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Last school year, Pacific Union College English and pre-med major Laurel Kwon and fellow honors student Jeff Richards worked together on a project. They visited Foothills Elementary School just a few minutes from campus and demonstrated some chemistry experiments.“The kids loved it!” Laurel recalls with a grin. “So, I got to thinking, why not make this a regular thing to get kids excited about seeing what we were going to do next?”That summer, Laurel shared her idea with her friend, John Jung, a biology major. He liked the idea, and at that moment, SPARK was born.SPARK, or Science Presentations And Research for Kids, is a program that connects PUC students with local elementary, middle, and high school students under the umbrella of science. The idea is to send small groups of PUC students into schools to give age-appropriate demonstrations and explanations of various aspects of science. SPARK is supported and sponsored by professor Aimee Wyrick, chair of the department of biology, and Dr. Kent Davis, chair of the department of chemistry, who help the students coordinate with local schools and oversee the demonstrations provided.“We want to create opportunities for children to not only learn about science, but also learn to...

“The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth; you founded the world and all that is in it” (Psalms 89:11). This scripture is the driving concept behind the annual Math Science Workshop invitational for high school students at Pacific Union College. Its driving force? Faculty who look to God as the Creator and the source of all true knowledge. The 2018 Math & Science Workshop took place Sunday, Feb. 25.“We work hard to make this program interesting and fun,” says professor Aimee Wyrick, chair of the department of biology and coordinator of the workshop, “but our real goal is to make it intellectually stimulating. We want the students to leave here with an enriched understanding of math and science.” The workshop has been taking place for over 50 years, but has recently been overhauled based on feedback from teachers and students. Events and activities are geared toward high school seniors interested in math and science, and gives them an opportunity to experience their interests at a college level.“This is a time when our seniors need more information about what college is like and how they are to succeed in that environment,” says Bob Nobuhara, biological and natural sciences teacher...

On Feb. 21, over 60 students from several high schools and academies will gather on the campus of Pacific Union College for the 2018 band festival. Three days of intense rehearsal will culminate in a concert on Saturday, Feb. 24, at 8 p.m., at the Paulin Hall auditorium.Selections for the concert include “Sinfonia VI” by Timothy Broege, “Down in the River” by Jay Bocook, and “Three Ayres from Gloucester” by Hugh Stuart, among others.“Over the years, we have alternated between me and guest artists conducting the festival,” says Asher Raboy, PUC wind symphony director and event coordinator. “I was looking for talented composers and conductors who were also showing up to conduct festivals and workshops. I found Rodney Dorsey.”Dorsey, associate professor of conducting and director of bands and the Oregon wind ensemble at the University of Oregon, will be conducting this year’s band festival at PUC.“He really knows his way around band music, band instruments, and band repertoire,” Raboy says. “He’s worked with musicians of all ages, and he’s a nice guy, too.”Raboy has been teaching at PUC for over a decade, and he continues to enjoy these festivals and the students who attend them.“I’ve done a lot of festivals...

What happens when you combine 13 teacher candidates, a room full of potential employers, and food? Jobs happen, that’s what. On Feb. 5-6, seniors in the department of education at Pacific Union College were given the opportunity to dine and visit with both Adventist conference and public school education superintendents and principals from across Northern California and the Pacific Northwest. It was the annual Education Days at PUC, which has been taking place for over a dozen years, and by all accounts it was a smashing success.“We do everything possible to get these students jobs when they graduate,” says Debra Murphy, field services and TPA coordinator for the department. “Personal contact is so important. These days employers aren’t just looking at credentials; they’re also looking at personality to determine how well a potential employee will fit into the culture of the environment in which they’ll be working.”The event began with a Dr. Seuss-themed dinner on Monday evening, with seating assigned based on students’ interest in particular geographic locations, so they can visit with representatives from their desired area. Students greet and seat the principals and superintendents, so from the very beginning of the event they have a chance for one-on-one...

“The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of moral crisis, remain silent.”This quote by former president John F. Kennedy is how Pacific Union College president Bob Cushman opened colloquy on Thursday, Feb. 1. This civil rights-focused assembly featured speaker Terrence Roberts, one of the Little Rock Nine.The Little Rock Nine was a group of nine courageous teenagers who, in 1957, were the first black students to attend classes at previously all-white Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas. This move involved armed guards, first to keep the students out by order of the governor, then to escort them safely inside by order of President Eisenhower. Their courage and the courage of their parents left a legacy of determination and standing for what’s right.Last week, Roberts spoke in the PUC Church on “The Fierce Urgency of Now.”“It came to my awareness as a young person that tremendous effort was required by those around me to keep the truth at bay,” Roberts said in his presentation. “After school, I’d say my day was fine and my parents would say they had a good day. We all knew we were all lying, but we had to keep the...

For its annual winter revival week of prayer, Pacific Union College welcomed Pastor Michael B. Kelly II to the pulpit, January 22-26. Meetings were held each evening, with a special Colloquy service on Thursday morning, January 25. His powerful words and message brought a blessing to all who attended the meetings and resonated with faculty, staff, and students alike.For the last several years, Pastor Kelly has served as the senior pastor at Mt. Rubidoux Seventh-day Adventist Church in Riverside, Calif. Previously, he served as senior pastor for several churches in Colorado, and in Lincoln, Neb., where he also taught a Christian Ethics course at Union College. His ministry has taken him throughout the United States and around the globe, including giving a seminar in the Philippines that resulted in 120 baptisms, and leading in several weeks of spiritual emphasis in England and Kenya. Pastor Kelly graduated from Columbia Union College with a degree in theology in 2001 and completed his master of divinity degree from Andrews University Theological Seminary in 2003, where he also served as chaplain for the Black Seminary Student Association.“It’s nice to have extra time during the week to take a break and worship together as a...

Meet Christy Mantz, instructor of social work and service-learning coordinator at PUC, for this week’s #FacultyFriday. Ms. Mantz has taught full-time at PUC since 2016, after teaching at the college during the 2009-2010 school year. Previously, for several years she worked as a senior probation officer for Napa County, after working as a deputy probation officer and probation assistant.A resident of Napa County for nearly 14 years, Ms. Mantz has worked with a wide variety of non-profit and community based organizations, and continues to collaborate with local programs to manage PUC’s service-learning program. Always interested in work with youth and families, she has worked collaboratively with school officials, drug court programs, child welfare, foster families, substance abuse treatment centers, and a variety of residential treatment facilities across Northern and Central California.Name: Christy Mantz Title: Instructor of social work Email: cmantz@puc.edu Faculty since: July 1, 2016Classes taught:Intro to Social Work, History and Philosophy of Social Welfare Institutions, Human Behavior in the Social Environment, and Social Welfare Policy. I also coordinate the service-learning program at PUC, so I develop relationships with community agencies in Napa and Lake counties, and support faculty as they incorporate student projects with these agencies into their syllabi.Education:...

Over 350 academy student athletes, their coaches, and sponsors from 13 academies throughout California participated in the annual Pioneers Invitational academy basketball tournament at Pacific Union College, January 17-20.Game play began early Wednesday morning, January 17, and culminated in the championship game late Saturday night, January 20, played on center court. On the women’s side, the Spartans from Rio Lindo Adventist Academy in Healdsburg, Calif., defeated the Eagles from El Dorado Adventist School in Placerville, Calif., 44-39. For the men, the Capitals from Sacramento Adventist Academy in Sacramento, Calif., beat out the Spartans from Rio Lindo Adventist Academy, 54-32.Other tournament participants included the Eagles from American Christian Academy in Citrus Heights, Calif.; the Cavaliers from Central Valley Christian Academy in Ceres, Calif.; the Vikings from Fresno Adventist Academy in Fresno, Calif.; the Titans from Lodi Academy in Lodi, Calif.; the Mighty Cypress from Monterey Bay Academy in Watsonville, Calif.; the Knights from Napa Christian Campus of Education in Napa, Calif.; the Gators from Newbury Park Adventist Academy in Newbury Park, Calif.; the Cougars from Paradise Adventist Academy in Paradise, Calif.; the Eagles from Pine Hills Adventist Academy in Auburn, Calif.; and the Falcons from Pacific Union College Preparatory School in...

On Thursday, January 18, for the opening Colloquy of the new quarter, former PUC alumna and instructor of psychology Allison Musvosvi spoke to a crowded sanctuary. In her talk, titled “#woke?”, she shared narratives from her childhood upbringing in Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Botswana, and her experience immigrating to the United States. She also encouraged the audience members to have hard conversations surrounding race and privilege. Musvosvi currently works as a research analyst at ILLUME Advising, LLC.Musvosvi recounted having her understanding and concept of race broadened after moving to the United States and learning about Latinos, Native Americans, and other ethnic groups, and noticing the color of her skin and her country of origin made people classify her differently. She told the story of her first day of school in America, when her teacher spoke very slowly to her after class and asked whether she had food. Musvosvi realized the teacher assumed she might need help, based on their concept and bias of Africa, her accent, and the fact that she was thin.“Sometimes our shallow understanding of the issues can actually be harmful and hurtful, and sometimes just as harmful and hurtful as spewing out some of the other hateful epitaphs...

On April 27, 2017, the PUC Church sanctuary was packed full of students, faculty, and staff, all excitedly awaiting the announcement of PUC’s next student-selected Educator of the Year. As PUC tradition states, the winner is a tightly kept secret known only to a few people on campus and is announced at the annual Educator of the Year Colloquy. When Dr. Kent Davis’ name was announced, there was loud and extended applause for the ever popular chemistry professor and department chair. As he sat in the seat of honor on the platform, the audience was treated to funny stories from his wife Rachelle Davis, a fellow PUC faculty member in the department of music, and touching stories from a few close students. Not everyone has the privilege of taking classes from Dr. Davis, so we asked him a few questions to get better acquainted with the man behind the 2017 PUC Educator of the Year award. Describe your typical work day. I generally arrive at my office around 8 a.m. I make final preparations for my class at 9 and then go teach it. Afterwards I talk with students, make assignments covering the material from class, do other administrative tasks,...