Rappahannock Institute for Lifelong Learning
RILL was designed with you in mind!
Enroll in a course today and explore something new in a stimulating classroom environment where you can share your interests with community members. RILL is an exciting program of the Rappahannock Community College Educational Foundation, Inc. (RCC EFI) that is intended to be a life-enriching learning experience for adults. As RILL students keep their minds active through these thought-provoking classes, they also have the privilege of helping local students in their pursuit of higher education. Each year a scholarship is awarded to an RCC student through net proceeds from RILL class tuition payments.
RILL congratulates Vernita Hargrove, recipient of the RILL scholarship for the 2022/2023 academic year. Vernita is a pre-nursing student, mother of five, and lives in Henrico.
Classes: RILL’s noncredit college-level classes are held in convenient locations within RCC’s service region — Virginia’s Northern Neck, Middle Peninsula and surrounding areas. Some instructors may suggest specific preliminary reading material to prepare students to get the most from the course; this information will be sent to registered students ahead of time. The courses will include neither prerequisites nor tests.
Benefits: Rappahannock Westminster-Canterbury residents enjoy 50% off class tuition. Blue Ridge Bank Golden Advantage members receive 15% off class tuition. RILL thanks our sponsors and partners!
Spring/Summer 2023
Brains and Balance ($35)
Location: RCC Kilmarnock
Instructor: Meg Miller
Wednesdays, March 29, April 5, 12, 19, 26, and May 3
2 pm to 3 pm
This class may be full. Please email bjenkins@rappahannock.edu.
Comprehensive class designed for seniors with the goal of improving strength, flexibility, dexterity, and balance utilizing free weights, bands, and balls. Parts of the class are done while seated in a chair. Emphasis is on exercises and drills to build spatial awareness, improve or restore function, build muscle and assist in activities of daily living. Includes overview of basic muscle anatomy, dance for coordination, and dexterity/endurance challenges.
Meg Miller is a certified group fitness instructor who teaches senior fitness classes at the Northumberland YMCA.
Intermediate Pickleball — Gloucester ($35)
Location: Newington Baptist Church, Gloucester
Instructor: Carlos Morales
Tuesdays, May 9, 16, 23, and 30 (This is a change to the originally published schedule.)
2 pm to 3:30 pm
This course is designed for the adult player who has completed the Beginner Pickleball course. Course emphasis will be on score keeping, improving different strokes with direction to include dink rally, serve/return of serve. Players will work on understanding the fundamentals of the game and proper court positioning and more. Paddles and balls are provided. Class is limited to 12 students.
Carlos Morales holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Southeastern University in Education and played baseball at the collegiate level. Carlos is a USA Pickleball Ambassador and Certified Pickleball Coach. He now focuses his free time on promoting the “Fastest Growing Sport in the U.S.” to all levels.
Four Masterful Short Story Writers ($45)
Location: RCC Kilmarnock
Instructor: Gail Kenna
Thursdays, May 4, 11, 18, and 25
1 pm to 3 pm
In a lecture and discussion-based course, four short story masters will be studied. The reading involves one or two stories for each writer. The first class is on the famous Russian, Anton Chekhov. The following two classes include two extraordinary Southern writers, Eudora Welty and Flannery O’Connor. The final class will explore a living American master of the genre, George Saunders. His contemporary stories are wildly successful and unforgettable. His only novel, Lincoln in the Bardo, won the Booker prize. The mission of George Saunders, it might be said, is to build and keep alive an audience for the short story.
Gail Wilson Kenna is the author of five published books. She serves as the Creative Nonfiction judge for the Soul-Making Keats literary competition in San Francisco. Before moving to the Northern Neck in 2004, Kenna taught for colleges and universities in foreign countries and the U.S. Since 2005 she has offered writing and literature classes for RILL. Her weekly blog: www.gailwilsonkenna.com
Virginia in the Seventeenth Century ($35)
Location: Historic Christ Church & Museum, Weems
Instructor: Robert Teagle
Thursdays, June 1, 8, and 15
10 am to 12 pm
This course looks at life in 17th-century Virginia. Themes include early exploration and settlement, interactions between Virginia Indians and English colonists, tobacco culture, the development of representative government, immigration, servitude and slavery, architecture, women, the Church of England, rebellion, disease, and more. From its near collapse during Jamestown’s early years to its transition to a slave society as the century closed, this course examines Virginia’s transformations.
Robert Teagle is the Executive Director at the Foundation for Historic Christ Church in Weems, Virginia. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the College of William and Mary and Master of Art in American History from Virginia Tech. His research interests include the architectural history of early Virginia, the role of the Church of England, the Carter family, and slavery and emancipation.
Beginner Pickleball Session 1 — Warsaw ($35)
Location: RCC Warsaw Tennis Courts
Instructor: Paul Shrieves
Tuesdays, June 6, 13, 20, and 27
9 am to 10:30 am
This class may be full. Please email bjenkins@rappahannock.edu.
This course is designed for the first-time adult player and will cover the basics of Pickleball rules, terminology, primary skills, coordination, beginner court time, and more. Paddles and balls are provided. Class is limited to 12 students.
Paul Shrieves is an avid pickleball player and is excited to promote the sport in the NNK. He has worked in telecommunications for 47 years starting with C&P Telephone and moved to telecommunications manager for a healthcare provider before starting his own company, Communications International. Paul served two years in the military, with 13 months overseas.
Beginner Pickleball Session 2 — Warsaw ($35)
Location: RCC Warsaw Tennis Courts
Instructor: Paul Shrieves
Thursdays, June 8, 15, 22, and 29
9 am to 10:30 am
This class may be full. Please email bjenkins@rappahannock.edu.
This course is designed for the first-time adult player and will cover the basics of Pickleball rules, terminology, primary skills, coordination, beginner court time, and more. Paddles and balls are provided. Class is limited to 12 students.
Paul Shrieves is an avid pickleball player and is excited to promote the sport in the NNK. He has worked in telecommunications for 47 years starting with C&P Telephone and moved to telecommunications manager for a healthcare provider before starting his own company, Communications International. Paul served two years in the military, with 13 months overseas.
Introduction to Windows 11 ($45)
Location: RCC Warsaw
Instructor: Martin Bailey
Thursdays, June 15, 22, 29, and July 6
10 am to 12 pm (This is a change to the originally published schedule.)
This course is designed for those who have some experience using a Microsoft Windows PC and desire to become more comfortable using many of its basic features. It will begin with computer operating fundamentals for both hardware and software and provide an overview of the Windows 11 operating system. Students will develop competency in file and folder organization and management, internet and email usage, and management of various file formats. This is a hands-on course allowing the students to work along with the instructor. Computers will be available; however, participants are encouraged to bring their own Windows laptops. Class is limited to 12 students.
Martin Bailey holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the College of William and Mary and a master’s degree in computer science from Virginia Tech. Before his retirement from the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren, he was involved in many aspects of computer work, including programming, algorithm development, database management systems, and computer security. Bailey is also an adjunct professor at RCC.
