Q: What was your favorite trend?

1993: “For a short time, we had PE uniforms, it was kinda nice” said Jeff Birbeck

2003: “Timberline went through a brief 'random acts of kindness' phase for a year or two,” said Dan Hardebeck, “Students were going out of their way to "pay it forward." That was a really nice trend.”

Q: Least favorite trend?

1993: Jeff Peltier said, “The pop-ification of country music has destroyed the genre completely and you can quote me on that.” 

1993: Birbeck added, “Sagging pants and gangster music”

2003: “A certain fashion trend that involved an undergarment” agreed Rob Denning

Q: Most notable clothing from your year?

1993: “Baggy clothes in general, opposite of today,” said Birbeck

2003: “See above,” joked Denning

Q: Slang from your year?

1993: Birbeck typed into his search bar with just his pointer finger before answering with music genres, “Rap music, grunge, rock, punk”, one has to wonder what he typed

2003: “"That sucks" was considered inappropriate language,” compared Hardebeck

Q: Music from your year?

1993: Peltier commented that “Grunge was still really huge, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains,”

2003: “Beyonce probably, I remember Justin Timberlake from that time,” said Dee Anne Flaherty “Nora Jones was kind of a breakthrough around then.”

Q: Movie/tv from your year?

1993: “Seinfeld and the X-files,” said Birbeck

2003: Flaherty guessed, “The Wire, that was 2003 I think I watched it. We were really into The Wire.”

Q: Snack foods from your year?

1993: “Coffee was so huge and I was like *fake brain explosion*.” Peltier continued, “Lipton Brisk Iced Tea, that was on fire for a while. It’s just not very good tea in a plastic bottle.   Ok, whatever, you know, only so judgy.”

2003: Hardebeck had something very specific in mind, “Eating tots out of your pocket, like in 'Napoleon Dynamite.'”

Q: Haircut from your year?

1993: “Colored hair just wasn't a thing, but there was a lot of variety in cuts,” said Birbeck

2003: Hardebeck joked, “I don't even know what haircuts are in style right now.”

Q: Common celebrity crushes from your year?

1993: Peltier said,  “Britney Spears totally, she was right around high school age anyway. All the guys were freaking out. Take a cold shower.”

2003: Denning gave some options, “Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Julia Roberts was probably already old. Mariah Carey was big and she dated a Timberline Graduate later.” 

Q: Any other things that have changed?

1993: “I’m a lot older now,” joked Birbeck

2003: Flaherty said, “You guys are less concerned with trends than when I was in high school, people are really unique.”

Q: Is it true that pop culture is a “cycle”/have things come back into style?

    1993: “Probably, I hope sagging pants don't!” joked Birbeck

1993:  Peltier said, “It works in about a ten year cycle but what’s cool is everything has its only little of flavor from whatever decade that it’s come back into”

2003: Hardebeck said, “Yes and no. Crocs are new, but Converse low tops have always been cool.”

2003: Flaherty had an anecdote,  “I remember when I was in high school, I came home in cropped pants, and my mom goes, 'Oh you have petal pushers' and I said 'No, these   are cropped,' and she goes, 'Yeah, petal pushers, I wore those when I was in high school' and now I think they’re called capris.”

Q: What did they used to do in class instead of paying attention (before smart phones and TikTok)?

1993: “They would listen to music, same as you guys do now. Matter of fact, all the batteries used to disappear out of the remotes I had for TVs in the building. I told teachers     they had to start hiding the remotes,” said Peltier

2003: Denning said, “Staring at a poster, head on the arm, shirt sleeve wrinkle on the forehead kind of thing” 

Q: How much has your class changed since you started?

    1993: Birbeck said, “PE used to be a lot more general, there’s more choices now”

2003: “A lot of the same books but I’m such a better teacher than I was in 2003 so I’m sure that all of those students are probably damaged and illiterate or certainly not that much   smarter because of me,” said Flaherty

2003: Hardebeck also commented on a teaching style switch, “I think I emphasize skills more than content now. I think it's important that students leave my class as better critical   readers, better writers, and better thinkers.”

Q: Has course difficulty changed?

    1993: “It hasn’t really, things are different, but they aren’t easier” said Birbeck

2003: Denning said his class is, “As rigorous but hopeful there’s more options, I hope I’m better at coaching students every year”

Q: What student era was your absolute favorite?

    1993: “Probably right now honestly,” said Birbeck

1993: Peltier said, “I would have to say the 90’s, probably because it was a place that I was most comfortable with because I could associate with it.”

2003: “Trying to pick my favorite era is like trying to pick my favorite biological kid or my favorite U2 song” said Denning, after picking his favorite

2003: Flaherty said, “Probably when my own kids were in high school because I knew more, and now I don’t know anything. I felt like I was more aware then.”

2003: Hardebeck echoed, "I think my favorite time at Timberline was when my own kids were students here, and I was able to be their teacher, along with all their friends.”