Students at Hesston College on Nov. 30 looked significantly younger than usual. That’s because 164 sixth graders from John Marshall Middle School in Wichita spent much of the day on campus getting a glimpse of college life, learning about opportunities for their future, and meeting and interacting with college students, faculty and staff.
The sixth graders visited the college as part of Marshall’s Achievement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program. The program is designed to get students thinking about college and to prepare them for success through secondary education and beyond.
AVID serves a very important purpose at Marshall where college seems like an unlikely, or at the least, a very distant goal for many of the students. English is not the first language for 85 percent of Marshall students, and about 75 percent of them qualify for free or reduced lunches based on their family’s income. The majority will also be first-generation college students.
“A lot of our students don’t think college is an option for them because of their family situations and backgrounds,” said Marshall teacher Mary Rittlinger.
Marshall Middle School and Hesston College discovered each other through Sarah Kauffman, a Marshall language arts teacher who is also a Hesston College graduate and the daughter of Vice President of Admissions Joel Kauffman. Sarah’s connections to the college allowed her to arrange an interactive experience for the students.
Common themes running through the day’s events were learning and change. Associate Director of Admissions Dustin Galyon welcomed the sixth graders to campus and encouraged them to be respect-filled, social and positive participants.
Marshall Middle School sixth graders watch a classmate fly the flight simulator as part of their Hesston College fieldtrip.
After some beat-box entertainment by freshman Marcus Ruiz of Trinidad and Tobago, the sixth graders set out to discover future opportunities led by Hesston College student ambassadors and admissions counselors. The students visited 11 sites where they participated in acting exercises, flew a flight simulator, reflected on the importance of college with students in the Diverse Learners class, learned about the interactive mannequin patients in the nursing simulation lab, designed clay tiles for a mosaic for the middle school, posed questions to a student panel, toured the dorms and library and participated in basketball and soccer drills with members of the respective college teams.
By the end of the day many of the sixth graders were ready to forego the next six years of school, join their new friends at Hesston and begin exploring future possibilities.
Keekee, a Marshall student, said her favorite part of the day was the nursing lab and seeing how the nursing students learned on their simulated patients.
“Going to college is important because it is an opportunity to learn, get a good job and have a nice life,” she said.
Her classmate Carlos most enjoyed creating his clay tile and playing soccer. His time spent at Hesston had him beginning plans for his future endeavors.
“I want to go to college, major in engineering, start my own business, make a lot of money and retire,” Carlos said.
The sixth graders weren’t the only ones to get excited about the day. Marshall teacher Jon Ricks was pleased to see his students so engaged with the college students.
“I have been taking kids on trips to colleges for several years, and this is one of the best and most interactive setups I have seen,” said Ricks. “The kids are having a great experience and asking good questions about college.”
Marshall students received encouraging words and advice from the Hesston students about starting good study habits, getting involved in their school activities, managing their time and working hard. Hesston freshman Aaron Young of Kansas City, Mo., Simon Foote of Doylestown, Ohio, and Robert Howell of Newton, Kan., added their encouragement as they performed “Get Ready, It’s a New Day,” an original song by Young, to wrap up the day.
“Hesston College is not a known entity in Wichita,” said Joel Kauffman. “To have visibility with such a large number of potential future students and their parents is a wonderful opportunity. The day went better than I could have hoped.”
As with any college experience, the day at Hesston College ended with a mock graduation ceremony. Each sixth grader walked across the stage as his or her name was announced, received a gift and a handshake from Joel Kauffman and left campus with big ideas for the future.
Located 30 miles north of Wichita, Hesston College is the two-year liberal arts college of Mennonite Church USA.