Making an art out of giving of oneself
Making an art out of giving of oneself Melinda Cox ’71, has never been shy about volunteering her time to help others. As an art professor at Tacoma Community College and Pierce College, Cox regularly juggles teaching and volunteer work. “I have always volunteered my…
Probing the secrets of the atom
New Chemistry department instrument will help students and profs probe world of the atom It looks like a rather fat, squat water heater. But to the students and professors gathered around it – or, more accurately, the computer that transmits readouts from it, the machine…
Discomfort can be good
A PLU graduate reflects on his time abroad I sat in one of my first classes at the University of Westminster in London flummoxed. It was days since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, and a European student sitting in the back of the lecture…
Looking into the laws behind adoption
Studying the laws behind international adoption Trained as an historian of the American Revolution and blessed with an abundance of sources, I saw no scholarly reason to travel abroad, although I had wanted to see England, the mother country from which America was born. My…
I never thought I’d study abroad five times and graduate on time
I never thought I’d study abroad five times and graduate on time When Andy Guinn ’09 came to PLU, the extent of his international travels was a single trip to Juarez, Mexico, just across the border from El Paso, Texas. That trip was just one…
7 a.m. Principal Johnson’s office. 45 minutes until first period
7 a.m. Principal Johnson’s office. 45 minutes until first period Isaiah Johnson ’96 is at his desk, weeding through e-mails that have grown exponentially since the 37-year old walked out the school doors at 7 p.m. the night before.“There are just never enough hours in…
9 a.m. – Assistant Principal Heinen’s office
9 a.m. – Assistant Principal Heinen’s office Tad Heinen ’96 spends plenty of his time disciplining students. That’s part of the job. Not the part he enjoys, but he sees himself as what troubled students need to get through another year. Although many students have…
1:05 p.m. – Mr. McNeeseâs 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…
8:05 a.m. – Ms. Dozier’s eighth grade literature class
8:05 a.m. – Ms. Dozier’s eighth grade literature class Most of the 21 students in the class of Alethea Dozier ’02 are interested in today’s lesson on the Holocaust, as well as the Japanese internment camps during World War II. Others are asleep on their…
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.…
11:15 a.m. – Mr. MacDougall’s seventh grade language arts class
11:15 a.m. – Mr. MacDougall’s seventh grade language arts class “I can wait.”With those three words, silence drops on the class of Joel MacDougall ’97.The 25 students know that for every second they continue to jabber, that time will be taken from lunch break or…