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Welcome to Your February Newsletter!
 Anyone who says there is nothing to do in the winter in Maine should take a look at this February Senior College Newsletter! It is rich with options for learning and doing and socializing.
I was pleased to see so many Senior College members at the January 17 Summit on Aging. I know there were some others of you who tried to attend, but the event, held at the Augusta Civic Center, was sold out. Aimed at raising awareness of positive steps the state can take to make Maine an aging-friendly state, and counteract the gloom and doom that so often accompanies news that we are the "oldest state in the union," the program included good speakers on a variety of topics. We also had the opportunity to wrestle with issues ourselves in smaller discussion sessions. There was some interest in making the Summit an annual event. Some of the discussions created action steps, so hopefully we will start to see interesting things happening across the state.
Stay warm!
Sincerely,
Kali Lightfoot
Executive Director
Maine Senior College Network
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MSCN Poet Laureate Contest Winner Announced
We are pleased to announce that this year's MSCN Poet Laureate Contest winner is Bob Pring of Midcoast Senior College.
Bob attended Penn State in the 60's and earned a BA in English and an MA in Philosophy, before moving on to the Mohawk Valley in New York State. There he taught courses in philosophy and world religions at Herkimer College from 1969 to 2005. He earned a PhD in Philosophy of Education at the University at Albany and taught courses in the philosophy of education in the graduate school from 1985 to 1994.
In 2007, he moved to Phippsburg, Maine, with his partner, Pat, who works in the Maine Community College system. He has taught courses on Socrates, Plato, and Montaigne at the Midcoast Senior College in Bath, where he has also been active as a student. It was there that he renewed his youthful interest in writing poetry, in classes taught by Gary Lawless.
Besides his interests in literature and philosophy, he is an avid birder, gardener and hiker. (The pond described in Benediction is along the Zealand Road in the White Mountains.)
Click here to read the winning poem!
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Meaning to Be an Educator
 | Paul Kando, member and instructor at Coastal Senior College.
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"I was teaching in one of the universities while the country was suffering from a severe famine. People were dying of hunger, and I felt very helpless. As an economist, I had no tool in my tool box to fix that kind of situation", relates Professor Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Laureate founder of Grameen Bank and over sixty social business enterprises, each designed to meet a specific unmet need - hunger, malnutrition, lack of decent shoes, lack of credit and so on. His greatest challenge, he says, was not finding the money. It "has been to change the mindset of people. Mindsets play strange tricks on us. We see things the way our minds have instructed our eyes to see".
Indeed, in our stuff-and-money-oriented economy and society, which reduces us to "consumers" - i.e. to a function - it is easy to forget about our personhood; that what is important about us is not how much we earn or consume but that we are people. As an educator, I often ask myself if I am guilty of falling in line. Am I a mere supplier of knowledge? Are those who attend my classes mere consumers of it?
Preparing for every senior college class is an opportunity to wrestle with such questions and make the most of the answers. To educate means more than "to teach". It also means "to rear", "to bring up", "to foster" i.e. "to help grow". If a senior college allows me to be an educator, then the least I can do is to help my students grow, not just in their knowledge, understanding and enjoyment of the world but also as persons. Click here to read more.
submitted by - Paul Kando, Coastal
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Winter Session at Bridgton
Everything from Exercise to Excavation was on tap for the winter session of Senior College at Bridgton. Beginning on Monday, January 20, single two-hour classes were held on Mondays and Thursdays for four weeks. Open to everyone over age 50, the classes are free to Senior College members and cost only $5.00 per class for nonmembers.
Classes include viewing and discussion of the 1930s comedy, "Dinner at Eight," an overview of the exploration of Fort Shirley, exercise for seniors, a recollection of poet Seamus Heaney, the ins and outs of self-publishing, a discussion of town planning, and a session on forensic archaeology.
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Music With Marge at Coastal
"Can't we find anyone to teach a music course?" "Students want music classes. What can we do about that?" "Isn't there a musician we can recruit?" Such were the questions that floated around curriculum committee meetings in the early years of CSC. So when an instructor who had previously co-taught a women's art history class volunteered to offer a music class, her offer was immediately accepted. Thus began a long and rewarding relationship between CSC and Marge Roberts.
Marge's educational background included studies in literature and the history of women artists. But her avocation had been music. As the mother or four children, she found great escape and enjoyment returning to the piano after years away from playing. Not only did she take piano lessons, but she also began playing the recorder and the viola da gamba. She jokes that when she was practicing, "all the doors to the kids rooms were shut." Read more about Marge and her Coastal Senior College courses.
submitted by - David Bailey, Coastal
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Augusta Offers Brown Bag Series and Concerts at Jewett
Augusta Senior College is pleased to offer their Brown Bag Series and the Concerts at Jewett Series. The Brown Bag Series starts in January and runs through the end of February with events each week. The Concerts at Jewett Series started in October and runs through May. All offerings are open to the public. submitted by - Bev Ludden, Augusta |
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Joshua Kennison, Paralympic Medalist, to Speak at Lewiston-Auburn's "Food For Thought"
USM Lewiston-Auburn Senior College is pleased and honored to present Joshua Kennison of the Oxford-Norway area, a para-athlete, winner of several Paralympic Medals, who will be the featured speaker at the "Food for Thought" 11:30 luncheon on Friday, February 14, in Function Room 170. Josh, as he is known by his family and legion of friends, will speak about his extraordinary life and how he overcame his many congenital anomalies: born without a tongue, a partial jaw, arms that stopped at his elbows, and without feet, with a positive and determined philosophy and became a Paralympic Champion. To read more about Josh click here.  | Josh Kennison, a para-athlete and winner of several Paralympic medals, is the featured speaker at Lewiston-Auburn February "Food for Thought" gathering.
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Senior College, now in its 15th year, presents the monthly 11:30 luncheon program in the Function Room 170 at USM LAC. The cost, which includes lunch, is $7 with advance reservation or $8 at the door. Reservations must be made by noon on Thursday, February 13, by calling 753-6510. Any late callers will be considered "at the door." submitted by - Rachel Morin, Lewiston-Auburn |
Sunrise Senior College Enjoys A Ragtime Concert
Members of Sunrise Senior College had a special treat in November. Masanobu Ikemiya, a renowned ragtime pianist presented "Joy of Ragtime", which included a fascinating presentation on the history of ragtime music and an enthusiastic performance of many rags. Mr. Ikemiya was assisted by his wife, Tomoko Ikemiya and University of Maine at Machias Professor Gene Nichols, a musicologist. Our group was joined by members of one of Professor Nichols' classes so the event was truly intergenerational!
Mr. Ikemiya is the founder and conductor of the New York Ragtime Orchestra and the founder of the Arcady Music festival where he was the artistic director for 24 years. Professor Nichols was once a member of the New York Ragtime Orchestra so he a
nd Mr. Ikemiya have worked together before. Mr. Ikemiya now lives in the Bar Harbor area and performs regular volunteer concerts at nursing homes, dementia facilities, hospice facilities, jails, and homeless shelters.
All of us who were fortunate enough to be members of the audience had a wonderful and uplifting experience. We are grateful to Mr. Ikemiya for sharing his knowledge and talent with us and other community organizations and would love to have him back.
submitted by - Jackie Lowe, Sunrise
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Gold LEAF Tours Local High School's Expansion  Gold Leaf Board and guests tour the $64 million renovation at Mt. Blue High School.
The new $64 million Mt. Blue Campus, which houses Mt. Blue High School and the Foster Technology Center in Farmington, was the focal point of a tour given to members of the Gold LEAF Institute from the University of Maine at Farmington on Friday, Jan. 24. The hour and a half walk through ended with a tour of the Chef's Table culinary arts kitchen and a meal prepared by the students. After the meal a short Board meeting, led by Myrna Vallette, was held in the cafe, with Board members and guests in attendance.
What an amazing building! This ground-breaking project was designed to integrate the academic and the career and technology path students and courses and provide the latest in technology and learning features to future generations.
The tour was led by Foster Tech Director Glen Kapiloff, whose pride in his school showed as he took us to many classrooms, labs, a new gym with a public address system that exceeds the clarity of the Cumberland Civic Center, a 500-seat auditorium and a smaller 150-seat venue.
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LA Announces 2014 Board of Directors Members
USM's Lewiston Auburn Senior College Board of Directors for 2014 are (seated) Karen Bernier, Vice-Chair; Rose Goodwin, Patricia Vampatella, Chair; Cynthia Peters, Rachel Morin; (standing) Anita Poulin, Joanne Sabourin, Edith Jordan, Claire Small, Crystal Ward, Lincoln Ladd, Paul Robinson, Elinor Goldblatt, Hugh Keene, Marnie Field. (absent- Sandi Croft, Liaison)
submitted by - Rachel Morin, Lewiston-Auburn
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News From Here and ThereSingers Wanted!
Did you sing in your high school or college choir but haven't really sung much in a group since? Do you love to sing in the shower and wish you had a group to share your talents? Do you love to sing and would be interested in performing for others in the community? Do you love to have fun?
A new chorus being formed in Yarmouth may be just for you! Yarmouth Community Services is handling the registrations so just give them a call at 846-2406. *You don't have to be a "super singer" to participate but enthusiasm is greatly encouraged! They are also looking for instrumentalist to be part of the ensemble. See flyer for additional details.
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Like MSCN on Facebook
 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. |
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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 |
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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.
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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:
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About Us
Maine Senior College Network
P.O. Box 9300
Portland, Maine 04104-9300
(207)228-8256
(207)780-4317 (fax)
Kali Lightfoot
Executive Director
Anne Cardale
Director of Communication
Director of Conferences
fmyers@usm.maine.edu
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