1:05 p.m. – Mr. McNeese’s gym Class

1:05 p.m. – Mr. McNeese’s gym Class The eighth-grade PE class taught by Dan McNeese ’06 is short one player for a game of pickleball, so McNeese, 26, joins a team and starts swatting at the ball. McNeese says that, as a beginning teacher, he…

7:15 a.m. – Mr. Lee’s special education class

7:15 a.m. – Mr. Lee’s special education class Aaron Lee ’02, has just arrived at his classroom from his South Hill home in Puyallup, 30 miles away. He has about 10 minutes before students in his special education class begin to wander in. He usually…

9:52 a.m. – Mr. Homfeldt’s eighth grade history class

9:52 a.m. – Mr. Homfeldt’s eighth grade history class “No, no and no,” Steve Homfeldt ’89 barks out to the group of students surrounding him. “And whatever you’re going to ask: no.”The 35 eighth-graders know he’s kidding, so they continue to pepper him with questions.…

11:20 a.m. – Cascade Middle School Cafeteria

11:20 a.m. – Cascade Middle School Cafeteria Scott Weide ’00 sticks out in the lunchroom. As students fill the large cafeteria, Weide wanders into the school wearing shorts and a PLU T-shirt. On his back in a toddler carrier is 10-month old Zoe. She has…

Class Acts

Class Acts The everyday triumphs, joys and challenges of eight dedicated educators – all Lutes – at a single bustling middle school. Who would want to teach hormone-laced, boundary-pushing, in-your-face, preteen and teenage students? The teachers at Cascade Middle School, that’s who. Their number includes…

Prof talks about the life as a marine biologist

One-on-one: Behrens By Barb Clements Being a marine biologist is a pretty good gig. And why wouldn’t it be? There are obvious perks, Michael Behrens admits, to having a job where diving is part of the package. Seeing creatures swim by as they hunt for…

IHON

Where the classes are hard. And the issues? Harder. By Steve Hansen Josh Stromberg and Catherine Cheng aren’t together in any of the same classes. They’re not studying the same major. They’re not even in the same year. (He graduates next year; she a year…

Biologist use Murdock grants to study birds, fish

Biology professors win coveted Murdock grants Turning over barnacle-encrusted rocks, one by one, craning your neck to catch a glimpse of a bird or sloshing through a muddy tributary might not seem like hard core scientific endeavors. But think again. It’s research such as this…

Treated like a rock star

China: Tour like a rock star By Chris Albert While touring China this June, Luke Peterson ’10 felt something a jazz drummer doesn’t normally get to experience. Jazz students touring china this summer found they generated excitement no matter where they performed. He was treated…