ALL contact information

The ALL office at Cape Cod Community College is open from

9 a.m.–3 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Feel free to contact us:

Email: lifelonglearning@capecod.edu

Telephone: 774-330-4400 (please leave a message)

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Early March 19, I walked quietly from my home in Sandwich to the Hyannis Rotary for the midday protest. On my backpack was a placard: “Don’t Silence Science.” (I don’t see the wisdom of terminating employment for thousands of scientists, and the deletion of vast databases of climate data.)

It took me five hours to walk those 16 miles, and I was rewarded with a pleasing view of Route 6A up close. Amazingly, there was almost no litter to be found. Flowers were abundant, and in the early morning you could hear birdsong between the occasional auto.

It was an ideal time to reflect on how I came to be at that particular instant. I thought of the Big Bang, and the creation of the elements in the supernova of long-dead stars. I thought of our Earth forming from space dust 4.6 billion years ago, and the evolution of the first living cells.

I thought of everything I knew about how humans came to be from those first cells, and everything I knew about how our culture and democracy itself evolved. I reflected on this being the 250th anniversary of Paul Revere’s ride, and about the state of the country then and now. Finally, I thought how it was that I could be having these thoughts, and I realized it was all due to lifelong learning. The 24/25 school year has just ended. The sum of what I absorbed this year, either through coordinating or attending ALL classes, covers everything I was thinking about on my walk.

The fact that I was protesting at all, trying to honor the Boy Scout camping mantra of my youth: “Make the place better than you found it,” I also owe to lifelong learning. With that morning hike through this spectacular piece of our verdant planet, I felt a sense of community, of belonging in this, my new home – and once again I felt the presence of ALL connecting me to many of you. I realized it was an honor that I was asked to lead this organization, and how indebted I am to all of you for entrusting me to do that.

At our annual campus meeting on May 19th at 10:00 in the Wilkens Science and Engineering building, the officers and committee chairs will present the highlights of what has been a good year for ALL. You will get a chance to see Brian Haendiges and Joe Dwelly who are candidates for our two open chair positions; their bios are in this issue. They are both outstanding contributors and they will bring new ideas and fresh energy to our board.

However, I regret that owing to term limits, we will lose Dianne Tattersall. Dianne has given enormously of herself, and I am deeply grateful for her services these past many years.

And for the first time in my memory, we will follow the annual meeting with a catered lunch (there is a modest charge), which I think should be a lot of fun. I hope to see you there!

One more thing. This summer, there will be a lot of construction on campus to improve energy efficiency. Construction will commence May 12th and end July 25th. We will be able to attend our annual meeting, but our suite will be closed. Thus during this period, Cynthia, our office administrator, will be on campus only on Wednesdays, at a location to be determined. Otherwise, she will be available through our usual email, lifelonglearning@capecod.edu or our usual phone number, 774-330-4400.

That’s all for now; enjoy the read!

Paul Coteus

ALL President

THE FALL 2025 COURSE PORTAL IS STILL OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS

We are extending the deadline to receive more courses.

Please submit them by Monday, May 5th.

You can find the Fall 2025 Academic Calendar at the beginning of this newsletter.

Henry Tamzarian

Chair, Curriculum Committee

You are invited to attend the

Academy for Lifelong Learning

Annual Meeting

May 19th at 10 a.m.

Wilkens Science and Engineering Center

Lecture Hall (Building 6)

This meeting is open to ALL members. No RSVP required.

This is an in-person only meeting.

 The Annual Meeting will be followed by our First Annual End-of-Year Luncheon for which RSVP and tickets are required.

Please join us!

Our Board of Directors is a working board, not only overseeing but also doing much of the work of ALL. We thank those who are willing to contribute their time, effort and talent to our organization. 

The following individuals have agreed to be candidates for open slots on the ALL Board. 

Brian Haendiges

Brian Haendiges has an extensive background in financial services and insurance and was the CEO of a company. He taught courses for various MBA programs, as well as chess classes at a Lifetime Learning Institute in Virginia.

Brian is a United States Chess Federation expert-ranked player and has taught chess to groups and individuals ranging from age 5 to 86.

He coordinated "Topics Of Interest In Retirement" and "Intermediate Chess" for ALL's Spring 2025 session.

Brian recently retired to Mashpee and is looking forward to continuing to teach and be active at ALL.

Joe Dwelly

For many years, Joe Dwelly has served as coordinator of one of ALL's most popular courses, "Butterflies Across Cape Cod."

In addition to being an active member of ALL, he is a member of the Massachusetts Butterfly Club, a chapter of the North American Butterfly Association (NABA).

He has surveyed for butterflies across Cape Cod since 2011 and has established a database of species and species density.

He has led NABA July counts and field walks and has served as a regional coordinator for the eButterfly database.

Election of board members takes place at the ALL Annual Meeting. Once elected, candidates assume board membership on July 1st.

You're Invited to Our First Annual End-of-Year Luncheon

Join us as we celebrate our accomplishments this year and enjoy some time together before the summer break.

The sign-up deadline is Friday, May 2nd

First Annual End-of-Year Luncheon

Monday, May 19, 2025 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Great Hall Wilkens Science and Engineering Center

(Building 6, on the ground floor)

We've had an incredible year together. This is our chance to relax, reflect and reconnect before we part ways for the summer. We hope to see you there!

There is a charge for this event.

RSVP and a $20 payment ($22 when paid with credit card) are required. You may pay by credit card or register with a check or cash at the front desk on campus.

A link to purchse tickets by credit card follows.

Reflections 2025

Is Launched !

“'Why’ is a query not to be limited to the young. We seniors are curious too.”

From “Senior Puzzle” by Walter Ralston, Reflections 2025.

The highly anticipated launch of Reflections 2025 was a great success.

On Thursday April 24, 2025, an overflow audience was eager to hear authors of this year’s anthology share their works in the Atrium of the Lorusso Building on the campus of Cape Cod Community College.

While sipping coffee and nibbling on home-baked cookies, members of ALL, old and new, listened while seniors shared their responses to "why?" in poems and prose each created from their life experiences, grown wisdom and joy of living.

To those who attended, thank you for joining us.

To all others, you were missed.

The Reflections Team

A link to order your own copy of Reflections follows:

Andrew Heyward, former President of CBS News is a nationally recognized expert on the changing media landscape.

A resident of Chatham, MA and Woodstock, VT, he currently advises local TV stations on digital strategy and video storytelling.

As a senior advisor at MIT’s Center for Constructive Communication, Heyward works at the intersection of journalism and technology, including generative AI. He has also done research on innovation in local television news and on ways to restore trust in journalism.

Heyward will talk about the political, economic and cultural threats facing trustworthy journalism and what we can do to see that it not only survives but thrives.

The Academy for Lifelong Learning of Cape Cod is partnering with the Cape Cod Speaker Series in presenting this program.

There is a charge for this event and tickets are required.

A link to purchase tickets follows.



We recently chatted with Jane Ward, a Cape Cod permaculture expert and ALL Coordinator. Jane and her husband, Steve, conservationists and gardeners, moved to Centerville eight years ago. Since then, they've transformed their Long Pond home and its herring run adjacent land into a thriving, eco-friendly permaculture oasis.

We asked Jane to explain permaculture and how Cape Cod gardeners can embrace its principles. Simply put, permaculture designs self-sustaining garden ecosystems that work in harmony with the local environment. It took several years, with help from local groups like Resilient Roots, for Jane and Steve to design and establish their desired garden.

Jane's garden boasts a diverse collection of fruit trees and berry bushes, planted in beneficial "guilds" with companion plants (such as comfrey) that enrich the soil and deter pests. She also cultivates a substantial herb garden and a variety of edible greens.

Jane highlighted the practice of sheet mulching – using wood chips over cardboard between beds or fruit tree "guilds" – as a key technique. They also create their own nutrient-rich compost from kitchen and yard waste, supplemented with biochar, eliminating the need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

To further enhance sustainability, they've implemented careful water management. Rainwater is collected in barrels, and gutter runoff is strategically directed to keep the ground moist. Even their driveway was redesigned with permeable materials to allow rainwater to soak into the property instead of running off.

Inspired by Jane and Steve's efforts, you may be considering how permaculture's principles can take root in your own garden. From embracing composting and sheet mulching to thoughtfully managing water and planting both native and companion species, even small steps can cultivate a more sustainable and harmonious landscape in our coastal community.

Some recommended resources from Jane follow:

Resilient Roots will help you redesign and transform your landscape: https://www.resroots.org/

The Association to Preserve Cape Cod (APCC) does native plant sales and yard designs: https://apcc.org/our-work/education/native-plant-initiative/ 

Edible Landscapes: https://www.ediblelandscapes.net/

A Great Resource for Native Plants: https://wpgardening.com/

New England Biochar - Bob Wells of Eastham makes the best Biochar Garden mix to help enrich our sandy soil:  https://newenglandbiochar.com/

Hugelkultur (a German horticultural technique relative to raised beds using decaying wood as a base) and engineered bioswales to divert and retain water:  https://ediblecapecod.ediblecommunities.com/food-thought/food-thought-mounding-evidence/

Peg Crawford

Communications Commiteee

Pictures of Steve Waller and Jane Ward's garden by Peg Crawford

We'd like to thank Dr. Mindy Richlen from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) for her April 28th 2025 Zoom presentation on Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs).

Her presentation was both informative and entertaining.

Present in both fresh and ocean waters, different species of HABS create toxins which can cause symptoms in humans ranging from tingling and numbness and GI disorders to severe illness.

They can also threaten the entire food chain including the bivalves, fish and birds and other animals that ingest them.

Here on Cape Cod our ponds and coastlines are affected by HABS. Dr. Richlen provided a link to a series of short videos produced by WHOI entitled "Saving Our Ponds." These videos help explain our local pond issues and possible solutions. This is a topic that impacts all of us who live on Cape Cod,

A link to those excellent videos follows.

Dr. Mindy Richlen is a Senior Research Specialist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), specializing in harmful algal blooms, or HABs. In this position, she fosters collaboration with stakeholders and public health communities to advance HAB research and response efforts. She is also dedicated to community and classroom outreach.

On Monday, March 31, 2025, a concerned and attentive audience filled the Lorusso Atrium to hear Brian Haendiges, a seasoned ALL coordinator, deliver a vital presentation, titled "Scams and Frauds: How To Protect Yourself In A Continually Evolving Space."

Click the following link to view a video of that presentation.

Be sure to check websites for complete information about the event, the time and how to order tickets if needed. Also for rain dates if applicable.

39th Annual Brewster in Bloom. May 2 – 5. Free admission. Variety of events every day. Check out the calendar of events online. Everything from the Brewster Band’s spring concert, an ice cream social, 5 K run, three-day plant giveaway raffle, a two-day craft show, open houses, and of course, flowers! Many more happenings – check the Brewster in Bloom website!

Hyannis Open Streets. May 18, Noon to 4 p.m. Main Street will be closed to automobile traffic. Free. Music, food and giveaways. Check the website for various activities.

Heritage Museums & Gardens Rhododendron Festival. May 16 – 26.

10 a.m. – 5 p.m. $25.00

Concert at the Cape Playhouse. Broadway’s Claybourne Elder: “If the Stars Were Mine." Tickets start at $30. Saturday, May 24, 3 p.m. & 7 p.m.; Sunday at 3 p.m.

Barnstable Comedy Club. Neil Simon's Laughter on the 23^rd Floor.

May 1 – May 18, Friday & Saturday, 7:30 pm; Sunday, 2:30 p.m.

Tickets: $25; $23 for seniors 65+ and students.

Cotuit Center for the Arts. Bob Dylan’s Birthday Bash, Friday, May 23, 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $41 and $45. Buy online or at the box office.

Cape Cod Theater Company. The Marvelous Wonderettes, a jukebox musical comedy: 30 classic hits from the 1950’s & 1960’s. Fridays & Saturdays at 7 p.m.; Sundays 2 p.m. Runs May 23 – June 7.

Cultural Center of Cape Cod. Jazz Jam with Bart Weisman, Sunday, May 18, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Purchase tickets online.

Museum Mondays in May. May 5, 12, & 19. Free admission on Mondays in May to select Cape museums. Check the Cape Cod Museum Trail website for which museums are free on a specific Monday.

Cape Symphony. Sing Us a Song: the Music of Billy Joel, May 17, 3 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.; May 18 at 3 p.m. Barnstable Performing Arts Center. Check website for tickets and prices.

Dianne Tattersall

Is there a friend who would like to know more about ALL?

We now have a 2-minute video that provides an overview of who we are and what we offer. A link to that video follows. It is also on our website. Feel free to share this newsletter and tell your friends to take a look.

A link to the video is at the end of this article.

The ALL Art Gallery exhibits the works of artists' connection to the Cape Cod Academy for Lifelong Learning. The works of Leslie Healy and Christine Radant are currently on display.

The ALL Art Gallery walls are outside classrooms 106 and 115 and change regularly.

Please contact the ALL office if you are interested in exhibiting your art.