Graduating seniors -- in more ways than one

A line of wheelchairs snaked around the hallway at the Island Nursing and Rehab Center, as 26 elderly graduates waited to receive their diplomas.

They had completed the Suffolk County Community College's Professors on Wheels program, a nine-month course in which instructors teach a range of college-level topics.

Thursday, the graduates, ranging from 75 to 95 years old, wheeled their way into the formal ceremony at the Holtsville nursing home's common room in royal blue caps and gowns, waving to family as "Pomp and Circumstance" blared out of a miked iPhone.

"Thank you, thank you," said Gladys Cienski, 95, upon receiving her diploma. "I really appreciate it."

This was the program's second annual graduation ceremony at the facility. The class of 2011 had many repeat graduates from last year, when the program started as a community service pilot for some of SCCC's instructors.

"Some of them are very sharp," said Lorrie Prescott, the recreation director at the facility who organized the program. "You think no one's paying any attention, and then they ask the most surprising questions."

Alice Smith, who taught third and fourth grade in Ronkonkoma for 36 years, said she enjoyed the lectures and the opportunity to be on the other side of the desk. "I miss teaching," Smith, 85, said before graduation. "You don't think about it when you're working, but when you're retired, you miss it."

This year, the residents attended lectures on the history of English, the works of Edgar Allan Poe, French, chemistry, ice carving and a crash course in computers and technology.

While the lessons may not stick with them long-term, the opportunity to learn and be mentally stimulated is invaluable, said Carole Manning, whose 95-year-old mother Gwen Gregory rolled down the aisle to receive her diploma for the second time.

"One of the things she's most proud of is that certificate," Manning said. "She looks at it every day in her room and says, 'That's my certificate.' "

Because of advancing dementia, Gregory wasn't able to fully appreciate the lectures this year, Manning said.

"Last year it was very exciting -- she could listen and participate -- it changed her," she said. "It made her feel intelligent."