SSI FALL TERM CLASS DESCRIPTIONS  2023

 
                    September 2023 CLASSES

​NOTES:
● Weekly classes (one per week at each location) will be in-person (unless otherwise noted) at:
    o PCC CLIMB Center (CLIMB): 1626 SE Water Ave., Portland; pay for parking.
    o Neighborhood House (NHH): 7688 SW Capitol Hwy, Portland; free parking but limited.
    o PCC Willow Creek (WC) Campus, 241 SW Edgeway Dr, Hillsboro; free ample parking.
● For classes noted as “in-person & by Zoom,” the Zoom access information, as well as any
    unforeseen changes, will be announced in the weekly email newsletter prior to the class.
● Please wear your name tag to all in-person classes; be sure to fill out the medical information on
    the reverse side.
● Wearing a mask is optional at any of the locations. 
                        
                                                                      
Week of September 11
 
Monday Sept. 11 — 10 am - Noon
Title:  Curiosity Café: The Alder Commons Community
Presenter:  Rachel Munzig, Alder Commons
Location:  Zoom only
Class description:  This presentation will be about the origin and status of Alder Commons. This important and cutting-edge community resource is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community space where kids and adults alike attend workshops and classes and spend their time freely. A multigenerational and multicultural community, they practice and promote their Core Values of Self-Determination, Collective Liberation, and Community Support. Discover more about this amazing community resource.
 
Bio:  Rachel is part of the Founding Team for Alder Commons and now works full-time as the Outreach Director where she helps spread the word about the nonprofit, cultivates community partnerships, and supports members daily.
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Tuesday Sept. 12 — 1 - 3 pm
Title:   Ancient Greek Religion
Presenter:  Nick Smith
Location:  CLIMB and on Zoom
Class description:  Greek religion was very unlike what most of us have experienced. In this presentation, I intend to speak about some of the more peculiar aspects of Greek religion--not simply for the sake of exoticism, but so that this aspect of ancient life may be better understood, and thus contextualize some of the more familiar aspects of ancient Greek culture. Topics include cursing rituals, healing religion, prayer, sacrifice, divination, death and the afterlife, Olympian vs. chthonic religion.
 
Bio:  Nicholas D. Smith is the James F. Miller Professor of Humanities (Emeritus) at Lewis & Clark College. His latest works include Summoning Knowledge in Plato's Republic (Oxford University Press 2019) and Socrates on Self-Improvement (Cambridge University Press 2021).
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​Wednesday Sept. 13 — 10 am - Noon
Title:  American Roots Music
Presenter:  James Clem   
Location:  NHH only
Class description:  This LIVE music performance will feature music from early Blues and Country to Rock and Roll. James will be playing instruments including electric and acoustic guitars.
 
Bio: James has over thirty years of playing down-home roots music and has played in about every style of music in this genre. His focus now is a mix of acoustic Delta blues, ragtime, vintage country and swing. He toured Europe in 2016, 2018 and 2019 playing Ireland's National Ukulele Festival and blues guitar gigs in England, Belgium, France, and Holland and will be heading to Europe on tour this October. You can hear his music on Pandora, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon mp3.
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Thursday Sept. 14 — 10 am - Noon
Title:  The Miracle of Bird Migration
Presenter:  Marilyn Ellis
Location:  WC; in person & by Zoom
Class description:  Many birds migrate Spring and Fall, traveling from a few hundred to several thousand miles. When we see a V formation of honking geese, what are we really witnessing? The answer will astonish you. In this program, filled with beautiful images and videos, we will explore this miraculous feat that we call migration.
 
Bio:  Marilyn is an Oregon Master Naturalist and Certified Interpretive Guide with over 25 years of experience in Wildlife Education and Wildlife Rehabilitation. If it's wild and it lives in either Oregon or California, chances are she's raised it, nursed it, trained it, or released it back into the wild.
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Week of September 18  
 
Monday Sept. 18 — 10 am - Noon
Title:  Poetry Reading Fun!
Presenter:  Trina Gaynon, SSI member
Location:  Zoom only
Class description:  Know a lot about poetry? Know nothing about poetry?  Somewhere in-between? There’s a place for you in this very popular class led by Trina Gaynon. We read from a variety of published works. Really FUN!
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Tuesday Sept. 19 — 1 - 3 pm.  
Title:  Victor Herbert: An Irishman, Richard Wagner, and the American Operetta
Presenter:   Gordon Neal Herman
Location:  CLIMB; in person & by Zoom
Class description:  Victor Herbert was a major figure on Broadway with a fascinating life in the early 1900s. He wrote such operettas as Babes in Toyland and Naughty Marietta.  The story of his birth as well as how he came to America could have been the subject of one of his operettas.  His musical training in Germany would seem to make him an unlikely candidate for success in American popular music.  This program will explore his life and how he became such an unlikely success on Broadway.
 
Bio:  As a composer, Gordon has written numerous works in various styles. In 1996, he was part of a national residency in musical theater sponsored by the NEA and has worked on several music theater projects. He has released several CDs of original compositions.  Gordon has been teaching music history since 1981. He was the visiting lecturer in American Music History at the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater in 1984 - 1985 and has taught at University of Idaho, Portland State University, Linfield College, and Marylhurst University. In the 1990s, he was a lecturer for the Elderhostel program, and in the 2000s was part of the Portland, Oregon OASIS program.
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Wednesday Sept. 20 — 10 am - Noon
Title:  Save Money and Fight Climate Change with Government Incentives
Presenter:  Polly Jackson, SSI Member
Location:  NHH only
Class description:  Learn about government rebates and tax credits available to help people electrify their homes, conserve energy, and buy electric vehicles.  These incentives include installing heat pumps, weatherization, electrical upgrades, and rooftop solar.
Check out this calculator: https://www.rewiringamerica.org/app/ira-calculator
We will also look at the future of climate change. How bad will it get and when? What’s the worst-case scenario? The best-case scenario? What can we do as individuals to get to the best-case scenario?
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Thursday Sept. 21 — 10 am - Noon
Title:  Monsters from the Deep
Presenter:  David Lonsdale
Location:  WC; in person & by Zoom
Class description:  The Stories Behind the Big, Glitzy and Bizarre Marine Flora & Fauna that have become legendary ocean monsters. An intriguing traipse through legends and myths behind humanity’s fascination with monsters living in the briny depths of the globe’s oceans. The final part of the program is about 13 currently seen, common marine species, of various shapes and sizes, who all have, what some would consider, monster credentials.
 
Bio:  David has been a leader in public aquariums for over 32 years. He directed aquarium operations, developed exhibits, and oversaw educational programs at the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo; Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium and Duluth (MN) Great Lakes Aquarium. David has taught college level courses in ecology, aquatic biology, and marine biology.
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Week of September 25
 
Monday Sept. 25 — 10 am - Noon
Title:  Curiosity Café - Portland Homelessness Update - a view from the “streets”
Presenter:  Paul Underwood
Location:  Zoom only
Class description:  Over the last 7 years Paul has discussed the houseless crisis in Portland with SSI. We’ve learned a unique perspective on what is actually going on from a "street level" vantage point.  This will be an update with a focus on fentanyl use. Come walk a mile with someone that knows this reality...
 
Bio:  Paul was a very successful home building contractor and entrepreneur who became homeless during the 2008 Great Recession. He has worked for the past decade in the "homeless industrial complex" as a non-profit agency director, volunteer shelter and camp support person, working to sensitize police and jail personnel to the issues faced by the homeless, particularly with a mental illness and/or drug addiction.
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​Tuesday Sept. 26 — 1 - 3 pm
Title:  Behavioral Health & Fraud and Scams
Presenter:   Officer Tony Sparling and Amber Hambrick, Counselor
Location:  CLIMB; in person & by Zoom
Class description:  Part 1: Learn about prevention, detection and what to do in case you are the victim of fraud/scams. The class will include current scams and frauds. Part 2: Often individuals with mental health symptoms can be in a crisis. How do you recognize it in yourself and others? What do you say or not say? Who do you call?
 
Bio:  Officer Sparling is Adult Resource Officer (ARO) of the Lake Oswego Police Department where he has served since 2006. Amber, a Licensed Professional Counselor, works in partnership with Lake Oswego and West Linn police agencies to assess and address behavioral health issues.
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Wednesday Sept. 27 — 10 am - Noon
Title:  Oregon Earthquakes--Are we ready for the next big one?
Presenter:  Scott Burns, PhD 
Location:  CLIMB;
Class description:  A lesson in the state's seismic history and discover what it means and what the future may bring. Recorded Oregon earthquake events date back to 1841, since this time there has been more than 6,000 earthquakes in Oregon, most with a magnitude below three. Portland and its surrounding region is potentially the most seismically active area within Oregon.
 
Bio: Dr. Burns, a Professor at Portland State University, is a popular presenter on seismic and geological topics. A proud Scot related to the poet Robert Burns, he has been a professor for 53 years total, teaching at PSU for the last 33 years. He is involved in many areas of geology in the Pacific Northwest.
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Thursday Sept. 28 — 10 am - Noon
Title:  Writing Workshop: Memoir “I Remember”
Presenter:  Trina Gaynon, SSI Member
Location:  WC; in-person only
Class description:  Two of the most important words in human language are “I Remember.” It is by telling stories and writing memories down that we pass on knowledge and experience. Come explore capturing your memories and sharing them. We will begin to loosen up with the phrase “I remember.” Please bring your preferred medium for writing: paper, pen or pencil, a tablet or laptop. (Clay tablets and a stylus okay too.)
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