Perhaps you’ve heard of Piedmont Adult School through some of its popular cooking or language classes, but did you know that in addition to its fee-based community classes, the school offers a free high school diploma program? You’ll have an opportunity to learn more about all PAS offers at its first-ever Expo, April 21-23 held at the Piedmont Center for the Arts. The reception on Friday, from 5-8 p.m., will feature live demonstrations, complimentary food and an exhibit of student and instructor artwork.
The school has a long history of offering “education for life” — going beyond the K-12 experience to help adults in Piedmont and beyond explore new passions, meet learning goals, and connect with other adults around shared interests, says PAS Director Shannon Fierro (who also serves as Millennium High School’s principal.) “I love getting to know our phenomenally experienced and creative expert instructors as well as the wide array of interesting and engaged adults that we have in our classes,” Fierro said in an email with the Exedra. Fierro was appointed to her position by the PUSD Board of Education in June 2017.
In addition to the Friday reception, on April 22 and 23, from 11 a.m-2 p.m., there will be open gallery hours to view the art exhibit at the Piedmont Center for the Arts. “The Expo is both a celebration of the art and learning that adults in our community are engaged in as well as an opportunity for prospective students to learn more and get involved,” Fierro said.
Did you know:
*The Piedmont Adult School is one of seven schools in the Piedmont Unified School District and is overseen by the Piedmont Unified School District Board.
*PAS was established in 1975, emphasizing fee-based enrichment classes, to serve the interests of adults from the City of Piedmont and its surrounding communities.
*The school was housed on the Piedmont High School/Millennium High School campus, where it remains today.
*The school welcomes adult learners, aged 18 or more years, from Piedmont, surrounding East Bay communities, and beyond to enroll in free high school diploma classes, short-term career technical education classes (computer programming), and English as a Second Language classes. Learners can also participate in any of the school’s numerous fee-based enrichment classes (cooking, exercise, art, and more).
*Unlike other East Bay Adult School programs, which offer high school diploma programs in group class settings, PAS offers high school diplomas through independent study and is able to provide one-to-one,
personalized programming. (In Alameda County, only Berkeley Unified and Alameda Unified offer diploma programs.)
*Piedmont Adult School is fully certified by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).
(All facts from PAS’s self-study report for the Accrediting Commission for Schools Western Association of Schools and Colleges.)