Pathways Institute for Lifelong Learning® members participated in an engaging artistic endeavor during Ms. Nancy Herron’s six session art course!  This extensive course allowed Pathways members to experiment with watercolor materials and techniques to create a landscape and a seashell watercolor scene. 

Nancy Herron is an outstanding artist with experience teaching art in Fresno City Schools, and to home schoolers K-12.  She loves teaching art to children and this course was her first time teaching older adults.  Nancy believes it is important for older adults to continue learning, growing and expanding regardless of age, which they certainly did during this course!

All participants completed the course with outstanding artwork!  For many, it was their first time using watercolors.  Helen Atwood says she enjoyed having room to spread out her materials and look at her painting from a distance.  Furthermore, class members enjoyed learning new techniques from Nancy, such as how to paint ocean waves.  

Whether someone has a great deal of artistic talent or if  this is their first time picking up a pencil or brush, they are most welcome to join Nancy for her sketching course which will be offered in the spring  2012 term through the Pathways Institute.

The Pathways Institute for Lifelong Learning has recently welcomed a new intern for this semester. Her name is Rachel Shenk and she has an update about her first day with Pathways. Enjoy-

September 12, 2011

I felt quite prepared to being my internship with Pathways Institute today. Having already completed much of the preliminary work last spring and summer, I hoped to jump right into this new opportunity.  Since it was my first day, Susan and I spent a majority of the time reviewing my tasks and assignments for the semester, several of which include monitoring classes, writing for the Pathways blog, and connecting with other members of Pathways.  Also, I have my very own laptop and desk space in the Pathways office and look forward to time spent working there.

My major task today was attending a class entitled, “A World in a Drop of Water”. Susan introduced me to the lively room of participants, all of whom made me feel welcomed and comfortable.  Then, I introduced the instructor, Mr. Bob Carey, who is an arborist and a plant expert.

However, his class was not strictly about plants, but rather, an opportunity to learn about the small stream on Messiah Village’s campus, which (I believe) is known as “Spring Run”.  A large portion of the class was spent outside, and after a week of rain, it was a beautiful, warm day.

During class, Mr. Carey showed us a crayfish and two types of blue gill fish caught in a trap he set at a previous time.  We learned about the vegetation and insects surrounding the stream.  Several of us even saw a hummingbird buzz by (which, in my opinion, is always a rare and exciting surprise!).

Mr. Carey encouraged us to spend time by Spring Run in order to appreciate and observe the many plants, insects, critters, and creatures that call it home.  All in all, today we learned that “the drop of water” known as Spring Run serves as a world, right in our backyards, that is open for our very own exploration.

The Pathways Institute spring 2011 term offered many new and exciting learning opportunities and experiences to well over 200 participants!  As the old adage goes, “one picture is worth a thousand words”…

Singing Hymns with the Seiferts

Searching for the Invisible Gorilla

Googling Google!

Experiencing Dills Tavern

Celebrating & Having Fun at the 2011 Pathways Challenge!

“Stay tuned” for information about the upcoming fall 2011 term on the Pathways Institute website:  www.thepathwaysinstitute.org!

You are invited…

To attend a special presentation by Maestro Stuart Malina featuring the music of Brahms!

Please feel welcome to bring a friend to this exciting event which will be followed by a dessert reception.  This is a great way to introduce your friends to the many wonderful opportunities available through the Pathways Institute for Lifelong Learning®.

Maestro Stuart Malina

Monday, May 9, 2011

1:00 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.

Community Room, Messiah Village

Maestro Stuart Malina will give a presentation on the upcoming Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra (HSO) Masterworks concert Brahms Brahms Brahms! including information about the music, concert, and performance by the HSO.  The concert will consist of the following selections conducted by Maestro Malina:

Malina:  Brahms Fan-Fare

Brahms:  Violin Concerto with Odin Rathnam, Violin

Odin Rathnam

Brahms:  Symphony No. 1

Dessert, coffee, and tea will be served following the presentation.

Please RSVP today at 591-7213, we look forward to hearing from you!!

Do warmer temperatures have you thinking of spring cleaning and getting rid of things you don’t need any longer or you’re not going to use?  If so, the Pathways Institute is involved with a special service project making infant gowns and we’d like to tell you what it’s all about.

The Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) distributes newborn kits to hospitals, clinics and refugee camps throughout the world.  Kits are sent to assist mothers in giving their children a good start in such areas as Bosnia, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, North Korea, Serbia, Russia and Ukraine.

Pathways volunteers assemble and sew infant gowns, a critical part of each kit.  So if you have any soft fabric remnants, specifically flannel and bias binding you no longer need, your donations are welcome and can be dropped off at the Pathways Institute office in the Village Commons at Messiah Village.  Please call the Pathways office if you have any questions at 717-591-7213.  Thank you!

While we enjoy this beautiful season of fall with its magnificent foliage, we can also relate to the fascinating stages of human life.  During our childhood and teenage years, we are “tender and green” like new leaves, always learning and having a world of new experiences.

As we move into young adulthood and beyond, like leaves…our natures continue to change in both color and texture.

If we remain open to new experiences and learning throughout life, ultimately we can become something like the richly colored russets, golds, and reds of fall leaves!  These glorious colors can also represent God’s wonderful gifts to us of wisdom, humor, compassion and understanding.

As these qualities are developed and revealed in us, they enrich our own lives as well as the lives of others…and indeed, we reflect the magnificent colors of the fall leaves!

The fall 2010 term of the Pathways Institute for Lifelong Learning® is off to a great start! A special “Kick-off” reception was held on Tuesday, August 3 with Dr. Roger Sider giving an informative and humorous presentation on the benefits of lifelong learning and how to “keep our synapses firing.”

Dr. Roger Sider gives a humorous presentation on the benefits of lifelong learning at the Pathways Fall Kickoff.

Fall 2010 Newsletter

The Pathways Institute is completing its fifth successful year, with 33 new and fascinating lifelong learning opportunities being offered between now and November, and there is indeed something for everyone.   There are many classes still open including the following to name just a few…

• Indian Petroglyphs of the Rocky Mountains
• Basic Astronomy
• British Literature
• The Sistine Chapel and the Art of Michelangelo

So if you’ve not yet checked it out, you can call the Pathways Institute Office at

(717) 591-7213 to request a fall 2010 catalog, or go to the Pathways website at ThePathwaysInstitute.org to learn more and to register!

Do you enjoy “guessing games”?  Well, it seems that most of us do even if we won’t admit it!  From childhood through older adult years, we play everything from “I Spy” to “Charades” to “Pictionary”!  And many of us enjoy TV shows such as “Jeopardy”.  On a more personal note, most of us can probably recall games we played at family reunions and gatherings when we guessed how many peanuts or beans were in a large jar…and sometimes, we even won a prize!

My father loved guessing more than anyone I’ve ever known.  Every day he would come up with more new questions!  When we got home from school, he couldn’t wait to quiz us about current news events, what kind of wild animal he had seen, or who had stopped by the farm that day.  We didn’t receive any prizes, but we certainly laughed and enjoyed those special times.

Did you know that the Pathways Institute for Lifelong Learning® held its first ever “Pathways Challenge” on May 28, 2010?  This event was the ultimate “guessing game”.  Everyone had loads of fun and forgot about their worries for the day!

So if you enjoy learning new things and guessing for fun, please consider signing up for some of the fascinating new Pathways classes this fall…and treat yourself to an enjoyable “challenge”!  To learn more, check out the Pathways Institute website at:  www.thepathwaysinstitute.org or call 717-591-7213.  We look forward to hearing from you soon!

The below pictures are from various Pathways classes offered so far this Spring term:

Mr. Shenk is a professor at Messiah College. He led this Pathways group on a trail highlighting various plants along the way.

This picture was taken during our course on renewable energy.

These ladies are part of the Tabitha’s knitting group. Students from Messiah College join them once a month.

Croquet Your Way’s Steve Fluder teaches residents the rules of the game.

We all enjoy learning new things during life, through personal experiences as well as book knowledge.  The concept of “lifelong learning” has indeed become popular these days as we hear about many adults who attend classes and engage in all kinds of unique experiences (with no tests or papers of course!).  They simply have a desire to learn and be enriched during this significant time of their lives!

The Pathways Institute for Lifelong Learning® offers many outstanding opportunities to learn, engage, and be enriched through classes, trips, cultural events, and service projects!  In fact, two excellent classes were offered including “The Enneagram – What is Your Type?” and “The Making of the Atomic Bomb”.

In her class on the Enneagram, Ms. Nancy Kohlstruk provided a unique opportunity for Pathways participants to learn about their own personalities and understand how they relate to others.  One person commented that the class was “eye opening, and offered another insight into human nature – mine and others”.  Someone else remarked that the “class came at an ideal time in my life and was very informative!”

The class about the Atomic Bomb taught by John Luetzelschwab, Ph.D., provided an opportunity for attendees to learn about the history as well as development of the atomic bomb.  Participants who served in World War II also shared their own personal experiences from this significant period of history, enhancing the learning experience for everyone involved.

The spring 2010 term of the Pathways Institute has many more exciting classes and events to come through May, and we’d love to have you join us!  To learn more, check out our website:  www.thepathwaysinstitute.org or call us at 717-591-7213.  We look forward to hearing from you soon!