ESL II: English as a Second Language Class

Wyoming Library is hosting an intermediate English as a Second Language class on Thursday, October 22, as part of a course that runs every Tuesday and Thursday from 10 AM to 12:30 PM, August 25 through December 10. It's an intermediate-level program run by the Community College of Philadelphia's English as a Second Language Institute, so it's meant for people who already have some English under their belt and are looking to move past the basics. Registration is required, and you'll need to take a placement test before the course starts.

The class is part of a wider week of English-language programming across Free Library branches, which includes beginner classes, conversation groups, and Edible Alphabet cooking sessions. If you're just starting out or prefer a more casual conversation group, there are other options running alongside this one.

The venue itself has a bit of a story. Wyoming Library was the last of 25 Free Library branches built with funds donated by the philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, and it's the last library in the world built with his money. Ground was broken on March 1, 1930, and it opened on October 29, 1930, as a fireproof building of steel and concrete, with marble interior steps and French limestone cornices. By 1935 it had become a hub for children and teenagers, drawing as many as 650 high school students each evening.

The class is free, and it runs Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10 AM to 12:30 PM, from August 25 through December 10, at Wyoming Library.