Testimonials

EXCEL is terrific! I love the rockfish print my niece made for me when she took the Marine Biology class as a nine year old, and I don't think I've seen a production of "Midsummer Night's Dream" that I liked any better than the one she was in as a part of Raymond Skipp's acting class when she was ten.

Katharyn Crabbe
SSU Associate Vice President
Academic Programs

Having my granddaughter attend an EXCEL class was a wonderful experience for both of us. Despite our age difference, there is a certain commonality when we discuss our classes and our teachers. EXCEL offers those of us fortunate enough to have grandchildren close by an opportunity to strengthen our bonds with them, at the same time encouraging their love of learning

Jeanne Johnson
Lifelong Learning Student

I am a junior at Santa Rosa High School. I go there because of their great ArtQuest program, and one of my interests is 3-D computer modeling. Right now I am studying Physics, which I hope to pursue as a career. I have been an EXCEL teaching assistant ever since 7th grade, when I helped out the teachers of Crash and Burn Chemistry. I really enjoyed just helping set up the laboratory demonstrations, and helping the students with their experiments. I have helped teachers who taught Photoshop and Multimedia classes, which is fun because I get to use my skills to help out other people with their various projects. It's also nice to learn new things from the various teachers as well. I have just been accepted into the Cambridge College Programme in England this summer, where I'll be studying "Physics and the Art of Espionage in WWII".

Hans
EXCEL Teaching Assistant

In my Basic Engineering class, a 4th grader had constructed a hotel out of toothpicks and hot glue. She had installed an elevator, and wanted to make a switch that would make her electric motor go backwards and forwards to lift and lower the elevator. I tried to show her how to make such a switch, but I couldn't get the motor to respond. After a moment, she said, "The outside of the battery looks kinda metallic, and the wires are touching it. Maybe we have a short circuit? Let's put some plastic tape under the wires, because plastic is a non-conductor." I was pleased she had remembered about conductors and non-conductors from the introductory electricity class ("Get A Reaction"), but even more impressed that she had the presence to apply what she had learned. It made my day!

Matt Keller
Science Specialist for Sonoma County schools
and EXCEL Saturday University instructor