Advice for students: Take a laptop to class

"Take a laptop to class for note-taking. Type only what you believe you will need for a test. Label each day with a date and the chapter that correlates with the lecture!" — Bonnie Nord, paralegal student

Efficiency is key for Bonnie Nord. She has four children ages 15, 16, 18, and 20, is in school full-time working on her paralegal degree, and works a part-time job. But she's determined to earn her bachelor's degree. She wasn't able to manage college out of high school, but now she's pursuing her dream. A scholarship from the Edmonds Community College Foundation means she can go on to Central Washington University for her bachelor's degree. Her dream, after she completes her bachelor's, is to be able to go to Gonzaga or Seattle University to study three more years in law school and work with women struggling with domestic violence or juveniles in trouble.

LEAF Students: Saving Streams, Tracking Wolves

LEAF students (that's the Learn-and-serve Environmental Anthropology Field School— a series of three anthropology classes 201, 202 and 203 — Human Ecology I , II and III at Edmonds Community College) are always out and about doing the most interesting things. The classes are hands on with a strong service-learning component. They go outside — into the wild or into the suburban wilderness. They've received a shout out at Little Swamp Creek, The Record of a Suburban Steam a blog tracking the restoration of a neighborhood stream for their work helping to restore the stream along with the Adopt-A-Stream Foundation.

This winter, some Edmonds CC students will take an Alternative Winter Break and spend five days tracking wolves in Kettle Falls. So many students were interested, this service-learning opportunity quickly filled up. But students can still sign up for wildlife tracking by enrolling in Human Ecology (learn about human interactions with local wildlife) this winter and joining the LEAF school students as they track fishers in the Olympic mountains, rare carnivores (possibly cougar/wolverine/lynx/marten/fisher/wolf) in the Cascades and urban wildlife (raccoons, opossum, beaver, coyote, etc.) in nearby neighborhoods.
 
LEAF school students may be eligible for AmeriCorps scholarships. Check out these cougar tracks found during a snowtracking expedition at Price Creek with the Wilderness Awareness School in March 2008 and look for more pictures of the LEAF school students at edmondscc.ning.com. Search for LEAF.