The Whidbey Island Community Education Center will celebrate its beginning this weekend.

After almost a year of planning, the group is ready to celebrate its official start at 7 p.m. at St. Augustine’s-in-the-Woods in Freeland. David Domke, a professor at the University of Washington, will present on “The Gettysburg Covenant” and how to build a more civil society.

The continued learning program will be housed at Bayview School after this launch event. There will be workshops this fall, and full courses begin in January.