Grand Canyon University

Tonight is the last chance this spring to view the choreography talents of students in the College of Fine Arts and Production’s dance program. The Spring Student Spotlight Concert, at 7:30 in Thunderground, features 17 student pieces. “The show is very diverse, and it shows a lot of different facets to dance,” said Bekki Price, Program Development Specialist for the College of Fine Arts and Production. “It’s a really fun and unique way to come get exposed to the arts and what we have to offer at GCU.”

The Homecoming festivities wouldn’t be complete without the induction of some very special Lopes into the GCU Hall of Fame, scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday in the GCU Arena Hall. Making a difference in the lives of future generations was a common theme for this year’s group of inductees, professionals who have spent their careers doing just that.

Since graduating from with her degree in dance last April, Hannah Croft has followed the path God has created for her — even if it takes her out of the country. Croft will travel to New Zealand in April with the Messengerz Dance Company & Ministry to teach the Gospel through dance during an Easter camp.

How does GCU make a private Christian education accessable and affordable for it’s students? That is the question that was answered at this year’s Cracking the Code CCSC Leadership Forum for Leaders within the K-12 Christian education level. “It was a great event. It was a remarkable group of leaders,” said Ryan Bredow, Assistant Vice President of K12 Educational Development. “We invited them to a conversation. The conversation was built around a concept that we refer to as cracking the code.”

There’s nothing quite like sharing your passion with others, and that’s exactly what Doctoral Learner Eugene Frimpong did as he returned to his alma mater in Ghana West Africa to give a seminar. He hoped to preach and excite his audience with the topic of data analytics.

Students continue to face suicide and bullying every day around the country. Through the Speak Up, Stand Up, Save a Life Conference on Tuesday at GCU Arena, Dr. Lily Matos DeBlieux and Gina Godbehere hope to create awareness of these social issues and how to prevent them.

Christmas is the season of giving, not getting, and give is exactly what GCU’s Army ROTC cadets did earlier this month by serving breakfast to the homeless and helping create Christmas cards for military personnel overseas for the holidays. “Me, as the leader of all these cadets, I really got to see the service side of my cadets, and I was really proud of them, their humility and everything,” said Cadet Sam Innanen, task force commander.

Parents can shame a child to make them stop bad behavior. It might work in the short term but can have long-term negative consequences. As behavioral health professionals, the challenge is telling clients how to stop shaming, and that’s what Ryan Sheade and Erica Tatum-Sheade explored with clinicians at GCU’s Third Annual Behavioral Health Conference Friday.

Kirk Cameron’s Fall Commencement keynote address underlines the importance of perseverance. The former “Growing Pains” star and now prominent Christian actor addressed GCU’s most recent group of graduates with congratulations and a powerful message of overcoming fear, fulfilling their mission and finishing the race. “This was really exciting,” Cameron said. “I was a little nervous, I’ve never done it before … I knew with all these Christian families, it was just really a special blessing to be part of this day that they’ll remember for their whole life.”

A record-setting crowd of 7,050 at Family Weekend was treated to music, food, games, worship, beautiful Phoenix weather and even a flash mob. But, really, the treat was seeing their loved ones again. Never could you see more love than when daughter lured mother on the karaoke stage. “I told her she didn’t have a choice,” Ambrosia Morris said. The weekend was full of surprises, including what these families sang together.