Lifelong Learning Classes

Register for these programs: by phone (507-664-3700), in person at FiftyNorth, or by clicking on the title of the class

Please pre-register and check-in for all classes no matter your membership levels. It is also important to check-in at the front desk when you arrive for your class.  We use attendance data for grant applications, insurance reimbursement, space planning and determining whether or not to cancel a class.
Scholarships are available to help defray the cost of classes for those who find the cost a financial hardship.
If you are interested in teaching a Lifelong Learning class or if you have an idea for a new class offering, please contact Patty Ciernia at 664-3709

Spanish – Beyond The Basics

Mondays & Thursdays
April 1, 4, 8, 11, 15, 18, 22, 25, 29
10:00-11:00am

This is a continuation of Intro to Spanish offered in January and February or a refresher class for people that have had some Spanish in the past. The grammar that will be covered includes command formation and the simple past. Vocabulary covered will have to do with jobs/offices, bedrooms, restaurants, hotels and airports. Students will also learn how to describe where an object is located Participants will be provided with all needed materials. You will want to bring a writing utensil. Classes will meet every Monday and Thursday.
(9 sessions)

Instructor:  Chris Kauffeld
Capacity: 15
Cost:  $81 nonmbr, $63 mbr, $0 platinum
Space: Room 106
Registration deadline: March 28

The Current State of US Policing

Wednesdays, April 3, 10, 17, 24
9:00-11:00am
This is a 4-part series; not individual signups.

We will examine the current state of policing in America: the laws, amendments and court cases that guide policing; the authority and role of the police; police operations and philosophies; police discretion; police terminology such as reasonable articulable suspicion, totality of circumstances, and probable cause; searches; surveillance and technology; police and the media; crimes and contemporary cases; and the importance of the role of policing, and community trust in policing. The goal is to broaden understanding and provide needed context for the serious and important public policy discussions regarding policing that are underway at the local, state, and federal levels of government.
Course Materials and Class Schedule: Each class will involve lectures guided by PowerPoint/Google Slides, short videos, music, and occasional partner work to set up our class discussions. This is primarily a discussion course. Preparation for class will include optional reading of contemporary police cases and crime news articles, and listening to podcasts. Joe will provide the readings for all classes at the first meeting of the class.

Class #1: In our first class, you’ll learn about Joe’s career, the traditional role of police in our society, and the major changes and challenges to police service, focusing on the past 25 years, including The North Hollywood Shootout, Columbine, September 11, 2001, Technology and Surveillance, and the George Floyd in-custody death.
To prepare for class, listen to the KYMN podcast Public Policy This Week, originally broadcast Sept. 30th, 2022. Joe and St. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell (Ret.) discuss their police careers and the current state of U.S. policing: https://kymnradio.net/2022/09/30/public-policy-this-week-chief-todd-axtell-retof-the-st-paul-police-dept/.

Class #2: In our second class, we’re going to be joined in class by the Chief of, or a patrol officer from, the Northfield P.D. to discuss and examine directly a modern patrol car and the equipment of a police officer. Additionally, we will discuss police operations, and policing theory—from the broken windows theory to predictive policing. Further, some of the court cases that guide police service: Terry v. Ohio, Minnesota v. Dickerson, Chimel v. California, Miranda v. Arizona, New York v. Belton, and Arizona v. Gant.
To prepare for class, listen to the KYMN podcast Public Policy This Week, July 15 2022 edition. Joe interviews Dr. James Densley, an expert on the topic of mass shootings: https://kymnradio.net/2022/07/15/public-policy-this-week-gun-violence-and-mass-shootings-with-dr-james-densley/

Class #3: In our third class, we will discuss the media’s role in breaking down police/public trust, referencing the national cases of Louis Gates Jr., Freddie Gray, and Michael Brown. In addition, we will discuss a profession in crisis as we examine the cases of former Minnesota police officers that have received worldwide attention—Jeronimo Yanez, Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Kim Potter, and Ryan Londregan.
To prepare for class, listen to the KYMN podcast Public Policy This Week August 18th, 2023 edition. Joe interviews Dr. Andrew Baker of the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office on the topic of the role of the medical examiner: https://kymnradio.net/2023/08/18/public-policy-this-week-the-role-of-medical-examiners-with-hennepin-county-chief-medical-examiner-dr-andrew-baker-8-18-23/

Class #4: In our fourth class, we will discuss the modern role of police in our society. Class discussion will focus on the topics of recruiting/hiring, training, and trust; the relationship between the District Attorney’s Office and the police; the homeless, drug addicted and mentally ill; repeat offenders, incarceration and recidivism, interventions, and the undercurrent of violence in society. Joe will also discuss cases in his career pertaining to the topics discussed this date.
To prepare for class, listen to the KYMN podcast Public Policy This Week, June 23, 2023 edition. Joe interviews Dr. James Densley on the topic of gangs: https://kymnradio.net/2023/06/23/public-policy-this-week-gangs-and-gang-violence-withdr-james-densley-6-23-23/.
A second podcast is also offered. Listen to the KYMN podcast Public Policy This Week, December 2, 2022 edition. Joe interviews Northfield Police Chief Mark Elliott, and Rice County Behavioral Health Supervisor Dante Hummel-Langerfeld on the topic of 1st Responder Mental Health Care: https://kymnradio.net/2022/12/02/public-policy-this-week-mental-health-and-law-enforcement/
(4 sessions)

Instructor: Joe Moravchik
Capacity: 20
Cost: $72 nonmbr, $56 mbr, $0 platinum
Space: Room 103
Note: Joe Moravchik has a B.S. from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and a J. D. from the William Mitchell College of Law. Holder of a State of Wisconsin DOJ Board of Standards Police Officer’s License, he did his training at the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s & Police Academy. Rising through the ranks of the Racine, WI Police Department he
was a multi-time winner of the Wisconsin Attorney General’s prestigious Exemplary Officer Award for high quality performance and professional dedication. Contact: [email protected]

CPR and First Aid

Monday, April 8
2:00-5:00pm

Students will receive expert training in First Aid and Basic Life Support CPR (adult) including Automatic External Defibrillator (AED). This 3-hour class includes instruction, demonstrations and hands-on activities and culminates in the students earning an American Heart Card. It is appropriate training for Certified Nurse Assistants, healthcare workers, childcare workers, teachers, instructors, and volunteers. Many health care facilities require this training of their employees.

Instructor:  Jon Bolster
Capacity:  10
Cost:  $72 nonmbr, $65 mbr, $0 platinum
Space: room 105

New Caregiver Support Group

Thursday, April 11
1:00-2:00pm

Join our new Caregiver Support group at FiftyNorth.
Learn, share, listen, laugh and gain strength and understanding alongside other care partners.

Facilitator: Kathy Voss, Caregiver Support Specialist
Capacity: 20
Cost: Free
Space: Room 103

Tour Maggie Lee Exhibit with FiftyNorth Members

Friday, April 19
10:30-11:30am

Maggie Lee is iconic to Northfield. She broke barriers for women in journalism, she was one of our community’s biggest cheerleaders and she was just a great person. Come to the Northfield History Museum for a tour of the new exhibit dedicated to one of the Northfield Historical Societies founding members.

NOTE: Meet at Northfield Historical Society or carpool with others from FiftyNorth.
Tour Guide: Mark Thornton
Capacity: 20
Cost: Free; donations at the Historical Society are welcomed.
Location: Northfield Historical Society, 408 Division St S, Northfield, MN 55057
​Registration deadline: April 17

AUTHOR TALK – Dan Van Tassel: Beyond Barron

Saturday, April 20
10:00-11:30am

Beyond Barron, the second volume of a memoir initiated by the publication of Back to Barron (in 2008), encompasses captivating humor and telling detail to narrate the story of author Van Tassel and his wife’s life together and their kindred careers. It focuses on schools and colleges and universities attended, taught at, and visited; homes purchased, built, modified, and redecorated; vehicles and pets acquired; and travels and forms of recreation that served as accompaniments to their academic careers and enhancements of family life. Following the saga of attending three very different high schools, a chunk of time at St. Olaf College culminates in Van Tassel’s earning a BA degree and his meeting a girl at a Fourth of July festival whom he falls in love with and marries that fall. Upon completing a grad degree at the University of Iowa, he takes an instructorship at Concordia College, while Rhoda becomes a “Cobber” and earns two more years toward her BA degree prior to the couple’s moving to California, and Chapman College for a year, where he teaches and she finishes her BA. Between colleges and squeezed in during the summer, they indulge in a grand tour of Europe, chronicled in the author’s Journey by the Book (2022). He with a PhD and she an MA, they move to Pacific Lutheran University, during which eleven-year tenure they have two children and build a house. In vignettes, anecdotes, catalogs and annotated lists reminiscent of an epic, and as scenes in a drama, the book traces in bas-relief the Van Tassels’ scholarly, administrative, and pedagogical achievements, additional moves (to Muskingum College, in Ohio, later to Cal State San Marcos, and, upon retirement, back to Minnesota), and recreational activities, including acting in plays, u-picking fruit and harvesting organically-grown vegetables, skiing, swimming, and boating as well as numerous trips and adventures within the US and beyond.

Author: Dan Van Tassel
Capacity: 50
Cost: Free
Space: room 103

Advanced Care Planning Open House

Saturday, April 20
9:00-10:30am

Come and work in the presence of others to put your wishes and values into words. Start, complete, or revise your Advance Care Directive with the assistance of trained facilitators. Gain peace of mind and a thumbs up from family and healthcare.
QUESTIONS: Contact: Mary Carlsen, [email protected] or Barbara Krause [email protected]

Presenters: Northfield Advanced Care Planning Group
Capacity: 25
Cost: Free
Space: Rooms 104 & 106

“When My Time Comes” with Diane Rehm Film and discussion on Medical Aid in Dying

Monday, April 22
1:00-2:00pm

Spurred on by the death of her husband, the Peabody-award-winning journalist crosses the country to take an in-depth look at medical aid in dying. She speaks to people on all sides of the issue, uncovering the pros and cons, the facts and the misinformation surrounding this controversial practice that is now legal in nine states and the District of Columbia. The result is both moving and informative – an eye-opening documentary that is sure to provoke strong reactions and thoughtful conversations among viewers of all ages and backgrounds (https://whenmytimecomesmovie.com/).

Join some members of the informal Northfield Medical Aid in Dying group (Mary Carlsen, Karen Mader, Brynda McCoy and Anne Meyer Ruppel) to watch this documentary and participate in discussion after the film. We will include current information on the status of Medical Aid in Dying legislation in Minnesota and answer questions about the topic. People of all backgrounds can be found in support of – and in opposition to – this option for end of life planning. We hope this presentation will help you to become better informed and motivated to have a conversation with loved ones and perhaps even with your legislators.

Presenters: Representatives of the Medical Aid in Dying group
Capacity:  25
Cost: Free
Space:  Room 103

CPR and First Aid

Tuesday, May 14
9:00-12:00pm

Students will receive expert training in First Aid and Basic Life Support CPR (adult) including Automatic External Defibrillator (AED). This 3-hour class includes instruction, demonstrations and hands-on activities and culminates in the students earning an American Heart Card. It is appropriate training for Certified Nurse Assistants, healthcare workers, childcare workers, teachers, instructors, and volunteers. Many health care facilities require this training of their employees.

Instructor:  Jon Bolster
Capacity:  10
Cost:  $72 nonmbr, $65 mbr, $0 platinum
Space: room 106

CPR and First Aid

Tuesday, September 10
9:00-12:00pm

Students will receive expert training in First Aid and Basic Life Support CPR (adult) including Automatic External Defibrillator (AED). This 3-hour class includes instruction, demonstrations and hands-on activities and culminates in the students earning an American Heart Card. It is appropriate training for Certified Nurse Assistants, healthcare workers, childcare workers, teachers, instructors, and volunteers. Many health care facilities require this training of their employees.

Instructor:  Jon Bolster
Capacity:  10
Cost:  $72 nonmbr, $65 mbr, $0 platinum
Space: room 106