Wheaton College Alumni Magazine Winter 2014 | Page 11

and examines what it means to live
in a dehumanized world shaped by
technology.
According to English Department
Chair Dr. Sharon Coolidge ’72,
Dr. Bieber Lake excels at generating
discussion at a deep level. “Christina
also makes a significant contribution
through mentoring students and touches
them in ways that extend far beyond
the classroom and far beyond Wheaton.
She truly honors the memory of Clyde
Kilby and the way he connected with
students.”
Dr. Bieber Lake delivered the Clyde S.
Kilby Inaugural Lecture on September
12. She addressed the pitfalls of
consilience, the effort to take a reductively
scientific approach to the humanities,
and she recommended interdisciplinary
cooperation as the best way for the
liberal arts to move forward.

Growing Together
A Rocha International chapter conceived of a
community garden in 2010-11 as a way to reclaim dormant land on campus.
For several years, the club focused on improving the soil in a plot between
the Meyer Science Center and the Leedy softball field. Their vision came
to fruition this summer, as the A Rocha Community Garden produced its
first crop. Students were invited to partake of the harvest, which included
sweet corn, zucchini, carrots, tomatoes, squash, beans, beets, pumpkins, and
a variety of herbs and flowers. Some of the produce was purchased by faculty
and staff, and some was donated to food pantries serving refugee families.
Thomas Leng ’14 was among the students who tended the garden over the
summer. “I think that caring for the earth is a fundamental duty of Christian
existence and of our life in this world,” he says. “Planting a garden and
learning how to use whatever grows there in a creative way in the kitchen
is but one part of a larger effort to serve this earth that we live on. It’s a
powerful thing to live alongside a seed from its germination until it becomes
a tasty zucchini or sweet blood-red beet.”
Students, faculty, and staff have witnessed the transformation of a oncebarren plot. Many are excited to participate and have been sharing ideas for
future crops and projects, says Elsemarie deVries ’14, A Rocha treasurer and
garden coordinator. “The community that was built around our working in
the garden was one of the best I’ve ever experienced.”

Members of Wheaton’s

Thomas Leng ’14 and Elsemarie
deVries ’14 showcase the fruits of
their labor—produce from the
A Rocha Community Garden’s harvest.

Stars performing under the stars

Shakespeare in the Park
As the new school year opened, Wheaton College’s Arena Theater collaborated with the Wheaton Park
District for two outdoor evening performances of William Shakespeare’s comedy As You Like It. The venue
was the beautiful, historic Memorial Park near downtown Wheaton.
Arena Theater’s performance featured Wheaton College alumni, many of whom have acted professionally,
as well as current Wheaton students, forming a unique and diverse company able to embody the various
ages and personalities represented in the play. Wheaton College theater professor Mark Lewis directed.
Andy Mangin ’99, technical director of Arena Theater, says the challenges of doing theater al fresco—
lighting, sound, the elements—are all worth it to experience the magic of outdoor theater. “Shakespeare
was intended for the masses, to be accessible, but sometimes his work gets locked in closed rooms. We’re
excited to bring it out into the community to reinvestigate it. Plus, this play takes place in the Forest of
Arden. It’s a lot easier to imagine a forest when you turn around and there’s an actual tree behind you!”
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