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Summertime finds many campus people gone on vacations, classes abroad, workshops, and other adventures; but there were several faculty, staff, and students still around to join the children of the community for the annual vacation Bible school program at the Pacific Union College Church.Robert Ordoñez, a PUC professor of computer science, was a VBS taskforce worker in college but hadn’t been involved in a VBS program for over a decade. So when he was asked to help with this summer’s “Fiesta” program, he jumped at the chance. “It's been really great to see how enthusiastic the kids are about VBS,” he says. “And it's not just the younger ones—it's awesome to see the older kids, all the way up to high school and even college, getting involved!”Ordoñez was a leader for the general all-group sessions at the beginning and end of each day. These sessions, like the stations the children rotated through in between, provided simple, powerful messages about Jesus through music, skits, daily challenges, and all kinds of active, interactive adventures.One day when Ordoñez was acting as shuttle service to and from VBS for one of the children, he discovered what a distinct and positive change VBS was in...

The warm, sunny days of June 16-18 reverberated with the festivities, dreams and exhilaration that always characterize graduation weekend. On Sunday, the 405 graduates of the Class of 2006 marched in PUC’s Commencement Grove, concluding their undergraduate experience. The weekend was packed with family, receptions and ceremonies, and an inspiring array of speakers. The addresses were provided by Fred Kinsey, assistant to the president for communication at the North American Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and former chair of the communication department at PUC; Jose Rojas, director of volunteer ministries and of the Office of Young Adult Ministries for the North American Division; Lieutenant Colonel Consuella B. Pocket, chief nurse from Travis Air Force Base; and Jonathan Gallagher, United Nations liaison director for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Gallagher, who represents the Adventist Church at UN assemblies and interfaces with ambassadors, diplomats and staff of the UN, spoke for Commencement on Sunday. “I want you to wake up in the morning curious,” he told the graduates. Gallagher stressed the importance of asking questions and observing and analyzing everything for oneself. “The God who invented curiosity will make us curious to find him,” he said, referring the class to Jeremiah 29:13...

When the 2006 Arizona Teacher of the Year, Lucy Popson met President George W. Bush at the White House in March, she greeted him with the same enthusiasm and excitement that she shows to her third graders each day at Walter Douglas Elementary in Tucson, Arizona. Not one to miss an opportunity, Popson informed the president in a characteristically bubbly tone that her mom was his biggest fan, prompting President Bush to present Popson with a presidential pin for her mother. Popson, part of a 51 member contingent of teachers representing the 50 states and Washington D.C., was being honored at the nation’s capital for her excellence in education. Popson’s journey to the White House began twelve years ago when she graduated from Pacific Union College with a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies and a master’s degree in education. She remembers her days in class and says, “They were tough! As a student I was expected to meet high academic standards. I believe that everybody who has ever graduated from PUC deserves a medal!” The third grade classroom at Walter Douglas Elementary has been Popson’s home for the past eleven years. Her energy-packed style of teaching has endeared her to...

A spontaneous moment of generosity in colloquy turned into a home for Maria Luna and her two sons. Just in time for the rainy season, 20 families moved into new, water-tight homes in Empalme de Boaco, Nicaragua on May 30. One of these new homes was constructed with funds donated by PUC students, faculty and staff. The extended PUC family got involved in the small village in Nicaragua this past February when Jake Schiedeman, a 1990 graduate of PUC who now owns the St. Helena Cyclery, returned to his alma mater to speak. He told students about his experience volunteering in Nicaragua where he has led a project to build a baseball field, public park, water tower, and now a housing development. He also shared how important service has become in his life and showed a moving video about the Nicaragua project and the people who have become so important to his life. After presenting his story, the program’s conclusion took an unexpected turn. As college president Richard Osborn thanked Scheideman for being the type of service-minded alumnus PUC is proud of, PUC Church senior pastor Tim Mitchell took the mic and invited the students to get involved. “I want...

Dustin Comm has always enjoyed representing PUC on the basketball court, but he especially enjoyed the opportunity to represent his country in a recent international college basketball tournament. Comm, a senior theology and film and television major, just returned from the Netherlands and Belgium where he and nine other athletes represented the United States in an international competition organized by USA Athletics International (USAAI), an organization that plans international competitions in 14 countries to provide sports opportunities and cultural experiences for college athletes. Besides the fun of traveling to Europe, Comm and his teammates came home victors. The U.S. team won first place in a four-day competition where they played against 30 other teams representing several European countries. To Comm, being able to win in an international setting when he was wearing his country’s colors was especially satisfying. “It was a really big honor to be invited,” Comm said. “Having ‘USA’ on my jersey really made me proud.” The nine members and coach of the U.S. team had very little time to practice and get to know each other’s strengths before hitting the courts in Amsterdam. In addition to learning about new teammates, they also had to learn to play...

The early birds are still singing across campus on a Sabbath morning when a group of college students forsake their cherished slumber and head down the hill. They know there’s a group of kids counting on them—a group of kids with rough lives, underprivileged backgrounds, and a distinct need for love. It all started last year, when a request came in for volunteers to attend church with some children from unstable families or challenging backgrounds. A few PUC students started driving down to the Yountville Seventh-day Adventist Church to help out with the kids that Harley Roth and other members of Jail Prison Program Ministries (JPPM) brought to the church. Before long, the interaction had extended to include a few more activities such as hiking or taking the kids to the beach. “We dreamed of becoming a campus ministry,” says senior chemistry major Karen Ong. With some dedication and planning—and plenty of support from other students and college and community resources—their dream reached fulfillment at the end of last year and is now a full-fledged ministry called KidzReach. Under the direction of Luke and Maria Hamilton (this year’s leaders) and Karen Ong (last year’s leader), KidzReach takes 15 to 20...

At the spring concert of the PUC Symphonic Wind Ensemble, band director and music professor Kenneth Narducci gave his farewells to a packed Paulin Hall Auditorium. After 24 years of contributing leadership, excellent teaching, and some of the campus’ most charismatic music, Narducci and his wife, Julie, are heading to Southern California. Narducci will be the director of wind and percussion studies at La Sierra University. “It’s just time on a couple different levels to try something somewhere else,” said Narducci, who has been teaching at the college since shortly after graduating from PUC. “But the heart will always be here.” Midway through the May 20 program, band members showed several minutes of video clips with messages of thanks and farewell from students, faculty and friends of Narducci. It was really no surprise to hear students say, “I’m who I am today because of you,” “You are the teacher who has had the most impact on my life,” and “Doc, you are my hero.” Faculty and community members thanked Narducci for his commitment to excellence, his initiative in starting the PUC Jazz Band, and his ability to bring students to a level of musical ensemble performance that exceeded their own...

The annual Educator of the Year colloquy is a celebration of real-life teaching. It’s an acknowledgement of a campus where teachers’ offices are frequented by students stopping by to talk about class topics as well as their own dreams and plans. It’s a commemoration of so many lives utterly dedicated to broadening views and bringing true learning. “It’s a celebration of the diversity in our faculty and the different ways teachers reach students,” said last year’s Educator of the Year Aubyn Fulton. “All of us are recognized as teachers when one of us is held up.” This year's Educator of the Year colloquy especially emphasized inter-disciplinary scholarship with the award going to Victoria Mukerji, an associate professor of visual arts who teaches classes for the psychology and social work, communication, and visual arts departments as well as the Honors Program. Mukerji, who graduated from Mills College and received her Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley, will also be spending a portion of the next school year in India as a Fulbright Scholar. Several of Mukerji’s colleagues presented remarks of appreciation (combined with a little “roasting”). James Chase of the communication department informed the audience about the things...

Besides fun in the sun for 18 holes of golf, participants in the 14th annual Malcolm Maxwell Golf Classic raised over $50,000 for PUC student scholarships. Teams of four, including a team of PUC students, spent a full day at the Napa Valley Country Club enjoying a round of golf and dinner with friends with all proceeds from the event going to help support quality Christian education in the Napa Valley. The involvement from the local community this year was unprecedented. Besides entry fees, local businesses provided significant financial support for the tournament. Union Bank of California gave $5,000 towards the event and many other local companies and business people donated not only money, but prizes for a raffle and auction (including a vacation to Cabo San Lucas and a yacht trip). Pam Sadler, vice president for advancement at PUC, feels the participation from the local community speaks volumes. “More than anything, the involvement made it evident to me that this community believes in what we are doing,” Sadler said. “They do believe that PUC is making a difference.” In addition to raising money to assist students at PUC, Sadler feels that the tournament also helps PUC have a presence...

The latest stage performance at Pacific Union College has broken out of the typical stage arrangement with a unique production of Shakespeare’s comic Twelfth Night in the outdoor Angwin Amphitheatre. Director and PUC resident artist Mei Ann Teo has utilized the entire amphitheatre, with actors dialoging, shipwrecking, dancing, and fighting all up and down the wooden bleachers, the stone terrace, the main stage area, and a long blue walkway stretching across the center of the lawn. “This journey started with the desire to put on a play for the community in this beautiful, underused amphitheatre,” said Teo. “It felt like the perfect fit to do Twelfth Night, combining its carnival associations and romantic nature with the fresh spring air.” Though the “fresh spring air” was replaced by a spell of hot summer air on the May 14 opening performance and audiences (and actors) were required to protect themselves with sunscreen and parasols, the dedication and talent of the cast and directing team has survived the heat. Freshman Melissa Chrowl said, “I can’t wait until I can see it again. I’ll be more than happy to do it over again—the sun included—because it was definitely worth it!” Rick Wheeler, another freshman...