FEBRUARY 2024

Winterim February 2024

Newsletter

Image courtesy of Emily Kohl in the Themes and Trends in Photography class.

WINTERIM IS IN FULL SWING

(WITH SPRING WAITING IN THE WINGS)

We are winding down a very successful WINTERIM session. We have hosted thirteen courses on a large variety of topics with 159 registered students. Classes are being held in four locations plus on ZOOM.

We are in the process of planning even more classes for the Spring 2024 session. We expect to have a number of old favorite classes and teachers plus some new and different topics and takes. Look for the new roster to become available in early March.

MEET OUR PEOPLE

TALKING WITH TEACHERS, STUDENTS AND VOLUNTEERS

IN THIS ISSUE: GLORIA YOUNG

We’re delighted to feature one of our members who is in her 90’s. We know she’s not the only one—still curious, always learning, and eager to take yet another class. What an inspiration for all!

What is your role with Senior College?

I’ve been a Senior College student from the very start [2001--23 years ago!]

What keeps you coming back?

My love of learning, the classes, the people …

What are your favorite classes?

I’ve liked many but one in particular rises to the very top. I don’t remember the name of the class or the teacher but it was about wine education. The teacher had lived in France and brought pictures of the provinces where wine was made. He brought the wine to the class and students brought cheese and crackers! I’ve also always loved the music classes. I loved a recent one taught by Peter Reilly about the Broadway play, Hamilton. Right now, I’m taking Themes & Trends in Photography (taught by Jim Kosinski) for the third time because I’m enjoying it so much. The flavor of learning is so exciting to me. There’s nothing I love more than learning new things. I can feel my brain growing.

How long have you been in Belfast?

About 40ish years. My husband had a large antique shop in Chicago and we moved here to be closer to his family in New England. So we set up an antique store here.

How do you keep your brain synapses firing?

I used to play bridge every day. Now I read a lot, talk to people, take Senior College courses.

What are your hopes & fears for Senior College?

I hope it keeps offering such a variety of courses over a variety of days. Of all the courses I’ve taken (1 or 2 every semester), I’ve only had one that I didn’t enjoy.

Name three things you’re most curious about.

Life, death and what’s in between.

* FREE CLASS *

BECOME A CLASS ASSISTANT AND TAKE THAT COURSE FOR FREE

WILL YOU LEND A HAND?

You can help Senior College to achieve its mission by becoming a Class Assistant. If you see a class you’d like to take, you can take it for FREE if you sign up to be the Class Assistant. The assistant for a course will perform some basic class functions, such as communicating with the class instructor, providing class rosters to the instructor, and potentially communicating with class members for the instructor. The assistant will attend each session of the class, arrive a half-hour early on the day of each class, help the instructor with any display or audio-video needs (with training provided if needed by Senior College), and help with classroom/chair arrangements.

The best part is that you can help Senior College and its members while enjoying a free class! If you are willing serve as a class assistant during an occasional semester, please contact the Curriculum Committee at: curriculum_chair@belfastseniorcollege.org.

MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT

WE HAVE HIRED A PROGRAM ASSISTANT

Senior College is delighted to announce that we have hired a Program Assistant. Misty Mallar assumed this new position in mid-January. She serves as Senior College registrar and will assist the Senior College committees in a variety of ways. She has already proved a whiz with our software systems!

A lifelong Mainer, Misty grew up in Lincoln and worked in Portland at a website design firm before relocating to the midcoast twelve years ago. She and her husband have a 17 acre homestead in Belfast where they grow pollinator-friendly perennials, vegetables, fruit trees, elderberries and more. Together they operate a small seasonal nursery, Seaberry Hill Farm.

You may recognize Misty from her many years at Nautilus Seafood & Grill, hosting and helping grow their marketing and online community. She may also be a familiar face from her work on the Belfast Free Library's recent "All of Belfast: Climate Dialogues" project, helping to normalize conversations around climate change.

Please help us welcome Misty. You can contact her with any questions at misty@belfastseniorcollege.org or leave a message at 207 707-6010. Elisabeth Pollock will continue to provide us with her excellent support in the office on Thursdays.

SENIOR COLLEGE BY THE NUMBERS

HOW MANY CLASSES AND STUDENTS DO WE HAVE THESE DAYS

WE'RE LISTENING

HOW OLD ARE YOU? NO, HOW OLD ARE YOU REALLY?

One of the great benefits of Senior College is that learning new things keeps us feeling young. Our poll this month asks you about your physical age (within a range) AND how old you feel inside. This question was sparked by an article in the Atlantic last year, THE PUZZLING GAP BETWEEN HOW OLD YOU ARE AND HOW OLD YOU THINK YOU ARE. HINT: we often think we are much younger than we are. To read the article, click here.

Please click the button below to answer our poll questions. Your answers are completely anonymous and you should only fill out the form once. We will let you know what we found out about you in our next newsletter.

TAKE OUR POLL

LOOKING FORWARD . . .

COMING UP TO DO: In the Spring timeframe we will be organizing outside activities for our members and the general community and conducting our next class session.

We are planning a trip to the University of Maine Planetarium on March 14, 2024. This will be prior to the upcoming total solar eclipse in April. Watch for an invitation to register for the outing coming to you in mid-February.
Our Spring 2024 session will commence the last week of March. Watch for information about all the courses to be on our website in early March, followed soon thereafter by registration becoming available.
Check our web page and our future newsletters for more information.