Mount Airy Learning Tree

After 25 Years, Mt. Airy Learning Tree Still About Neighbors Teaching Neighbors

Researched and Written by Michael Kleiner

The cover of the first catalog folded over for mailing. The tree logo, still in use, was designed by Mary Burns and the Neosho River Free School of Emporia, Kansas.

The mailing side of the "catalog".

Barbara Bloom had this dream: to create an inexpensive adult community education program that would bring residents together to get to know each other, to share their diversity, where “neighbors would teachneighbors” in non-traditional classroom settings in the community. She had the perfect neighborhood in mind — Mt. Airy. That dream became the Mt. Airy Learning Tree, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year with a number of events under the theme, Celebrating Diversitree.

"There was no education service program here plus I felt this was a community eager to share and learn."

How Mt. Airy Learning Tree, affectionately known as MALT, has sprouted over the two decades. The first catalog in February 1981 was a folded over sheet of paper with 17 classes, which attracted 125 registrants. Now, MALT prints a designed catalog of more than 50 pages for its three terms during the year, and has a web site, offering over 200 classes each term. While initially concentrated in Mt. Airy, MALT now draws more than 1,500 students, 75% from outside of Mt. Airy.From one computer class in Fall 1981 — before even the dawn of their consumer use — to 16 classes advertised in the current Fall catalog, many hosted at the new Mt. Airy Community Computer Center. There are now paid staff members, with Jonna Naylor as Director, Susan Guggenheim as Associate Director and Ilene Ogando-Cohen as Catalog Manager, and a number of volunteers. More than 1,000 individuals and organizations have served as teachers during its 25 years.

"There was no education service program here plus I felt this was a community eager to share and learn," explained Bloom, who remains involved as a member of the MALT Board.

That eagerness was more than she could have anticipated. She approached West and East Mt. Airy Neighbors, organizations dedicated to maintaining the diversity and quality of life of its neighborhoods. On November 12, 1980, Bloom and Pat Henning of WMAN met with Dianne Reed, Bill Ewing and Eversley Vaughan of EMAN, and Michael Lefkowitz, editor of the Germantown Courier. The EMAN board approved the concept on December 2,and WMAN followed a week later. Vaughan coined the name Mt. Airy Learning Tree, in tribute to photographer and author Gordon Parks’ autobiography, The Learning Tree ( Parks would speak at MALT’s 15th anniversary).

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