LOCALadk Magazine

LOCALadk 14 The instructors, along with their passion and skills, are the lifeblood of the Adirondack Folk School. Through the class offerings throughout the year, over one thousand students tap into this amazing resource and come away forever changed and rightly proud of both the object they made and a new or improved skill. Class offerings span from beginners to more ad- vanced offerings, but the majority of the classes are designed at a pace that is suited to first-timers. One of the biggest hurdles for many students to over- come is one of confidence in their abilities to actual- ly make an heirloom quality, hand-crafted item over the course of a given class. From personal experi- ence, I can share that I've seen many students enter a class with no prior experience who, by the conclusion of the class, have been met with great success and proudly pose with their creation and their classmates for a photo before heading home. Many students, like me, return for additional classes once finding this out for themselves. In fact, some students like me (and our son, Ben) even become instructors! That's right, Ben and I have now taught the Adirondack Chair class for the past two years and have enjoyed every minute of it. My personal journey with the Adirondack Folk School also led to me joining the board of directors in 2017 and ultimately serving as president of the board from 2021-2023 with a fantastic group of individuals from across the region who dedicate tremendous energy and who provide leadership and vision for AFS. I might still be on the board today, were it not for the hiring of a very close relative to serve as the school's executive director in 2023. That hiring made it neces- sary for me to step down from the board, but I honest- ly couldn't be happier about the outcome. You see, the close relative who took the job was none other than a highly accomplished leader with a record of amazing results in leadership roles at several large non-profit and education organizations in the Capital District— my wife, Terri Cerveny. Terri and her team (Amy, Devin, Roberta, and Pat) work hard every day to expand and enhance the class offerings, engage and expand our cadre of remarkable artisan instructors, make the most of the equipment and facilities, and continue to expand the growing base of members and donors. The school recently embarked on a project to both renovate and expand their existing main building on the campus in Lake Luzerne. The additional space will help AFS attract even more students through more diverse course offerings in a larger, more accessible, purpose-built space. Creating more opportunities to attract children and families to learn about Adirondack heritage and traditions will help AFS cultivate the next generation of students and inspire future teachers who will preserve these traditions by passing them on. In a world where too many of us spend too much time tied to a keyboard or basking in the blue glow of handheld screen, I find it a great sign that a place like the Adirondack Folk School—where non-competitive, hands-on learning and craft making is their stock and trade—is not only surviving, but is thriving and grow- ing bigger and better with each day. I strongly encour- age you to check out the school and to become part of our community of makers. t "In a world where too many of us spend too much time tied to a keyboard... I find it a great sign that a place like the Adiron- dack Folk School... is not only surviving, but is thriving..." - John Cerveny John's son Ben co-teaches a class in Adirondack Chair building.

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