Tantramar seniors college offers unbelievable experience

They've taken up gardening and yoga; learned to play tennis and dance the cha-cha; they've become nature explorers and bridge players; and even learned new languages. Seniors in the Tantramar region have enjoyed all these opportunities and more over the past year in a fun 'college' atmosphere - with no homework, no exams and no final grades.
The Tantramar Seniors College, which is about to celebrate its first anniversary, offers a line-up of stimulating and affordable programming to the local 50-and-over crowd.
"What an opportunity," says Hugh MacGregor who, along with his wife, has taken eight courses over the past year through the seniors college.
"We've spent time looking at birds with a world-class birdwatcher, listening to a world-renowned pianist perform, and cooking up all sorts of things," he says. "It's been an unbelievable experience."
The premise of the college, which is modeled on the successful P.E.I. seniors college, is based on peer learning -- where seniors share skills, knowledge and experience with each other through eight-week courses. The classes are taught by local seniors who have expertise in a wide range of areas.
MacGregor and his wife, who hail from Amherst, say the instructors of the courses are "incredible" and offer up a wealth of knowledge in a variety of fields.
"We've certainly learned a lot but, more than anything, we've had a lot of fun," he said.
The instructors, who volunteer their time to teach courses, are also thrilled with the seniors college initiative.
Janet Hammock, a composer and pianist, has a career spanning more than 30 years as a university music professor. But she says nothing compares to the enjoyment she has gotten out of her most recent class with the seniors college - music appreciation.
"It's been the most exciting teaching experience I've had in my life . . . we were all teaching each other," she says.
John Read, president of the Tantramar Seniors College, says the idea behind the project was to broaden people's minds but, more importantly, for seniors to get out and enjoy learning from each other.
"If we learn a little bit as we go, that's fine . . . but the whole idea was to get together and have fun, and I think we've done that," he said during the?group's AGM last week.
The college's first year has been a tremendous success, growing from a field of 10 courses in the first term with 127 registrants to over 24 courses in the current spring session with over 260 registrants. The courses have also expanded into Moncton and Amherst.
"It's incredible what's been achieved this year," he said.
Residents who wish to take part can pay an annual membership of $100 and register for any courses that interest them.
Read said the college is also hoping to host other special events this year beyond the regular courses.
Kudos were given to the board members and instructors who spent their time, energy and money over the past year to provide new learning opportunities to seniors in the community. As well, Read applauded the organizations that provided the college with funding this year.
"We applied for a number of grants and we met with a lot of success," he said.
The TSC received a New Horizons grant from the federal government, funds from the Crake Foundation, as well as grants from Renaissance Sackville, the town of Amherst and the city of Moncton - which were used towards purchasing needed equipment, hiring a part-time coordinator and room rental.