Attendees from across the United States gather to attend BYU's Education Week. Classes are held from Monday to Friday. (Haley McIlroy)
Education Week begins at BYU with the theme of “Charity is the Pure Love of Christ, and It Endureth Forever” from Moroni 7:47. The program will run from Monday to Friday, August 17-21.The event is sponsored by Continuing Education at BYU.There are nearly 1,000 classes and other events that will make up this year’s program. Topics range from marriage and family, communication, health, history, finance, personal development and a variety of gospel topics.Rick Soderquist and his wife, Susan Soderquist, attend Education Week every year for her birthday. "I come for the ice cream mostly, and the fudge," Rick Soderquist said. The lectures are taught by BYU faculty, seminary and institute instructors and a variety of specialists and experts.There are both adult and youth classes throughout the week. 45 classes are specifically for youth with a dance on Thursday night.There are also law and medical school classes, some of which can be used for CLE (continuing legal education) credit. Mark Smith also attended the conference; as a Utah native, he has attended many in the past. "It's mostly spiritual, but there's financial classes, classes on growing a garden, medical, attorney... there's a lot of variety in instruction," Smith said.
Photo by Attendees say that Education Week can be a great time to catch up with family and friends. The spiritual aspect has been another important reason to attend. (Haley McIlroy)
Pricing ranges from $30-$115 depending on how many days the participant would like to attend. Children under 14 (including infants) are not permitted to attend.The annual registration reaches nearly 17,000 people every year and is one of the largest adult continuing education programs in the United States.Ruth Elizabeth Conrad, another attendee of Education Week, spoke about her memories of Education Week. "I'm looking forward to the spiritual boost as much as anything. I haven't been to Education Week since I was a teenager...I was trying to think what I wanted to do for the summer and I thought, why couldn't I join Education Week?" Conrad said. Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will speak at the Education Week Devotional on Tuesday, Aug. 18, at 11:10 a.m. in the Marriott Center. The devotional is open to anyone who would like to attend."I'm definitely here to see Elder Kearon," Conrad said. "I've got a whole lineup of other speakers, and we'll see what I actually hit." This year, a special performance, "America 250 in Concert," will be performed by the Millennial Choirs and Orchestras at the BYU Marriott Center on Wednesday and Thursday evenings, Aug. 19-20. There is also the SCERA outdoor Theatre in Orem that is staging "Guys and Dolls" on Monday and Tuesday. Tickets for these performances can be found at edweek.byu.edu under “Evening Performances.”"When I get the chance, I like to sneak down and watch the football players practice and play through the fence and hope they're going to do well this year," Smith said. Registration is available online or in-person throughout the event at either the Marriott Center Northeast Ticket Booth or the Wilkinson Student Center Garden Court.More information about the Education Week schedule can be found at educationweek.byu.edu.
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elder patrick kearon
Ruth Elizabeth Conrad
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Mark smith
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