Extension Program Offering New Classes

A course designed to help foreign-born residents reduce their accents is among the more innovative classes and workshops to be offered this fall as part of Mission College’s Community Extension Program.

Other workshops available at the Sylmar campus will be a series on techniques for making hand-crafted holiday gifts, college officials said.

“Accent Reduction,” is a six-week course that will meet Tuesday evenings, starting next week, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Granada Hills High School. The course costs $59 and is intended for students who already speak English, said Diane Astadurian, manager of the Community Extension Program.

According to the course description, instructors will break down spoken English into 42 distinct sounds “that can be practiced and learned to achieve more clear and understandable speech.”

“Sometimes people who are difficult to understand or who don’t speak correct English get slighted,” Astadurian said. “People sign up for this course to be more marketable in the job world and also for their own personal development.”

Decorative wreath making, stained glass windows, gift wrapping and bow making are some of the workshops beginning today and continuing throughout the holidays. The classes are designed for people interested in crafting their own holiday gifts.

The workshops vary in length from one day to six weeks and range in price from $24 for greeting cards and Chinese knot jewelry to $74 for stained glass and calligraphy.

An additional workshop offers tips for consumers on holiday bargain shopping.

“From clothes to computers, cars to candy, your dollar can go three, four, even five times as far if you know where to shop and how,” promises instructor Cindy Glazer.

For more information about the extension program, call (818) 364-7387.