General Interest

NEW! Native Gardening

Join us for a hands-on Native Plant Workshop where you’ll learn what we mean when we say “native plants” and why they are so important to the South Jersey ecosystem. We’ll cover different kinds of plants suited to your space, along with what to provide for them to thrive, including proper watering and ongoing maintenance. You’ll leave the course with a plan for how to create habitat at your site. You’ll also learn about insect life cycles and how native plants support pollinators and local ecosystems. Come ready with questions and ideas—this is an interactive session!

Students should bring the following:

• Notes or photos about your garden inspirations
• Designs or site ideas to discuss
• Pen and paper for notes
• Materials for sketching ideas

Whether you’re just starting or looking to refine your garden, this workshop will help you create a thoughtful, sustainable plan to increase use by pollinators, migratory birds, and wildlife.

CEGN-214 (6 hours)
Cost: $89

Section CW01: Cape May County Campus
Saturdays, September 26, October 3 and 10, 2–4 p.m.

Social Engineering (Understanding Online Scams and Manipulation)

This workshop introduces participants to the real-world tactics used by social engineers—people who manipulate others to gain information, access, or trust. Through practical examples and interactive activities, you’ll learn how common scams work, why they succeed, and how to recognize warning signs before it’s too late. We’ll break down phishing, impersonation, and everyday manipulation techniques in a way that’s easy to understand and apply. By the end, you’ll feel more confident spotting suspicious behavior and protecting yourself and your organization from social engineering threats.

NEW! Artificial Intelligence (AI) – Exploring the 5 W’s

Join us for an engaging workshop exploring the “5 W’s” of Artificial Intelligence—Who, What, When, Where, and Why—and how AI is transforming the way we live, work, learn, and communicate. This interactive session will break down how AI tools are designed to benefit society through education, healthcare, business, public services, and everyday convenience, while also examining the growing concerns around misinformation, scams, deep fakes, privacy risks, and digital deception. This workshop is designed for all experience levels and welcomes parents, students, seniors, educators, nonprofit leaders, and anyone interested in understanding the opportunities and risks of AI in today’s society.

Exploring Digital SLR Photography, Part 1

Bring a digital SLR camera to class and fully understand the functions it has to offer. Learn what shutter speeds, f-stops, and ISO mean through hands-on picture taking. Other topics will include composition, lighting, sports photography, and more.

CEGN-172 (6 hours)
Cost: $69 (supplies not included)

Section MW01: Mays Landing Campus
Thursdays, October 1, 8 and 15, 6–8 p.m.

Exploring Digital SLR Photography, Part 2

Expand your photography knowledge and practice fill flash outdoors, portrait photography, macro, landscape, sports, and nature photography. Students will learn what equipment and techniques are needed to get the best results. Some equipment will be provided for hands-on work, but bring your SLR camera. This class is not for point-and-shoot cameras.

CEGN-191 (4 hours)
Cost: $49 (supplies not included)

Section MW01-Mays Landing Campus
Thursdays, October 29 and November 5, 6–8 p.m.

Acrylic Painting Series

Join acclaimed artist Russ Simmons on a creative journey where we will explore the world of painting in his inspiring and engaging classes. With a focus on composition, light and shading, color theory, and the fascinating realms of abstract and realism, you will uncover the secrets of transforming a blank canvas into a masterpiece. This series consists of three workshops, which may also be taken separately. All materials are included in this workshop.

FINE-175 (9 hours)
Cost: $179

Section CW01: Cape May County Campus
Tuesdays, beginning October 13 (ends October 27). 6–9 p.m.

Acrylic Painting - Week 1:

Introduction to Composition and Color Theory, Blending Colors and Negative Space
Discover the importance of composition in painting; the rule of thirds; focal points and balance; the basics of color theory (primary, secondary, tertiary colors, complementary colors). These hands-on activities will include sketching simple compositions using thumbnails and painting a color wheel to familiarize yourself with acrylics and mixing primary colors.

Learn the techniques for smooth blending in acrylics (wet-o-wet, glazing), and the importance of negative space for balance and emphasis. These hands-on activities will include creating a gradient background to practice blending and painting a simple subject (e.g. a leaf) using negative space to highlight the subject.

FINE-101 (3 hours)
Cost: $69

Section CW01: Cape May County Campus
Tuesday, October 13, 6–9 p.m.

Acrylic Painting - Week 2:

Still Life Painting and Understanding Light and Shadows
In this course you will set up a still-life arrangement and simplify complex objects into shapes. These hands-on activities will include painting a small still-life with three to five objects with an emphasis on composition, color, harmony and shadow placement.

Discover the wonder of how light and shadow create depth while getting an introduction into value scales and contrast. These hands-on activities will include painting a landscape piece focusing on light sources, highlights and shadows.

FINE-102 (3 hours)
Cost: $69

Section CW01: Cape May County Campus
Tuesday, October 20, 6-9 p.m.

Acrylic Painting - Week 3: 

Landscapes and Perspective
Get an introduction to perspective (vanishing point, horizon line) and techniques for painting skies, trees and water. These hands-on activities will include painting a detailed landscape with a clear foreground, middle ground and background, while demonstrating techniques learned in previous lessons.

FINE-103 (3 hours)
Cost: $69

Section CW01: Cape May County Campus
Tuesday, October 27, 6–9 p.m.