Mardi Gras, Y'ALL

CyFair's Academy for Lifelong Learning and Student Life will be presenting a little bit of Mardi Gras here at CyFair. Join John Wolfskill and his students as they perform some classic New Orleans jazz while enjoying king cake, beads and just having a good time. Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Tuesday, February 28 at 11.30am in the Cafeteria

Some pictures from our event. Thank you Student Life for the king cake, beads, decorations and service. Thank you John Wolfskill for having your students perform for us.

Lou's Gumbo

It's Mardi Gras time and our favorite food is gumbo. Lou Master, ALL's top chef, is back with his own recipe for a delicious seafood gumbo. What a fun class with beads and gumbo and topped off with King Cake.

You can make Lou's Gumbo yourself with his recipe, here.

Black History Month Recital

CyFair Professor of Music, Sheila Patterson, and her clarinet quartet, Cypress Winds, presented a beautiful concert for ALL members. Explaining the history and life of the various black composers, Sheila led us through ragtime, gospel, jazz, and blues.

You can view the program here.

Farewell, Elise

The ALL community has been invited to Elise's Retirement Party. Many of us have worked with Elise over the past many years. From Prom Closet to teaching classes for ALL, to being a great reference in the Library, we will greatly miss her.

LGBTQ Rights Movement: Radical to Mainstream 1969-2015

Blake Ellis, CyFair History professor, presented a historical perspective of the events and attitudes that have shaped the current thinking of equal rights. From politics to Supreme Court cases to businesses, Blake and the class discussed many aspects of LGBTQ rights.

You can view Blake's presentation here.

Think Factory - The Aesthetics of Beauty and Tragedy

The next Think Factory is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb 22nd from 4-6pm in the Main Stage Theatre. Come and join the discussion as the panel presents The Aesthetics of Beauty and Tragedy in this popular event sponsored by the Philosophy Department.

Costa Rica & the History of Monteverde Cloud Forest

We traveled through some little seen locations in Costa Rica with Ronnie Nespeca, Kinesiology Professor at CyFair. From his many Study Abroad trips with CyFair students, we were able to join their journey through the Monteverde Cloud Forest, the rain forest and mangrove swamps. Our journey included a little history, botany, and zoology, along with a few stories of traveling with students.

You can see Ronnie's presentation by clicking here.

Secrets of Cruising, Part 2 - Cruise Websites

Mike Huereca was back for another information session on how to put together a great cruise. Mike shared his choices of websites to find the best prices for cruises, how to research the ports of call, look for hotels for pre- and post-cruise days, and also some thoughts on how to get the best airline pricing.

To view Mike's information sheet on cruise websites, click here.

African Americans and the War for Democracy

Bobby O'Brien, CyFair History Professor, has invited ALL to a special presentation, Tuesday, February 21st, 7-8.30pm in the Main Stage Theatre.

Guest lecturer, Dr. Adrian Lentz-Smith, an associate professor of history at Duke University, will explore how black soldiers and civilians during World War I wrestled with notions of manhood, citizenship, nationalism, and black internationalism shaping the 20th century struggle for civil rights. This lecture is part of LSC-CyFair's World War I series commemorating the 100-year anniversary of the conflict.

Playing Fair: Not Just for Kids Anymore!

What exactly is Fair Trade? Kendra Penry from Heifer International returned to ALL to present this far-reaching topic. We learned about how Fair Trade works and who it directly impacts. The choices we make as a consumer everyday plays a part in Fair Trade.

To see Kendra's presentation, click here.

Secrets of Cruising, Part 1

There was so much to learn from Mike Huereca, an expert cruiser, we had to break the information into two parts. In Part 1, we learned some of his many tips and secrets on how to save money, keep safe, and enjoy the cruise. From where to check cruise prices, to learning about all those fees, to the best time to cruise, there was plenty to learn.

To view Mike's information sheet, click here.

Earrings

Linda Gabrielson led our class where learned out to make earrings to match any outfit. The colors and styles are limited to your imagination. Here is a look at some of the class and their finished products:

Mah Jongg News

Judy Dankers reported that five CyFair ALL Mah Jongg players traveled to Rockport, Texas to participate in the popular two-day annual tournament. There were 165 players from around the state competing in the event. CyFair ALL member Karen Kuykendall placed 3rd. Congratulations! Other CyFair members attending were Pat Kissel, Colleen Wells, Pat Gardner, and Nancy Niles. Several of these members won raffle prizes and special events. A wonderful time was had by all and they are looking forward to the next Mah Jongg tournament.

Heart Sachet

We got into the Valentine's Day spirit with Linda Gabrielson as we made a heart sachet. A little sewing, a little bling and voila. Every heart was unique. Here are a few pictures from class:

Clown on a Stick

What a fun class with Brian Taranto as we made our own dancing clown puppet. See the pictures below for the class members' puppets.

Campus Security

LSC-CyFair Police Sgt. Patricia Vidito presented a information session on campus security, current and future laws that will affect students on campus, and a general background on public incidents that have occurred across the country. We learned how to react here on campus when a lockdown is called. Lots of questions from our members with answers from Sgt. Vidito based on lessons learned from each incident and her years of experience.

To view the Run, Hide, Fight video, click here.
To view the LSC-CyFair Active Shooter video, click here.
To review the LSC Response Policy to an Active Shooter, click here.

Salmon in Parchment Paper

Bob and Connie Pepples treated the class to a great recipe for cooking salmon. The recipe included spinach and tomatoes. In addition, an artichoke pilaf was prepared to serve on the side. Nice dinner to make for friends and family.

You can get view the recipes here.
View another favorite recipe, Spinach Pastry Diamonds, here.

Nesting Notes

Richard Edie of Wild Birds Unlimited was back again with another great class on birds. This time the class was about nesting boxes. When do we put them up, which box for what bird, where should the box be placed ....? So many questions and Richard had the answers.

To see Richard's presentation, click here.

The Bracero Program: 1942-1964

Michelle Tovar, Assoc. Director of Education at Holocaust Museum Houston, presented a great class that has implications for today's guest-worker debates. Michelle talked about the Mexican immigrants and their experiences as they came to the United States during the U.S.-Mexico Emergency Farm Labor Program. The historical perspective of these workers, the Mexican Americans, and the insight into American history was quite interesting.

You can see Michelle's presentation here.
To get information about this current exhibit, Bittersweet Harvest, at Holocaust Museum Houston, click here.