PLATO Weekly Update

May 6, 2025

CURRICULUM

SUMMER COURSES
NEW! Registration for Summer Courses is now open! Most will begin the week of June 2 and vary in length from 3-10 weeks. With 14 courses to choose from, including in-person and virtual offerings, something is sure to please! Find the Summer Course Schedule on the Courses webpage and contact the course coordinator to register.

CURRIULUM SHOWCASE
The Curriculum and Diversity Awareness Committees are seeking coordinators for two possible new courses: Classic Films II and Criminal Justice – find descriptions of these potential courses in the Curriculum Showcase.

SPECIAL EVENTS

 THEATER TRIPS

NEW! The Church Basement Ladies in The Last (Potluck) Supper on Thursday, July 10, 2025 at The Fireside Dinner Theater in Fort Atkinson. "It is 1979, the day of the church’s Centennial Celebration, and past parishioners have gathered to share hotdishes, bars, and stories from the last 100 years. As the women work in the kitchen, shared memories burst into life through a series of flashbacks." PLATO is partnering with the Verona Senior Center and UW Retirement Association on this travel opportunity so pick-up locations are different from PLATO's usual trips. The registration deadline is Thursday, May 29. Learn more and register here.

 FIELD TRIPS

Celebrate the advent of summer with the Circus, Stage and Sips Tour on Thursday, June 19, 2025. This Sauk County adventure will include visits to three destinations: Circus World Museum, AL. Ringling Theatre, and Wollersheim Winery! Organized by PLATO, there will be three pick-up stops in Madison: East Towne Sears, Capital Lakes, and Oakwood Village University Woods. The registration deadline is Sunday, June 1, 2025. Learn more and register here.

REMINDER – East Troy Railroad & Yerkes Observatory Tour on Monday, May 12, 2025. Registrants may review event details here.

BREAKFAST GATHERINGS

THIS WEEK! Second Friday Breakfast – enjoy conversation, coffee and breakfast snacks with fellow members on Friday, May 9 at 9:30-11:30am at Lakeside Street Coffee House. A prominent stairway leads to the lower level where our group meets. Guests are welcome, so feel free to bring a friend who may be interested in PLATO! Learn more and RSVP here.

Fourth Friday Coffee – May 23, 9:30-11:30am at Rotunda Café. Learn more and RSVP here.

First Friday Breakfast – June 6, 9:00-11:00 at Yola's Café (note the new summertime location). Learn more and RSVP here.

LECTURES
Peruse past recordings of PLATO Lectures on many interesting subjects offered by members and local, national and international speakers.

ELECTION FOR PLATO 2025-26 BOARD
Voting is underway and will close on Wednesday, May 7 at midnight

Read about the nominees by clicking on the Nominee Biographies link below and then cast your vote with the provided link. Note that you will need to login and there is a "forgot password" button if needed. The Nominating Committee thanks the members who agreed to be listed as nominees as well as those who have already voted!

THE AGORA
The Agora, PLATO’s literary and arts journal, 
celebrates members’ creativity and diversity of thought.

View highlights from this past season on the The Agora Features webpage.

SOCIAL JUSTICE EVENTS & READINGS
Select from a range of topics and formats for your spring viewing or listening pleasure, curated by PLATO's Diversity Awareness Committee. 

DID YOU KNOW? for May 6 – 19, 2025

Aileen Cole Stewart (c.1893 – c.1997) passed her nursing exams in Maryland during the same year that the United States entered World War I. Though the army was in desperate need for nurses, it wasn’t until the1918 influenza epidemic that African American nurses were assigned to active duty.

Visit the Social Justice page to read more about Aileen Cole Stewart and past DID YOU KNOW? Features.

DID YOU KNOW? – spotlighting notable historic events and contributions made by non-mainstream individuals and organizations you might not have learned or read about. Suggestions for inclusions are welcome (send to Kathy at: ksmichaelis@gmail.com).