From The South Orange Maplewood Adult School:
The South Orange-Maplewood Adult School’s Spring catalog is here, and it’s filled with an array of exciting classes, programming and events for the creative and curious. Registration is now open at somadultschool.org. Below are some of our Spring 2025 highlights.
In, Around, About…Essex County
We’ll launch our eight-part lecture series: In, Around, About…Essex County, featuring several noteworthy authors who’ve written books about Essex County. Activist and author Dr. Mindy Fullilove, will hold the first lecture in the series, discussing her book Homeboy Came to Orange: A Story of People’s Power on Thursday, Mar. 6 at 7pm at The Woodland Parlor. See our website for the full lineup of speakers, including Matt Katz (Inconceivable Truth), Kate Moore (The Radium Girls), Warren Zanes (Deliver Me From Nowhere: Making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska) and many others.
The Redpath Lecture
Our annual Redpath Lecture, given this year by author and historian Dr. R. Isabela Morales, will take place on February 19 at 3:30pm at Winchester Gardens. She’ll discuss the history of enslaved people in New Jersey and Essex County’s past and share stories from her book Happy Dreams of Liberty: An American Family in Slavery and Freedom.
Likely Stories
Likely Stories, directed by Adult School trustee, Emily Zacharias, returns on Mar. 24. Join us for an evening of storytelling inspired by Isaiah Sheffer’s Selected Shorts at Symphony Space and stay for our afterparty and enjoy wine & dessert. This year, we’ll pay special tribute to the late Eva Samo—a former employee and pillar of The Adult School.
More Spring Highlights
Our new spring courses include: Understanding and Appreciating World Cinema, led by noted film educator, artist and filmmaker Gerard Amsellem, Vinyl Revival, Color Theory, Studio Pottery, Bold Spring Floral Painting, Dynamic Character Development, Building a Rain Garden, Rhythms of the Diaspora: Afro-Latin Dance Fusion, Improv for Professionals, Crystals for Beginners, Intro to G Suite, and our new Astronomy series.
We have some exciting day trips coming up as well. Register for our Food Tour of South Orange, and our Vintage Shopping Tours in NYC.
Many of your familiar favorites are also back, including the Arthouse Film Festival, the popular Mah Jongg, Yoga, Pilates, Knitting, Photography, Understanding your Child With ADHD, Claiming Your Italian Citizenship, Couch to 5k, Cutting the Cord on Cable, Estate Planning 101, Intro to Professional Voiceover, Upholstery, Golf, Fam Jam Dance Class, SAT Prep, a host of language and tech courses, and many, many more!
We can’t wait to see you this Spring! More classes will be added throughout the semester, so be sure to sign up for our mailing list at www.somadultschool.org for more.
About The South Orange Maplewood Adult School
The South Orange-Maplewood Adult School has been a cornerstone of adult education in the community since its inception. Offering a wide range of courses and programs, SOMAS is dedicated to providing lifelong learning opportunities that enrich the lives of its students. From arts and culture to professional development and personal enrichment, SOMAS strives to meet the diverse needs of its community members.
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The Adult School is a nonprofit organization and does not receive any taxpayer funding. The school relies solely on the revenue from tuition and contributions from our vital community. To donate or become a sponsor, please email [email protected] or visit the website.
