The rhythm of Maine Coast Semester changes on weekends. Active learning takes place in new ways – exploring our landscape, exercising, developing new skills, cooking meals together, taking part in student-led Saturday evening social events, volunteering on the farm, or simply enjoying the company of Semester friends. On Friday evenings, local speakers are invited to campus to engage with semester students on subjects ranging from photography to sustainability. While some intrepid students begin their Saturday mornings with a 7:00am polar bear dip in Montsweag Brook, all students join in Saturday programming designed to develop new skills in outdoor leadership, wellness, or life skills. Saturdays are “Walden Days” to unplug from screens and connect face to face. On Saturday or Sunday afternoons, there are often activities on Chewonki Neck or excursions to regional points of interest.

Recent Friday Night Speakers:

• Roger Richmond, Photographer: Seeing Nature through 3D Photography

• Majora Carter, Social-Entrepreneur, Peabody Award winning broadcaster, and MacArthur genius: Reclaiming Your Community

• Bill McKibben, Author, Educator, Environmentalist:  live zoom and Q&A with students on climate science and his long history as an activist 

• Sue Inches, Author, Educator, Environmental Advocate: Finding Hope in the Face of Climate Change

• Darron Collins, President of College of the Atlantic: A retrospective and current perspective on the importance of Human Ecology 

• Chloe Maxmin, former Maine State Representative and Senator; co-founder of Divest Harvard; Author of Dirt Road Revival: How to Rebuild Rural Politics and Why our Future Depends On It 

• Tom Twist, Bates College Sustainability Manager: Starting Green Projects at Your School

• D. Whitney King, Colby College: Ocean Chemistry and Climate Change

• Registered Maine Guide Panel: The Woods and Waters of Main

Recent Saturday Activities & Field Trips

• New England Youth Identity Summit, Waynflete, Portland, ME

• Trips to local a local thrift store or yarn store

• Walking tours of nearby college campuses

• Cross country skiing at Hidden Valley Nature Center
• Apple picking at local orchards

• The Damariscotta Pumpkinfest and Regatta, Damariscotta, ME

• Colored Pencil Workshop:  Sketching a Red-Breasted Merganser

Saturday evenings are often a high point of the week, featuring a special dinner and activity prepared by a small group of students and faculty. Entertaining, creative, and inclusive, these evening activities can be anything from a coffeehouse to a no-holds-barred bake-off to a contra dance.

Weekends also provide downtime for students to study, relax, call home and enjoy our 400-acre campus.