyers.com.
Sanibel
Sanibel Island Writers Conference
Florida Gulf Coast University invites aspiring writers to attend the Sanibel Island Writers Conference Nov. 3-8 at Big Arts on Sanibel Island. Cost is $350, which includes all workshops, panels, lectures and readings. Registration limited. Registration forms available online at: http//www.fgcu.edu/siwc/.