Friday Courses   

This course is designed for students who have taken the Absolute Beginners Pickleball course or who have a rudimentary knowledge of the game. It will be taught by seasoned instructors who have taught before. Expect to build on the basic game to include advanced strategy in play. We will meet at Lithia Park pickleball courts every day for five consecutive days for 1½ hours. There will be an emphasis on safety and sportsmanship. This skills-building class will focus on different types of serves; lobs; third-shot drops or “drop shots” drives; partner communication; stacking; types of scoring; and identifying Bert, Ernie and Nasty Nelson! The last day will be a fun round-robin in which players will rotate play with all other players. There will be an instructor/Ashland Oregon Pickleball Club member at each court who will be ensuring no faults and providing feedback. A waiver must be signed prior to the first class. 

NOTE: Students are expected to have their own paddle and know the basic game, such as rules/usapickleball.org, court position, basic serve, return of serve, NVZ, calling “out” balls, safety and sportsmanship. Players will need court shoes, a hat or visor, snacks and a hydrating drink. Eye protection is recommended. 

The 2025 Ashland Independent Film Festival returns to the Varsity Theatre April 24-27 with another outstanding slate of fine films from international and domestic filmmakers. OLLI members will view six films over the four-day festival weekend. During the week following the festival, OLLI members will meet three times to discuss the films. The films are a mix of documentary and narrative that have recently premiered at U.S. and international film festivals. The discussions will focus on the cinematic qualities of the films, with particular emphasis on the choices made by the filmmakers; the effectiveness of those choices; and the cultural, sociological and artistic content of the films.  

NOTE: Class members will purchase tickets at the theater. It is expected the ticket price will be $12 per film. 

Does a lot of what you read in the news about the world concern you? Does it make you feel a bit overwhelmed? Do you wish you could understand the “big picture” better and share your concerns about the world with others? Over 10 weeks, this interactive class will discuss global issues confronting the new president as presented in the Foreign Policy Association’s “Great Decisions 2025” booklet: 1) the most pressing decisions before the U.S. in 2025; 2) American foreign policy; 3) U.S. changing leadership of the world economy; 4) U.S.-China relations; 5) India: between China, the West and the Global South; 6) international cooperation on climate change; 7) the future of NATO and European security; 8) artificial intelligence and American national security; 9) American foreign policy in the Middle East; 10) common themes and likely future directions. All participants in this course must have the ability to respectfully discuss viewpoints different from your own.

NOTE: Participants will be expected to read about 20 pages before class covering various points of view so that we’ll be able to dive in and spend most of our class time on informed discussion. The “Great Decisions 2025” booklet is required reading and will be distributed at the first class. (Cost: $35) 

This DIY BetterInvesting (BI) portfolio discussion/workshop gives students practice managing a portfolio using a structured process. We start with three BI reports, four videos, a five-step process (with multiple sub-steps) and a checklist to conduct portfolio reviews for breakout group portfolios. Each student will bring stock symbols for inclusion in the group portfolios. We will use “Stock Selection Guide (SSG) & Portfolio Management Magic” by Mike Torbenson to learn the process. A link to a free PDF version will be provided in the pre-course email, or you can purchase the print version on Amazon. We also use the book’s collection of spreadsheet-and-form templates in a free Google Drive folder to do advanced tasks. You will learn how to replace low-performing stocks with new stocks. It is essential to have BI SSGPlus membership and to have previously taken two OLLI courses: DIY FUNdamental Stock Analysis Beginner and Beyond Beginner. Basic MS Word/Excel or Google Docs/Sheets skills are helpful. See www.betterinvesting.org. 

NOTE: Maximum benefits will be achieved by attending all eight sessions. Equities (in sample portfolios) are for educational purposes only; no recommendations will be made. We do not present alternate investment strategies. No penny stocks, ADRs, ETFs, index funds, bonds, mutual funds, financial advisers, cryptocurrencies or foreign stocks will be discussed. No iPads in this class. Newer Windows or Mac OS versions only, and BI membership at the SSGPlus level and Google Chrome as your primary browser are essential.  

This introductory course, taught by four instructors at the Rogue Valley Genealogical Society Library, is designed to give a solid foundation for pursuing genealogy. Anne Billeter will present how to conduct research online and in libraries with a library tour. Rich Miles will present separate classes on how to effectively use Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org to research family and ancestors. Both classes will use a computer lab. Barbara Northrop will present separate classes on organization with a help session and on the U.S. census in the computer lab. Kim Thurman will present how to effectively use newspapers to research family in the computer lab. There will be two assignments: filling out an ancestor chart for personal use and preregistering for a free FamilySearch.org account online. Help will be available. Instruction will be 1½ hours, followed by a one-hour help session or computer lab. Although it’s not mandatory, we encourage students to bring their personal laptops. 
 
NOTE: This course will be taught at the Rogue Valley Genealogical Society Library, 3405 S. Pacific Highway, Medford. Students need to preregister for a FamilySearch account prior to Class 4. There is no class session on Friday, April 18.

This course is for fiction writers who wish to add screenplays to their arsenal. Screenplay writing is more than formatting; it is using our imagination — especially a writer’s visual and dialogue sense — in different ways than we are accustomed to in prose or poetry. Every story in history uses elements that go back to Homer; a screenplay merely uses a different shuffle of the same. A screenplay will be deconstructed each week, story elements illuminated and discussed. Short in-class writing exercises will be included most weeks. This is a course for fiction writers who have an idea for a story they wish to explore further or are in the process of writing. Creating an environment that supports writers is an important part of this endeavor. Join if you think screenplay format can boost your storytelling skills. 

NOTE: A successful download of any screenplay application is required before class begins, and laptops are welcome in class. There are many online sources for free screenplay software. All are good because the format is industrywide. Selecting one that can convert to PDF is best. (Final Draft is best if you are looking to purchase).