Highland Senior Center

Italian
Date: April 24, 2020
Time: 9:00 - 10:00 am
Length: 8
Cost: $8 members
      $8 non-members
Instructor: Rita Sicilliano
Location: Game Room
Description: Italian is taught by Margherita Sicilliano. Margherita, who also goes by the names Margo or Rita, and is from the old country. Born in Caserta, Italy, she was actually born in the Italian Royal Palace (the Reggia di Caserta). Her mom was touring the palace when she went into labor. Not many people can say that they were born in a royal palace, much less a UNESCO World Heritage Site! Raised and educated in Italy, she was still in college when she came with her family to the United States. She continued with her education getting a Bachelor's Degree. She then went back to Italy to get her Master's Degree. Her teaching experience spans 42 years and includes teaching high school French, Spanish, and Italian in New York, as well as French and Spanish Advanced Placement classes at the local Aquinas High School. After retiring some friends told her about the center. She took a trip here and discovered a fellow Italian, Virginia Kautzman, and the two became friends. Margo also found out about our University Language classes, and decided to get back into teaching. She approached us about teaching here, and after offering a choice between Italian and German, everyone decided that Italian would be perfect. Now it is the only Italian class being offered in the area. Student’s need to bring only a pencil and paper to class. There is a work book students can purchase through Amazon for $16, but it is not necessary. The class is open to absolute beginners and those who wish to keep up their Italian. A presto! See you soon!

Tai Chi
Time: Mondays 11:30 a.m.
Cost: $3.00 members
      $3.00 non-members
Location: Exercise Room
Description: The Chinese characters for Tai Chi Chuan can be translated as the Supreme Ultimate Force. The notion of supreme ultimate is often associated with the Chinese concept of yin-yang, the notion that one can see a dynamic duality (male/female, active/passive, dark/light, forceful/yielding, etc.) in all things. Force (or, more literally, fist) can be thought of here as the means or way of achieving this ying-yang, or supreme-ultimate discipline. Or it is possibly from it's origins as a martial art and self-defense technique. Tai Chi as it is more commonly referred to, is practiced in the west today as a moving form of yoga and meditation combined. There are a number of so-called forms (sometimes also called sets) which consist of a sequence of movements. Many of these movements are originally derived from the martial arts and perhaps even more ancestrally than that, from the natural movements of animals and birds. Legend has it that a Taoist monk, first developed a set of 13 exercises that imitate the movements of animals. Some of the movements are even called the Monkey Pick and Horses Mane. It is an exercise almost anyone who can walk can do safely. Tai chi takes the joints gently through their range of motion, while the emphasis on breathing and inner stillness relieves stress and anxiety. Your instructor is Katsuko aka Kats Shiomi and classes held on Mondays and Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., and the cost is only $3.00 per class. Students should wear comfortable clothing and come ready to find their inner peace.