Did you know that the earliest known example of a Scottish kilt dates back to the 16th century, when Highlanders began wearing a type of garment known as the "féileadh mòr?" This garment was essentially a large piece of fabric, often woven from tartan wool, that was draped over the body and belted at the waist.

Why not join SSC’s resident kilter Eric Jones as he presents us with a brief history of this iconic Scottish garment, the kilt.  The evolution of kilts will be presented from the belted plaid, or great kilt, to contemporary kilts. Some examples of different kinds of kilts and kilt accessories will be available for you to see first-hand. Eric will lead a discussion of the history and significance of tartans. Contemporary kilt fashion will be presented with a focus on practical aspects of wearing a kilt and you will be shown how to don a belted plaid and have an opportunity to try it out for yourselves if you attend in person. 

Presenter:  Dr. Eric Jones, who is on staff at UM@M, has been wearing kilts for years and is an avid aficionado of kilts and kilt fashion. He has presented kilting to students at UM@M previously in his classes.

Class Information:  This is a hybrid class - held in-person in UM@M’s room TORR 232 and via Zoom.  

All facilities at the University of Maine at Machias (UM@M) are fully handicap compliant.  The facilities used by Sunrise Senior College (SSC) at the college have ramps, elevators and handicap accessible bathrooms.  Our offsite functions and activities have various limitations and restrictions and may not be fully handicap accessible.  SSC will endeavor to identify limitations at these to you in advance.

                                                 IMPORTANT:  See Below

This class is available to all current Maine Senior College (MSCN) Members. The general public not wishing to join Sunrise Senior College at this time may attend this class for a $15.00 fee.

Important: if at this time you are not a current member of Sunrise Senior College (SSC) but are planning to join as a member today, make sure you answer that “Your SSC membership is current” when checking out so that we can properly bill you for this class. 

Sunrise Senior College (SSC) is a membership-based organization. Our SSC members receive special benefits as current members when they register for this course. Any member of another MSCN college is also able to enjoy this course, but may incur some additional charges. If you are a member of the general public, you can take this course but will have to pay additional fees associated with being a non-member. For any attendee that is not a current member of Sunrise Senior College, any materials required for the course are your responsibility. When checking out, please carefully read and answer the questions asked associated with this specific course so that you are charged appropriately for this class. Failure to do this may result in your being cancelled from the course. We hope you enjoy this offering.

Dr. Mark Brown will take us back in time about 3,000 years to a very tumultuous time. During the 12th Century BC, civilization underwent a drastic change that took a century to unfold; 1177 BC is used to define this change due to a very important event, the Collapse of the Late Bronze Age in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean civilization. It also saw the birth of the Early Iron Age.

This class will examine the Late Bronze Age societies, from Mycenaean Greece to Egypt and east to Mesopotamia, and the events that led to the Collapse. Because archaeology is still uncovering data from this period, we will discuss the current thinking on how this region-wide collapse unfolded. We will also examine what arose out of the dust and ashes of the Collapse. 

Were the events of the 12thC BC really a collapse or a rebirth?  During our time travel we will be discussing the Hittite Empire, Egypt’s New Kingdom, Greek Mycenae, Crete Minoa, Assyria, Babylonia, Cyprus, Mitanni Empire, and the city of Ugarit of the Late Bronze Age. We will end with visiting the Early Iron Age Greece, Egypt’s Third Intermediate Era, Phoenicia, Palestine, Israel, Cyprus, Assyria, Babylonia, Carchemish, and Urartu. 

These regions had different trajectories from 1500 to 800 BC. Some were survivors, some adapted, some transformed, some just coped, and some disappeared. Can the modern world learn from these civilizations as we deal with the potential challenges facing us from climate change to pandemics?

Materials presented in this class are based on:

Eric H. Cline, 2021, 1177 BC The Year Civilization Collapsed, revised and updated ISBN-13: 9780691208015.

Eric H. Cline, 2024, After 1177 BC The Survival of Civilizations ISBN-10: 691192138.

Instructor:  Dr. Mark Brown attended the University of Maine in Orono studying Forestry, the University of Idaho in Entomology, and the Pennsylvania State University in Entomology and Ecology with a minor in Statistics. He was a research scientist with the U.S. Dept. Agriculture for 27 years in West Virginia developing non-chemical controls of insect pests on apple and peach orchards. He also taught Environmental Sciences at Hood College in Frederick Maryland. He has taught SSC classes on science, climate change, and insects. He has also taught history classes on the Celts, Anglo-Saxons, and How Societies Deal with Crises based on the works of Jared Diamond. In this class he continues his investigation into how different societies deal with or succumb to crises.

Class Information:  This is a hybrid class - held in-person in UM@M’s room SCI 102 and via Zoom.

All facilities at the University of Maine at Machias (UM@M) are fully handicap compliant.  The facilities used by Sunrise Senior College (SSC) at the college have ramps, elevators and handicap accessible bathrooms.  Our offsite functions and activities have various limitations and restrictions and may not be fully handicap accessible.  SSC will endeavor to identify limitations at these to you in advance.

                                                 IMPORTANT:  See Below

This class is available to all current Maine Senior College (MSCN) Members. The general public not wishing to join Sunrise Senior College at this time may attend this class for a $20.00 fee.

Important:  If at this time you are not a current member of Sunrise Senior College (SSC) but are planning to join as a member today, make sure you answer that “Your SSC membership is current” when checking out so that we can properly bill you for this class. 

Sunrise Senior College (SSC) is a membership-based organization. Our SSC members receive special benefits as current members when they register for this course. Any member of another MSCN college is also able to enjoy this course, but may incur some additional charges. If you are a member of the general public, you can take this course but will have to pay additional fees associated with being a non-member. For any attendee that is not a current member of Sunrise Senior College, any materials required for the course are your responsibility. When checking out, please carefully read and answer the questions asked associated with this specific course so that you are charged appropriately for this class. Failure to do this may result in your being cancelled from the course. We hope you enjoy this offering.

Did you miss this class the first time? Well, here is your second chance! For those that did take this class last fall, here is a chance to learn additional tips and skills in a second class. Have you always wanted to knit but don't think you are coordinated enough or have the dexterity to do it? Do you find that knitting with needles is hard on your hands? Whether you already know how to knit or are new to knitting, this is the way to go. Why not join in the fun as our own SSC in-house knitter Suzie O’Clair teaches us how to knit a slouchy hat and/or a scarf using a round loom. It is quick and easy and can be done anywhere. During these classes you will learn multiple patterns and techniques. This class is perfect for newbies and more experienced knitters and will be held in the warm cozy knitting atmosphere of Machias’ own “Woolez of Maine.” This class is being repeated due to popular demand so sign up early.

Instructor: Suzie O'Clair has been very interested in all kinds of artistic venues: weaving, enameling, sandblasting, fabric arts and working with wood. She has always wanted to learn to crochet or knit and after finding knitting on the round and long looms, realized that the ease of working with this type of knitting can be done by people of all ages.

Class Information: This is an in person only class - held at Wooleez of Maine, 4 Colonial Way #1, Machias, ME. 

All facilities at the University of Maine at Machias (UM@M) are fully handicap compliant.  The facilities used by Sunrise Senior College (SSC) at the college have ramps, elevators and handicap accessible bathrooms.  Our offsite functions and activities have various limitations and restrictions and may not be fully handicap accessible.  SSC will endeavor to identify limitations at these to you in advance.

                                                 IMPORTANT:  See Below 

This is a fee-based class and for this class only, Sunrise Senior College (SSC) will be purchasing the materials for all the students.  MSCN and Non-Members will be charged $25.00 for the materials.

Important:  If at this time you are not a current member of Sunrise Senior College (SSC) but are planning to join as a member today, make sure you answer that “Your SSC membership is current” when checking out so that we can properly bill you for this class. 

Sunrise Senior College (SSC) is a membership-based organization. Our SSC members receive special benefits as current members when they register for this course. Any member of another MSCN college is also able to enjoy this course, but may incur some additional charges. If you are a member of the general public, you can take this course but will have to pay additional fees associated with being a non-member. For any attendee that is not a current member of Sunrise Senior College, the materials required for the course are your responsibility. When checking out, please carefully read and answer the questions asked associated with this specific course so that you are charged appropriately for this class. Failure to do this may result in your being cancelled from the course. We hope you enjoy this offering. 

Why not join Thiela Schnaufer, our resident Latin educator as she continues to discuss the brilliance of the writing of the Aeneid and its author Virgil. The class will begin with a brief review of the Aeneid and Virgil that she discussed last fall and then continue on with the story using Book V.  In Book VI we will look at the plot and the nuances of the journey of Aeneas to the underworld. This part of the Aeneid had an especially large influence on the art and literature of the following centuries. Thiela’s unique talents have brought this story to life to the delight of Sunrise Senior College. If you missed the fall presentation no worries, you can pick up here and no miss a beat. Don’t miss this chance to enjoy a great story.

Instructor:  Thiela Schnaufer received a BA in Latin and an MA in Classics from the University of Georgia. She has taught in a wide variety of educational institutions in Georgia and South Carolina. She also received numerous awards including Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi from the University of Georgia. Her experience with professional education societies is deep and she has publications in New England Journals dealing with Classic education. She has also taught a number of classes for SSC.

Class Information:  This is a hybrid class - held in-person in UM@M’s room SCI 102 and via Zoom.

All facilities at the University of Maine at Machias (UM@M) are fully handicap compliant.  The facilities used by Sunrise Senior College (SSC) at the college have ramps, elevators and handicap accessible bathrooms.  Our offsite functions and activities have various limitations and restrictions and may not be fully handicap accessible.  SSC will endeavor to identify limitations at these to you in advance.

                                                   IMPORTANT:  See Below

This class is available to all current Maine Senior College (MSCN) Members. The general public not wishing to join Sunrise Senior College at this time may attend this class for a $20.00 fee.

Important:  If at this time you are not a current member of Sunrise Senior College (SSC) but are planning to join as a member today, make sure you answer that “Your SSC membership is current” when checking out so that we can properly bill you for this class. 

Sunrise Senior College (SSC) is a membership-based organization. Our SSC members receive special benefits as current members when they register for this course. Any member of another MSCN college is also able to enjoy this course, but may incur some additional charges. If you are a member of the general public, you can take this course but will have to pay additional fees associated with being a non-member. For any attendee that is not a current member of Sunrise Senior College, any materials required for the course are your responsibility. When checking out, please carefully read and answer the questions asked associated with this specific course so that you are charged appropriately for this class. Failure to do this may result in your being cancelled from the course. We hope you enjoy this offering.

“The secret to happiness is freedom and the secret to freedom is a brave heart.” So said the great Pericles when honoring some of the dead during the Peloponnesian wars.

With the lack of leadership that seems endemic in the world today, it is more important than ever to understand the critical elements of effective leadership. Why not join Dr. Annabel Beerel as she discusses her journey and her personal hunt for courage and how, instead of finding courage, she found rampant corruption. She will discuss the information gathered and the background research that underpins her book on courage and leadership. Dr. Beerel will talk about the process of doing this research - what went into the surveys she created and what she learned in the interviews she held with twenty CEOs and senior executives. She will also discuss her interviews with independent journalists who have written about the current state we are in and how that helped form her ideas.  

In writing her book, Dr. Beerel says that Courage lies at the heart of leadership. Leaders need courage to make wise decisions, not self-interested ones. They need to be able to set aside their egos, to feel vulnerable, to face challenges, yet remain principled and hold the course. This book presents many suggestions on how to make a real difference in organizations, and explains how one can develop the courage to be an effective leader, step by step. Courage, we learn, is the foundation of happiness yet sadly, she found, it is greatly lacking in our rat-race, materialistic world. What she discusses applies to our governments as well as the leaders of the businesses and non-profits we depend on as we live our daily lives.

She will tell us about the hallmark of courageous action and how, although we have lost our sense of virtue and principles, we can find them again and cultivate them afresh to help us realize the happiness we all long for. 

Instructor: Dr. Annabel Beerel is a Leadership and Change Management Executive. Annabel has worked with multinationals, educational and non-profit organizations. She has been a Corporate Financier and Investment Banker in the City of London where she was actively engaged in business analysis, fund raising, merger and acquisitions and strategic planning. She founded and ran a highly successful international business in Artificial Intelligence. Annabel has held a Chair in Ethics and was an Interim Dean at Wellesley College in MA. In 2009, Annabel was the founder and President & CEO of the New England Women’s Leadership Institute, an organization that helps women advance in their careers and advises on organizational leadership capacity building.

Annabel holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Religion and Ethics, a Masters Degree in Creative Writing, a Masters Degree in Transformational Psychology, a Masters Degree in Theology, and has pursued Advanced Leadership Training at the J.F. Kennedy School of Management at Harvard University. Annabel holds an MBA with a focus on Corporate Finance and Strategic Management. She is also a qualified accountant, a certified Transpersonal leadership coach, a certified meditation instructor, and a certified spiritual counselor and grief counselor.

Recommended Reading: 

BOOK TITLE:        COURAGE: THE HEART OF LEADERSHIP

AUTHOR:              BY ANNABEL BEEREL

ISBN:                   _ISBN 10 -_ 103260560X

Class Information:  This is a hybrid class - held in-person in UM@M’s room SCI 102 and via Zoom.

All facilities at the University of Maine at Machias (UM@M) are fully handicap compliant.  The facilities used by Sunrise Senior College (SSC) at the college have ramps, elevators and handicap accessible bathrooms.  Our offsite functions and activities have various limitations and restrictions and may not be fully handicap accessible.  SSC will endeavor to identify limitations at these to you in advance.

                                                 IMPORTANT:  See Below

This class is available to all current Maine Senior College (MSCN) Members. The general public not wishing to join Sunrise Senior College at this time may attend this class for a $20.00 fee.

Important:  If at this time you are not a current member of Sunrise Senior College (SSC) but are planning to join as a member today, make sure you answer that “Your SSC membership is current” when checking out so that we can properly bill you for this class. 

Sunrise Senior College (SSC) is a membership-based organization. Our SSC members receive special benefits as current members when they register for this course. Any member of another MSCN college is also able to enjoy this course, but may incur some additional charges. If you are a member of the general public, you can take this course but will have to pay additional fees associated with being a non-member. For any attendee that is not a current member of Sunrise Senior College, any materials required for the course are your responsibility. When checking out, please carefully read and answer the questions asked associated with this specific course so that you are charged appropriately for this class. Failure to do this may result in your being cancelled from the course. We hope you enjoy this offering.

Come join Gordon Smith, Director of Opioid Response for the State of Maine, as he provides Sunrise Senior College with an important update, particularly as it relates to Washington County, on the work being done with Governor Mills’ Opioid Response Strategic Action Plan that was originally presented to Sunrise Senior college in June of 2023.

When Gordon spoke with us at that time, an estimated 716 Mainers had died from drug overdoses in 2022. This year as of October 2024, Maine has had 393 deaths with 15 of those occurring in Washington County. He will discuss how this plan has made a difference in what Opioids are doing to our county and how effective the Opioid Response Strategic Action Plan has been. Attorney Smith will engage the group in an interactive session of the issues, discussing what has gone well and what remains to be done as Maine continues to work to reduce the number of drug overdoses and deaths. His responses will be tailored to issues we are facing here in Washington County. 

Presenter:  Gordon H. Smith, Esq. is the state’s Director of Opioid Response. Gordon H. Smith, Esq. was appointed by Governor Janet Mills as Director of Opioid Response in January 2019. He is responsible for coordinating and directing Maine’s response to the opioid crisis, including prescriber education and reduction of opioid prescribing, prevention and treatment of substance use disorder, and harm reduction strategies. He stepped down as the Executive Vice President (EVP) of the Maine Medical Association in January 2019, where he had served as its EVP since September 1993 and where he began as General Counsel in 1981. He graduated from the University of Maine with the highest distinction in 1973 and from the Boston College Law School, magna cum laude, in 1976. He is a past Chairman of the American Society of State Medical Association Counsel, a nationwide group of 140 attorneys representing medical associations. Mr. Smith has also served as Chairman of the American Medical Association/State Medical Society Litigation Center, the Maine Health Data Organization and the Advocacy Resource Center of the American Medical Association. He is a former board member and chair of Quality Counts, a former board member of the Daniel Hanley Center for Health Leadership, and the Maine Association of Area Agencieson Aging. Mr. Smith is a frequent lecturer to medical groups on various medical legal subjects.

Class Information:  This is a hybrid class - held in-person in UM@M’s room SCI 102 and via Zoom.         

All facilities at the University of Maine at Machias (UM@M) are fully handicap compliant.  The facilities used by Sunrise Senior College (SSC) at the college have ramps, elevators and handicap accessible bathrooms.  Our offsite functions and activities have various limitations and restrictions and may not be fully handicap accessible.  SSC will endeavor to identify limitations at these to you in advance.

                                                IMPORTANT:  See Below

This class is being offered Free and Open to the public.

                                                                   IMPORTANT  

When you are checking out, please make sure that you select the option “My SSC Membership is Current” when answering the question about your membership status - otherwise you will be overcharged for this.

                                                           MEMBERSHIP POLICY

This membership covers June 1st, 2024, to May 31st, 2025.  SSC Members must have a valid membership entry on your file to enjoy the full benefits of our Summer-Fall 2024 and Winter-Spring 2025 programs that take place during this period. You should select your 2024- 2025 membership one time as part of registering for your first class in this new year.  If you need to apply for a scholarship to cover your membership fees, this is done using a separate application which is located on the SSC website.  Your request must be reviewed and processed by the Scholarship committee before registering for any classes.

If you are not sure what your current membership status is, before registering for this please contact SSC at sunriseseniorcollege@maine.edu or call 207-255-1384 and leave a message – we will get back to you.

Sunrise Senior College wishes to thank you for your tax-exempt donation.  Your generosity enables us to continue providing the programs and activities that are so vital to our community.  In accordance with IRS regulations, we acknowledge that no goods or services were received in exchange for this gift.  Please save this email for your tax records.  

Thank you.

Susan O'Clair 

Treasurer, Sunrise Senior College