Hesston College will celebrate the class of 2016 during Commencement Weekend May 6 to 8.

The commencement ceremony will be at 9 a.m., Sunday, May 8, in Yost Center. Hesston College psychology instructor Kevin Wilder will present the commencement address. The service will be streamed live online.

Wilder has served in various roles at Hesston College since 1998. He currently teaches psychology and Bible and ministry courses and serves as an academic advisor. He previously served as the campus pastor for 10 years.

Selected by their fellow graduates and faculty as student speakers will be graduates Isaiah Crosby (Ponca City, Okla.) and Emily Kauffman (Pettisville, Ohio).

Individual student groups will be recognized in ceremonies during the weekend.

Disaster Management students will be acknowledged for completion of the program at 8:30 a.m., May 7, in the Campus Worship Center in the lower level of Northlawn Center for Performing Arts Education. Brett Troyer (Lancaster, Pa.), project logistics coordinator for Mennonite Disaster Service, a 2006 graduate and first graduate to complete the Disaster Management Program, will be the featured speaker.

A pinning ceremony for nursing graduates will be at 10 a.m., May 7, in the Hesston Mennonite Church Sanctuary. A reception honoring the graduates will follow in the church’s Community Center. Featured speaker will be 2009 alumna Lisa Harrelson, RN, a critical care nurse at Wesley Medical Center, Wichita, Kan., who was named 2015 Kansas Hospital Association Health Care Worker of the Year. The service will be streamed live online.

Aviation and Air Traffic Control graduates will be recognized during a 2:30 p.m. reception, May 7, in the Hesston Mennonite Church Community Center.

Other weekend events include a Music Department Showcase highlighting the Bel Canto Singers, Chamber Orchestra and sophomore soloists at 7 p.m., Friday, May 6, at Hesston Mennonite Church.

The International Chorale will perform its program “Then Sings My Soul,” at 4 p.m., Saturday, May 7, at Hesston Mennonite church, as a precursor to its European tour May 10 to 31.

Sophomore music students will showcase their talent in recitals throughout the weekend. Performers include:

• Zac Headings (Hutchinson, Kan.) and Elliott Leichty (Harrisonburg, Va.), vocal recital at 7 p.m., Thursday, May 5, at Hesston Mennonite Church.
• Casey Perez (Kalona, Iowa) and Meredith Spicher (Belleville, Pa.), vocal recital at 8:30 p.m., Thursday, May 5, at Hesston Mennonite Church.
• Eleya Raim (Oxford, Iowa) and Irenea Soetjoadi (Depok, Indonesia), vocal and piano recital at 1 p.m., Friday, May 6, at Hesston Mennonite Church.
• Shelby Miller (Archbold, Ohio) and Lydia Holland (Russell, Kan.), voice and piano recital at 2:30 p.m., Friday, May 6, at Hesston Mennonite Church.
• Anna Martin (Harleysville, Pa.) and Lorren Oesch (Caldwell, Idaho), vocal recital at 11 a.m., Saturday, May 7, in the Helmuth Studio Theatre in Northlawn.
• Caleb Schrock-Hurst (Harrisonburg, Va.) and Andry Stutzman (Harrisonburg, Va.) voice, cello and piano recital at 6:30 p.m., Saturday, May 7, at Hesston Mennonite Church.

An informal come-and-go “Go Everywhere” reception for all students, families, faculty and staff will be from 8 to 9 p.m., Saturday, May 7 in the lower level of the Northlawn Center for Performing Arts Education. This will also be a time for attendees to offer words of blessing and appreciation for transitioning president Howard Keim, who will conclude 11 and half years of service to the college June 30.

See a full weekend schedule online or call the Special Events Office at 620-327-8109 or toll free at 866-437-7866.