FARMINGTON — The vibrantly colored drawing on the cover of the spring adult and community education catalog is the first collaboration between the Mt. Blue adult education program and the graphic arts program at Foster Technology Center.

The partnership will not only help advertise the adult education program but will benefit budding graphic designers, Ray Therrien, director of the Mt. Blue Regional School District’s Adult and Community Education Department, said.

“To have the resources right here at the tech center, where students can do such snazzy things, is fantastic. And it gives students a real-life experience. We are delighted,” Therrien said.

Titled “The World is in Your Hands,” the drawing of huge hands gently holding a giant globe is the work of student Kaileigh Morin, a member of graphic designer Charlie Fontain’s class.

Morin said as she developed her design, she researched the adult education curriculum and used actual course names as the background for her green and purple Earth.

“I wanted to give the viewers a peek at what they can learn,” she wrote in her commentary.

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“My inspiration for this piece was the infinite opportunities that an education can present you with. When you have an education, a whole new world of career and experience opens up, and I really wanted to show that in my design,” she wrote.

Morin drew the Earth and hands and said the rest of the design was pieced together using a software program called InDesign.

The 32-page catalog that was distributed last week to more than 9,000 households in Franklin County is filled with educational opportunities. There are nearly 50 enrichment courses, from acupuncture and basic Facebook to ukulele, past life regression, yoga and beekeeping.

There are also dozens of classes to improve academic skills, achieve career certifications and study online.

The booklet is available at the Adult Learning Center, 108 Fairbanks Road in Farmington, online at www.msad9.maineadulted.org and, for the first time, through Facebook. Class fees can now be paid through PayPal.

Paul Brown, who coordinates the twice-a-year catalog and the extensive program, said between 1,100 and 1,300 people a year take the classes — a huge jump from the 500 or so 10 years ago.

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Brown and his staff are continually making improvements so it is easier to use and more readable, and they work at increasing the variety of courses. Through the sale of ads and a portion of the class fees, the catalog is self-sustaining. It is delivered through bulk mailing.

One major refinement has been the elimination of the requirement for a minimum number of students to hold a class, an idea of his that has now spread to adult ed programs in other counties.

Brown said when a class had to be canceled, it disappointed the teacher, discouraged students and meant staff had to spend time contacting those enrolled and refunding their fee.

The new system tacks on a minimal charge, up-front, on every application fee that goes to Adult Basic Education. Brown said the revenue adds up and is enough to cover overhead costs.

It also means a class goes on no matter how many enroll.

The catalog also offers courses through a national health professional education organization that hires local instructors to teach certification classes like pharmacy technician, phlebotomy technician and medical technician. Emergency medical technology, certified nursing assistant and medical terminology, taught by Franklin Memorial Hospital personnel, are also included.

Brown said his program is also working with a national organization that offers online career training and enrichment courses. Last semester, more than a dozen people signed up.


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