NEW MSCN HEADER (With border)
Issue No. 38
April 2013
The MSCN Newsletter
Welcome to April's Newsletter!
DownEast Readers Choice logo
Wouldn't it be fun if the Maine Senior College Network were voted "Maine's Best College"? Well, we have a chance to do just that. One of the categories in the DownEast Magazine Readers' Poll of the Best of Maine is "best college." You can vote by going to this link and writing in "Maine Senior College"!
 

Sincerely, 

 

Kali Lightfoot

Executive Director

Maine Senior College Network    

 

Maine Newspaper Seeks MSCN Members' Experiences for Series

The Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram will publish an extensive series of stories this year on the challenges and opportunities of aging in Maine. We'll be reporting on the experiences of being a caregiver, the search for appropriate housing, health care and other services, and the threats of elder abuse and exploitation, among other topics. If you would like to participate by sharing your experiences or offering ideas for coverage, call 791-6328, send an email to me, or fill out this form online.

-submitted by Christian MilNeil, Portland Press Herald/Maine Today Media

 

MSCN 2013 Photo Competition:
Maine . . . Rivers, Lakes, & Oceans

Photo of Kelsey Brook
Kelsey Brook, Freeport

Here's your chance to be known as a prize-winning photographer! The theme of this year's MSCN photo contest is "Maine . . . Rivers, Lakes, and Oceans."

If you are a member of a Maine Senior College you are eligible to enter. One entry per person, please, and the submitted photo must be previously unpublished. If you wish to enter a photo that includes an identifiable image of a person, they must be willing to sign a photo release and agree to have their image appear in the MSCN newsletter online.

Photos may be submitted in digital format as .jpg files or as photo prints. If you submit a photo print and wish to have it returned to you, you must enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope.

Please email your digital entry as an attachment to Kyle Allen, or mail your photo print to:

        Kyle Allen
        Maine Senior College Network
        University of Southern Maine
        PO Box 9300
        Portland, ME 04104-9300

Be sure to tell us at which Maine Senior College you are a member. Entries will be accepted through May 31, 2012. The winning photo will be published in the MSCN newsletter, along with kudos to the winning photographer. We have already received some great photos, and we're looking forward to receiving more!

CSC Hosts Author Colin Woodard at Annual Luncheon
photo of author Colin Woodard
Colin Woodard
Award-winning author Colin Woodard will be the guest speaker at the Coastal Senior College (CSC) annual luncheon on Friday, May 3, at The Samoset Resort in Rockport. The gathering will celebrate and honor the many volunteers who contribute to the success of this senior college, now in its 11th spring semester.

Woodard is currently State and National Affairs writer for the Portland Press Herald and Maine Sunday Telegram. His fourth book, American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America, received numerous awards including the 2012 Maine Literary Award for Non-Fiction.Read more about Colin Woodard. 

The luncheon is a rare opportunity to hear this Maine native with a world-wide outlook. The luncheon is open to non-members, tickets are $25, reservations are required. For more information, go to the Coastal Senior College website.

-submitted by David Bailey for Coastal Senior College 
 
History Will Come Alive At L-A's April Food For Thought Lunch 
Photo Charles Plummer as U.S. Grant
Charles Plummer as General U.S. Grant.
(Photo by Rachel Morin)
Charles Plummer, a Civil War historian who is widely known for his living history presentations, will be the featured speaker at the April 12 Food for Thought program at Lewiston-Auburn Senior College. Garbed in the uniform of Civil War General Ulysses S. Grant and taking on his persona, Plummer will share the highlights of the life and experiences of this famous and colorful Union General. Learn more about Charlie Plummer's upcoming performance.
 
This monthly 11:30 luncheon program is held in Function  Room 170 at USM's Lewiston-Auburn campus. The cost is $7 with advance reservation or $8 at the door. Reservations must be made by noon on April 11 by calling 753-6510. Any late callers will be considered "at the door."

-submitted by Rachel Morin for Lewiston-Auburn Senior College
 
OLLI at USM Presents "Climate Reality" Lecture and Slide Show 
Photo of Planet Earth froms pace  

On April 4 the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at USM is offering a free public lecture and slide show by Sharon Tisher, J.D. She was recently trained by Al Gore to present the current version of his Nobel Prize-winning slide show on climate change. Through remarkable photographs, instructional animations, and film, the show explores the connections between global warming and extreme weather events, including severe and damaging storms, droughts, and wildfires.

 

Sharon is a lecturer in the School of Economics and Honors College at the University of Maine Orono. Her presentation on Thursday, April 4th, is from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. in Room 102 of the University of Southern Maine's Wishcamper Center at 44 Bedford Street on the Portland campus.  

   

Please pre-register for this event by calling 780-4406.     

 

 - submitted by Joan Aldrich for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at USM
 
Senior College at Bridgton Announces Spring Course Line-up

Senior College at Bridgton has completed plans for the Spring '13 program to begin on Monday, April 15. There will be four weeks of classes, held at the Bridgton Community Center.

 

Monday's class is an unusual team look at Nathaniel Hawthorne's book, The Scarlet Letter. Led by a retired American Literature professor and an active minister, class members will consider this classic from both literary and spiritual views.

 

Tuesday will bring a discussion and evaluation of "American Isms," a look at some prominent topics such as capitalism, socialism, republicanism, and federalism.

 

Thursday's class is a study of major Canadian action in World War I through the experiences of one of its soldier participants.

 

The class week ends on Friday with a study of astronomy, including ways to approach the study of our solar system and Earth.

 

More information about the Senior College at Bridgton's spring class line-up will be available on the organization's website.

-submitted by Dee Miller for Senior College at Bridgton

Study Spanish in Historic Cuenca, Ecuador

 

Gold LEAF Institute would like to inform all Maine Senior College members of an opportunity to participate in an upcoming adventure: studying Spanish in Cuenca, Ecuador, from November 1-15, 2013.

 

Organized by Gold LEAF members Ray and Matiana Glass, this study trip will provide a low-cost opportunity to study Spanish and live in a world heritage city nestled in the mountains of Ecuador.

 

All arrangements for this trip are being handled by Mr. and Mrs. Glass, not Gold LEAF Institute. For more information contact Ray Glass at 778-6785. Please contact Ray before June 1, 2013, to allow for adequate planning.

 

-submitted by Colleen Serrada for Gold LEAF Institute 

 

School of Athens, or is This Sunrise Senior College?
School of Athens painting

Sunrise Senior College (SSC) is always looking for new instructors to offer unique courses. One of the best resources is the professors currently teaching at the local university. SSC has a great course being offered during the spring semester. Dr. Gerard NeCastro, professor at the University of Maine Machias, is using his personal time to offer a course on medieval and Renaissance art. Dr. NeCastro has been teaching humanities with a strong emphasis on art history for over 20 years. Of the ten courses SSC is offering this semester, this course generated the most enrollees with an overflow crowd. In fact, the course was moved to a larger room to accommodate the extra students. Read more about Dr. NeCastro's innovative means of teaching this course. 

 

-submitted by Gail Peters for Sunrise Senior College

 

PVSC Members Enjoyed Spring Courses in Record Numbers!
Photo of the Hanscoms
Rodney and Judy Hanscom enjoy a performance of the
Hook Organ during a PVSC spring class.

(Photo by Anita Kurth)

Penobscot Valley Senior College (PVSC) provided 15 courses for its members this spring. PVSC also reached a new enrollment high with 261 registrations, compared to 212 registrations last fall. A spring course on the Supreme Court was filled weeks before classes started, with 60 signed up and 13 on the waiting list.

 

PVSC's Curriculum Committee Chair Christina Diebold and the committee worked hard to accomplish the spring offerings. Members could choose from courses on art, climate change, wildlife, nutrition, music, literature, history, and more.

 

One of PVSC's courses featured the Hook Organ at St. John's Catholic Church in Bangor. This organ was built for the church in 1860. Dr. Kevin Birch, Director of Music and Organist at St. John's, provided a brief history of the pipe organ and performances of organ music. The final class will be a field trip to see historic organs in the mid-coast region of Maine.

 

-submitted by Helen Genco for Penobscot Valley Senior College

 

The 2013 Northeast Lifelong Learning Conference

There is still a little bit of time to register for the 2013 Northeast Lifelong Learning conference -- the deadline is April 1. The conference will be hosted by The Second Half Lifelong Learning Institute in New Bedford, MA, from April 19-20.

The theme, Live, Learn, Connect, is the heart of the lifelong learning movement. Workshop topics range from the theoretical to the practical, including the history of the lifelong learning movement, resources for healthy aging, and tools for success in quality LLI programming. Exhibitors and presentations from LLIs throughout the Northeast will provide additional background and networking opportunities. And, OLLI National Resource Center Executive Director Kali Lightfoot will be presenting a workshop, "50 Years and Counting: A National Perspective on the Past, Present, and Future of Lifelong Learning Institutes."

You may view the conference brochure online, and additional information about attending the conference is available at this link.
Create A Dawn Chorus At Your Senior College
Photo of a Dawn Chorus

We received an email from an organization in Ireland announcing the Dawn Chorus project. This looks like it would be really fun for you to do as a Senior College event, whether or not you already have a singing group in place.
 
Dawn Chorus is a singing project in which older people and choirs learn songs together and sing them at dawn on the last Sunday in May. It's part of the Bealtaine (pronounced BEE-owl-ti-ah) Festival, the largest collaborative arts festival in Ireland and involves more than 100,000 participants and 700 organizations. Dawn Chorus started in 2009 and is one of the core events of the Bealtaine Festival. This year, to mark Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU), the festival organizers are inviting people from all over the world to have their own Dawn Chorus and join the choral event.

The best place to have a Dawn Chorus is outdoors, in an inspiring scenic location, perhaps near water--a lake, a pond, a river, the ocean. It is not a professional concert, but is about celebrating, being part of something, and joining in just for the joy of it. You will find information about how to organize a Dawn Chorus in this pdf. If your Senior College decides to try it, please let us know and please take pictures!  (Note to late sleepers: while this is a morning event, it does not have to be held at dawn!)

 

The Poet's Corner 
 
A Rake's Progress 

 

I woke in darkness

A six foot stick of ash

Topped by a spread out bunch of bamboo slats.

Why was I created?

I am moving into daylight

Turned over so my slats will touch the ground.

Angled, they flex.

Moved, they stay in contact with the ground.

Is this my purpose?

I am lifted,

Moved again against the ground.

Lift and move, lift and move

And carry fallen leaves and sticks across the grass.

How well my movements are controlled!

What power guides me?

Can I know?

 

-by Eric Jensen, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at University of Southern Maine 

 
Like MSCN on Facebook

Facebook logo Now you can "like" Maine Senior College Network on Facebook. We've created an MSCN page on Facebook, so please visit it to share experiences, ideas, photos, and information about upcoming Maine Senior College happenings. We'll also post links to articles about lifelong learning and other topics relevant to senior college members.

 

In This Issue
Maine Newspaper Seeks MSCN Members' Experiences for Series
MSCN 2013 Photo Competition
CSC Hosts Author Colin Woodard
History Will Come Alive at L-A's Food For Thought
OLLI at USM Presents "Climate Reality"
Senior College at Bridgton Announces Spring Course Line-up
Study Spanish in Historic Cuenca, Ecuador
School of Athens, or is This Sunrise Senior College?
PVSC Members Enjoyed Spring Courses in Record Numbers
The 2013 Northeast Lifelong Learning Conference
Featured Article
Featured Article
Don't forget to go to the Maine Senior College Network website to find out what is happening around the state!

Maine Senior College Network 
Maine Senior College Network
Links

Acadia Senior College

Augusta Senior College
 
Coastal Senior College

Downeast Senior College

Gold LEAF Institute

LEARN

Lewiston-Auburn Senior College

Midcoast Senior College

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

Penobscot Valley Senior College

SAGE at UMPI

Senior College at Belfast


St. John Valley Senior College

Sunrise Senior College 
 
Western Mountains Senior College

York County Senior College
The Maine Senior College Network Display Boards are available to any senior college that would like to borrow them. For more information, check out the link below.

 
 
Maine Senior Guide is a comprehensive web resource about all things senior that provides "one stop shopping" for Maine's seniors at the link below: 

    
About Us
Maine Senior College Network
P.O. Box 9300
Portland, Maine 04104-9300
(207)780-4128
(207)780-4317 (fax)
 
Kali Lightfoot
Executive Director
 
Anne Cardale
Director of Communication 
Director of Conferences
[email protected]

Kyle Allen
Coordinator
[email protected]
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Submissions
Please submit your articles and photographs to Kyle Allen at [email protected]




Deadline:  Third week of each month for the following month's edition