Kamloops Adult Learners Society (KALS) is a community of actively engaged learners who are interested in exploring and understanding a broad range of topics, sharing ideas, and meeting others who have similar interests. Classes are usually two hours in length and are single-session or multi-session of two to ten weeks duration.
Membership is required to register. For more information about membership, click here.
How To Register for Courses
On-line by clicking the online registration button:
In person on McArthur Island at 1550 Island Parkway Dr. through-out the semester during office hours Monday-Friday 9am-4pm (Closed from 12pm-1pm). Credit, cash or cheque
Register by Phone by Calling 1-250-376-1525
*Single session courses are non-refundable. Multi session courses are refundable with a $10 cancellation fee.
Single Session
Multi Session
Rajni Perera (b. 1985) came to Canada from Sri Lanka when she was a child, and in the years since has established herself as one of Canada’s leading artists. Her paintings and sculptures draw on such diverse traditions as historical Sri Lankan art, Indian miniature painting, medieval armour, south Asian textiles and science fiction illustrations. Gathering inspiration from across space and time, Perera looks ahead to an uncertain future threatened by climate change and looming social inequities.
Kristen Gardner
Kristen is the interim Educator and Public Program Director for the Kamloops Art Gallery. Prior to this role, she served as the School and Youth Programs Coordinator for over three years. Kirsten holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from TRU(2022) and a Diploma in Digital Art and New Media from Selkirk College (2017). Passionate about arts education, she believes in the power of art to build meaningful connections and create transformative spaces for learning and engagement.
Tuesday March 31, 2026 10:00 am – 11:30 am
Single Session
Multi Session
Did you know that there are active volcanoes in British Columbia, and that Kamloops is nestled in a sea of Eocene (55 million year old) volcanic rocks? This presentation is a survey of volcanism—causes and hazards. I will take you on a tour of the most recent volcanic zones of BC, and then focus in on the older Early Eocene volcanics around us, and then explain how volcanism can influence climate.
Nancy Van Wagoner
Nancy is a professor of geology at TRU and an accomplished artist. She has led a number of KALS geology field trips and classes, and as well, she has provided a guided tour through an exhibition of her art.
Tuesday March 31, 2026 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm
Single Session
Multi Session
In this lecture, John takes us through many of the most recent discoveries and newest theories in science.
A zoom class, so you can view it in the comfort of your home or in the company of others at KSC.
John Felvinci
John Felvinci was born in Hungary and came to Canada after the 1956 revolution. He studied at McGill University and earned a doctorate degree in nuclear physics. In 1965, he left for the US to teach and conduct research at Columbia University in New York. During his research, he branched out to computers and later worked in industry, installing radiation monitors and security systems at nuclear power plants. In 1990, John returned to Montreal and worked in telecommunications. After he retired in 1994, he joined MCLL (McGill Community of Lifelong Learning), where he has been active in moderating study groups, giving lectures and helping with administration.
Wednesday April 1, 2026 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Single Session
Multi Session
Join Grasslands Conservation Council (GCC) Executive Director, Mike Dedels, for a look at fire recovery on the grasslands above Royal Inland Hospital, starting in Peterson Creek Park
Mike Dedels
Mike is a long time GCC (Grasslands Conservations Council) member, including eight years on the Board, with terms as Secretary and Treasurer. He has been under contract as GCC Executive Director since July 2022. Mike has a passion for increasing knowledge of grasslands through outreach to the general public, and collaboration with First Nations, landowners and other NGOs.
Wednesday April 1, 2026 10:00 am – 11:30 am
Meet at the Glenfair Parking lot in Peterson Creek park(1440 Glenfair Dr. Free parking), dress for the weather and wear good walking shoes.
Single Session
Multi Session
Polar bears were supposed to be dangerously diminished in numbers by the year 2015. Instead they are thriving in record numbers. In this lecture, John Felvinci explains why they are faring so well, and then speculates why this prediction and other pessimistic predictions have not been borne out. This is a zoom class- you can watch from the comfort of your home or in the company of others at KSC
John Felvinci
John Felvinci was born in Hungary and came to Canada after the 1956 revolution. He studied at McGill University and earned a doctorate degree in nuclear physics. In 1965, he left for the US to teach and conduct research at Columbia University in New York. During his research, he branched out to computers and later worked in industry, installing radiation monitors and security systems at nuclear power plants. In 1990, John returned to Montreal and worked in telecommunications. After he retired in 1994, he joined MCLL (McGill Community of Lifelong Learning), where he has been active in moderating study groups, giving lectures and helping with administration.
Thursday April 2, 2026 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Single Session
Multi Session
In her new body of work, Bree Apperly explores the impact of technology on our society, feminist expression in a capitalist system, and what she sees as the compromised nature of modern life. Through a playful display of repurposed objects and photographs, the prominent white gallery plinth and typical framing devices are disrupted and reimagined. Apperley’s interpretation of the world and aesthetic vision proposes an alternative to our fraught cultural moment.
Kristen Gardner
Kristen is the interim Educator and Public Program Director for the Kamloops Art Gallery. Prior to this role, she served as the School and Youth Programs Coordinator for over three years. Kirsten holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from TRU(2022) and a Diploma in Digital Art and New Media from Selkirk College (2017). Passionate about arts education, she believes in the power of art to build meaningful connections and create transformative spaces for learning and engagement.
Tuesday April 7, 2026 10:00 am – 11:30 am
Single Session
Multi Session
A hospital admission comes with a wide variety of experiences. For some, while in hospital, a new diagnosis or change in care plan means that a patient or the patient’s family are processing far more than anticipated. Spiritual Care addresses the internal dynamics of meaning-making and re-centering ourselves with purpose. In a hospital setting, a Spiritual Health Practitioner is invited to join the care team when a patient or family member consents to more conversation about their diagnosis, death, or changing capacities. This offering of care in Canada has been long-standing, as 2025 marked 100 years for the Canadian Association for Spiritual Care. Here in Kamloops, spiritual care has been available at Royal Inland Hospital (RIH) for nearly 30 years. Emotional support, spiritual care, or religious liaising looks different for every patient. In this course, you will hear from Jane Gingrich, Spiritual Health Practitioner, about spiritual care with RIH in Kamloops. She will also point out local research people have access to.
Jane Gingrich
Jane Gingrich (she/her) was born and raised in BC. Her undergraduate studies were completed at UBC (BA); then Masters degrees with Lutheran Theological Seminary Saskatoon (MDiv) and University of Calgary (MEd). However, Jane credits some of her greatest education with global travel in settings where the intersectionality of Roman Catholicism, Islam, and traditional Voodoo religious expressions cohabitated within families. Joy in learning from experience and deeply listening to folk of all expressions drew Jane from her more-than-ten years as a Lutheran pastor into the role of Spiritual Health Practitioner with Royal Inland Hospital. When not at work, Jane is playing with her children, gardening, organizing community programming, volunteering with newcomers, hiking, sipping tea, or playing board games.
Thursday April 9, 2026 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Single Session
Multi Session
Books open doors to ideas, history, and understanding, but today, those doors are closing. Across North America, efforts to ban or restrict books are growing, from school libraries to public collections. Even Canada is seeing challenges to what we can read. This talk will cover why the freedom to read matters, the challenge of balancing inclusion and free expression, and what censorship looks like today in Canada and the USA. It will explore notable cases, the rise of mass book challenges, and how librarians and advocates are fighting back. Discover what’s at stake, the controversies, and how we can protect the right to read for everyone.
Brenda Smith
Brenda Smith is the Open Education Librarian at Thompson Rivers University. She supports the MA in Human Rights and Social Justice program and works with the Philosophy, History, and Politics and the Environment, Culture, and Society departments. Brenda is passionate about open education, making learning resources accessible to everyone, and protection the freedom to read.
Monday April 13, 2026 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm
Single Session
Multi Session
We are welcoming Denis back to present the government of Canada’s proactive approach to safeguarding Canada’s in the rapidly changing Far North in terms of environmental challenges, geopolitical manoeuvring, indigenous population considerations and military developments.
A zoom class, so you can enjoy the presentation in the comfort of your home or in the company of others at KSC.
Denis Thompson
Major-General (retired) Denis Thompson served 39 years in the Canadian as an infantry officer deploying at home and abroad in Cyprus, Germany, Bosnia, Afghanistan and Egypt. He was in command of NATO’s Task Force Kandahar (2008/09), Canada’s Special Operations Forces (2011-2017) and the Multinational Force & Observers in the Sinai (2014-2017). Since retirement, Denis has lectured at various Canadian universities, and he is a Senior Mentor and Instructor at the Canadian Forces College in Toronto. He remains engaged in veterans’ charities including the Concussion Legacy Foundation Canada and Aman Lara (resettlement of Afghan interpreters).
Tuesday April 14, 2026 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Single Session
Multi Session
Participants in this on-site tour will have an opportunity to explore the grounds of this horticultural garden and learn about Gardengate’s use of sustainable practices for growing. The tour will enhance your understanding of the program, which entails mental health, volunteerism, and food security. The tour will also include the newer commercial kitchen, which incorporates the Food Hub program. The building also houses existing programming and a wide variety of community groups.
Rob Wright
Rob has worked in the social service field since 1997. During his youth, his family owned a small farm in the Fraser Valley, and generations on both sides of his family have been farmers. Those two parts of his life came together at Open Door Group’s program, Gardengate. Since Rob began working at Gardengate in 2006, he has seen the program undergo huge changes – in the community development work they do, in mental health awareness, and in the construction of their new building. Rob has a passion for growing, and eating, and hopes to ensure others in our community can do the same. He was involved with the Kamloops Food Policy Council as a board member from 2015 to 2021 and remains connected to the community food action programs they currently operate. He hopes to see the next chapter at Gardengate, continue to meet dynamic people through Gardengate’s programming, and see an increase in local, sustainable food production and processing.
Wednesday April 15, 2026 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm
Single Session
Multi Session
This Come to the Concert’s title, Infinite Bach, may appear exaggeration at first, but isn’t in reality. Composers of all times and traditions have revered Bach’s works and have turned to Bach for melodic inspiration and structural innovation. His musical gifts seem inexhaustible — infinite. This concert’s ensemble of strings, oboe and bassoon play the music of Canadian composers Mathieu Lussier, and Marjan Mozetich. The high point of the concert, however, lies in Infinite Bach Recomposed, the work of Norwegian composer Johan Ullén, who reimagines Baroque keyboard and violin concertos of Bach. This will be an opportunity to consider once more the issue of “recomposition.”
Rod Michell
Rod has a Masters degree in English Language and Literature from Oxford University, and has had a lifelong interest in classical music. In 1970 Rod joined the newly opened Cariboo College as Chair of the English Department and taught for a further 38 years. Retiring in 2008, Rod joined KALS and has taught many multi-session courses on the classics of Western literature, including the Ancient Greek and Roman periods and the Middle Ages. The “Come to the Concert” series grew from Rod’s work writing programme notes for the Kamloops Symphony concerts.
Thursday April 16, 2026 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Single Session
Multi Session
Machii is eager to share her reflections on the inside of Findhorn Sanctuary, taking us into the planning and poetry behind building an intentional community. From forty pound cabbages, Devas & Elements to co-creation, Machii highlights moments of insight that shine an encouraging light forward in building a community based on love.
Michelle McGauchie
Michelle (Machii) holds a MFA, PG Diploma and an OCAD. As a neurodivergent, Machii takes delight in having her fingers in many pies. Her background includes work as a visual artist, filmmaker, teacher a qualified psychosynthesis therapist. She is also an accredited energy healer, medical intuitive and somatic bodyworker. Although nomadic by nature, Machii has made Kamloops her home. In her years of wandering, she lived for twelve years in the Spiritual Ecovillage of Findhorn in northeast Scotland—revelling in the magic and mischief of nature.
Friday April 17, 2026 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Register Now
How To Register for Membership
On-line by clicking the online registration button:
In person on McArthur Island at 1550 Island Parkway Dr. through-out the semester during office hours Monday-Friday 9am-4pm (Closed from 12pm-1pm). Credit, cash or cheque
Register by Phone by Calling 1-250-376-1525