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…
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…
Everyday life of Aztecs
Digging into history When Bradford Andrews looks at an obsidian core in his hand, he doesn’t see its indigo beauty, as it sparks back against the spotlight. The palm-sized flake gives PLU’s assistant visiting professor of anthropology a window into the everyday life of a…
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…
Meeting Obama
Freshman meets Obama Christney Kpodo has Oct. 13 marked forever on her calendar. That’s the day she shook the hand of President Barack Obama. She even gave the leader of the free world a hug. Kpodo, 18, was one of five youths who, through competing…

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…
MBA student finds challenges in PLU program
MBA student says program gives him flexibility and challenges in “real time”. “One might say that Bryan Hopkins has received his masters in world travels already after working at Intel Corp . research and development site in DuPont, WA. His job as a project development…
Matters of Faith
Matters of Faith By Patricia O’Connell Killen, Ph.D. Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies Professor of Religion At PLU, students talk about spirituality. They think about the meaning of life – human experiences of love, joy, creativity, success, suffering, death, of making and keeping commitments,…