In the News

Hesston College Aviation granted approval for satellite pilot school

Aspiring pilots in northern Indiana will have a new way to jumpstart their flight training beginning in August 2020.

Hesston College Aviation in Hesston, Kansas, was granted FAA approval to establish a satellite pilot school at the Goshen Municipal Airport. The satellite location will be operated in a direct partnership venture with New Horizons Aviation, which is co-owned by a Hesston College Aviation alumnus and American Airlines captain, Roger Yoder.

“This initiative will authorize New Horizons Aviation to teach Hesston College Aviation’s FAA-approved Private Pilot certificate course to individuals interested in completing their FAA Private Pilot certificate before beginning Hesston’s associate or bachelor’s degree program on campus,” said Mike Baker, director of Hesston College Aviation.

Hesston College’s Aviation program has been a popular destination for student pilots from the Goshen and Elkhart areas for all of the program’s 49 years of existence, and many in more recent years started their early flight training with Yoder at New Horizons. The new partnership maximizes student benefits for what was already a strong connection between Hesston and New Horizons.

“As an alumnus who got my start at Hesston College and launched my now 40-year-career with Hesston College Aviation, I can attest to the high quality of the college and the aviation program,” said Yoder. “Hesston College graduates are well prepared for the challenges of life and careers because of the attention to growth of the whole person they receive at Hesston. You just don’t find that level of individual care at larger schools.”

Students enrolled in Hesston College Aviation’s Private Pilot Course with New Horizons will have the option of receiving up to seven hours of equivalent college credit or transfer credit for Hesston College’s Introduction to Aviation, Private Pilot I and Private Pilot II courses.

Hesston College offers both a two-year associate degree in aviation-professional pilot and four-year Bachelor of Science degree with a major in aviation-professional pilot. The program also operates a two-year associate degree for air traffic control. Hesston College Aviation is one of only two FAA-approved flight schools in the state of Kansas, and the only FAA-approved Collegiate Training Initiative programs for air traffic control in the state.

“All students participating in this venture will receive the identical ground and flight training as if they were attending the same course here in Hesston,” said Baker. “Students will have the benefit of understanding Hesston College Aviation’s training processes and procedures prior to their enrollment as a college freshman.”

Said Yoder: “I’m excited about the opportunity to teach the Hesston curriculum so students will not only get their private license but will be able to transition smoothly to Hesston’s courses already familiar with procedures, checklist usage and more.”

Hesston College COVID-19 action plan summary

On Thursday, March 12, as organizations and institutions across the United States began to ramp up responses to the growing COVID-19 pandemic, Hesston College put into motion it’s own action plan as a way to protect students, employees, visitors and the greater community against the mounting threats of mass illness.

“While there are no confirmed or suspected cases within the Hesston College community, public health experts have encouraged more stringent preventative measures,” Hesston College President Joseph A. Manickam said on March 12.

Hesston College representatives had been keeping updated on the situation over the previous weeks through regular county-wide meetings with the Harvey County Health Department and monitoring of recommendations by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

The March 12 decision to implement the response plan came just two days before the start of the college’s spring break. At that time, the following plan was implemented:

• All classes moved to a distance learning format beginning Monday, March 23 through, at minimum, April 12.
• Classes for Friday, March 13 cancelled in order to allow faculty and staff planning time to transition to distance learning.
• All college-sponsored spring break travel cancelled.
• Students given options for remaining on campus during spring break as well as for the distance learning period.
• All public Hesston College events both on- and off-campus cancelled through, at minimum, April 12.
• Athletic team competitions canceled through, at minimum, April 1, as mandated by the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC).

Friday, March 13 update

• Athletic team competitions cancelled through, at minimum, April 3, as mandated by the KJCCC.

Monday, March 16 update

• Athletic team competitions cancelled for the remainder of the academic year, as mandated by the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).

Wednesday, March 18 update

• All classes moved to an online distance learning format for the remainder of the academic year.

In a communication to students and parents, President Manickam noted some of the reasons for decision: “First, in moving to this policy, our international students now have the option to return home and finish their semester with their families without a negative impact on their ability to receive full credit for their courses this semester. This shift in policy will also allow them to maintain their current student visa status and return to the U.S. for their fall semester. The second factor behind this decision is so we as a campus have some sense of stability in direction on our campus through this time of much uncertainty.”

Thursday, March 19 update

• As possible, dorming students encouraged to return to their permanent homes for the remainder of the academic year. Dorms to remain open for the remainder of the academic year for students with legitimate reasons to be on campus to finish coursework as well as those unable to travel home.

Nursing program to benefit transfer students from Sterling College

Hesston College has signed an articulation agreement with another Kansas college, Sterling College, that guarantees admission and seamless transition for qualified Sterling students into Hesston’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. The agreement is effective immediately

“We are excited to partner with Hesston College, and specifically its nursing program, to provide our Sterling students with another path to a rewarding profession where they can demonstrate servant leadership. We look forward to Sterling students utilizing this new opportunity to pursue careers in nursing,” said Ken Brown, Sterling College vice president for academic affairs and dean of the College.

The agreement demonstrates Sterling’s commitment to training students for in-demand careers and areas of societal impact, and is a reflection on the confidence Sterling places in the high reputation of Hesston College and its nursing program to serve Sterling transfers well.

Sterling students with a 3.0 or higher GPA on required coursework and two positive reference from Sterling faculty and/or staff will be guaranteed admission to the program. Hesston College encourages the application of pre-nursing students who have completed 45 credit hours of study through Sterling College. Interested students should apply to the Hesston College Admissions Office by March 1 of the year prior to their enrollment at Hesston.

Hesston College Director of Nursing Education Becky Bartell looks forward to welcoming the first Sterling College students to the program.

“A transfer student’s path to a B.S.N. degree is streamlined by relationships like this,” said Bartell. “We are excited to develop students who had an excellent start at Sterling College into skilled, knowledgeable and caring nurses.”

The baccalaureate degree program in nursing at Hesston College is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. Additionally, Hesston’s B.S.N. nursing program is also approved by the Kansas State Board of Nursing.

“I am excited about this agreement with Hesston because it provides a clear and Christian-focused avenue for our students interested in the nursing field to pursue their calling,” said said Randi Wise ’13, Sterling College assistant professor of chemistry. “Hesston College has a long tradition of excellence in nursing and preparing students to enter this demanding field with a strong foundation, both academically and spiritually.”

Release by Sterling College. Used with permission.

Lark Athletics to launch powerlifting program; search for coach underway

Hesston College is expanding its varsity sports offerings with the addition of a powerlifting team that will begin in August of 2020 with the start of the new academic year.

The search for a coach is underway to lead the new program. As part of the role, the coach will also oversee sport performance for the whole of the athletic department, which with the addition of powerlifting will operate 14 varsity teams.

“High school participation in powerlifting is growing in Kansas, and with the addition of our new weight training facility this past fall, Hesston College is well suited for a powerlifting team,” said Athletic Director Chris Nachtigall.

During the fall 2019 semester, Hesston College completed construction on a nearly 3,000 square foot weight training facility and fitness center that was part of a $3 million athletic facility campaign.

Nachtigall said Hesston’s program will be only the third varsity collegiate program in the state of Kansas at all levels of institutions. Both men and women are eligible to compete, and scholarships are available for student-athletes.

“The new space and set up means we have the ability to provide a great experience for student-athletes in powerlifting,” said Nachtigall. “As an athletic department, we are focused on developing the whole person, not just the athlete, and powerlifting fits into that mission.”

Hesston College competes in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and as part of the regional Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference.

From an academic standpoint, as a college that offers both four-year bachelor’s degree programs and two-year programs of study for transfer, Hesston College is classified as a mixed baccalaureate/associate’s college by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education and the Higher Learning Commission accrediting organization. As part of the NJCAA, Lark athletic programs offer two years of eligibility. Powerlifting will be the exception to two-year eligibility, as the program is not sanctioned by the NJCAA. Student-athletes who plan to be at Hesston for either of its four-year degree programs will be eligible to compete in the sport for all four years of their academic study.

Lark Powerlifting will attend four to five meets throughout the academic year both in-state and in surrounding states that are hosted by USA Powerlifting and other powerlifting organizations.

Concert featuring diverse voices meant to unite through commonalities

A new Hesston College program is using the unifying mediums of storytelling and music to carry a message of peace, justice and the unity of common humanity to communities in south central Kansas.

“Seeing Each Other’s Light,” features Hesston College students, internationally-acclaimed baritone Tony Brown, professional concert and opera singer Carren Moham, and members of the community in which the program is performed sharing the stories and songs that have made them who they are.

The program’s premier will be on Sunday, March 1, at 4 p.m., at the Emanu-El Congregation Reform Synagogue, 7011 East Central Ave., Wichita, Kan. In addition to Hesston College performers, the concert will feature the Emanu-El Congregation choir and a klezmer band, a musical tradition of Jewish communities.

The concert is free and open to the public.

“Seeing Each Other’s Light” acknowledges the validity of interfaith groups and the diverse people that are part of the Wichita community and other surrounding communities and show how we’re all part of something bigger,” said Brown, who is the program’s organizer.

Global Faith in Action, a Wichita non-profit that works to help people of different ideologies and faith practices focus on commonly held beliefs through respectful dialogue and learning, is co-sponsoring the event.

Each of the performers brings a diverse and unique experience to share with the audience. Hesston College student performers come from as nearby as Newton, Kan., to as far away as Japan, Indonesia, Kenya, South Korea and Albania.

Sophomore Esmi Hernandez notes that even though her story takes place more locally in Newton, it’s a story of being in a minority population and how her family’s culture has changed over time.

For Brown, uniting people through story and song has been part of his professional work for decades. As founder of the Peacing It Together Foundation, Brown served the global community as a resource for peace and social justice and bringing people together across the divides of race, culture and religion. He saw music transform and heal in countries such as Bosnia, Moldova, Northern Ireland, Uganda, Ethiopia, the Philippines, China, Japan, South Korea, Colombia, Indonesia and more.

Peacing It Together recently began a new venture as a program of Hesston College that offers several performance-based shows – of which “Seeing Each Other’s Light” is a part – as a resource in peace and social justice for communities of every kind.

As a diverse campus community with students representing 32 U.S. states and territories, 25 international countries and 27 Christian denominations and world religions, Hesston College students are well-suited to sharing the struggles and joys of being part of a diverse global community.

“With a long history of being a welcoming place for international students and other diverse groups, Hesston College students naturally bring stories and songs that span divides and help us recognize our common humanity,” said Brown. “With Peacing It Together being part of Hesston College, the institution can extend its unique community and approach to connection with others who also desire a world with more understanding and compassion for all.”

Transformed through the gospel

The fulfillment of the Hesston College mission and vision statements – to serve others in the church and the world – looks different for each graduate as they live into the calling on their life.

For Scott Swartzentruber ’91, the vision that “Hesston College graduates change the world as they serve through their vocations, churches, families and individual communities to follow Christ,” has taken him to the to the kind of literal service where hope replaces despair, the poor are clothed and fed, justice replaces oppression, creation is renewed and the gospel is proclaimed.

Swartzentruber is co-founder of i6eight, a ministry that addresses physical, educational, spiritual, economic, social and emotional needs in Puerto Penasco, Mexico.

“The heartbeat of i6eight is that God has a message for his people,” said Swartzentruber. “We work to meet physical needs, but our real desire is to meet emotional needs – to build relationships and see people become reconciled with God.”

The seed for i6eight was planted in 2009. Swartzentruber was serving with the youth at his church in Phoenix, Ariz., but he felt a call to full-time ministry inspired by Isaiah 6:8, of which i6eight gets its name – “And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then I said, ‘Here I am! Send me.’” Swartzentruber recognized that his call was not to remain comfortably at his Phoenix home and church, but to serve the poor and marginal.

“I have always had a heart for ministry, but I never really saw myself in it,” said Swartzentruber. “One of our high school youth in Phoenix challenged my wife to read the Bible with me every day, and that reading transformed us. The Bible is not about me; it’s about God’s heart to reach the lost. God was leading us to go do something.”

Swartzentruber and his wife, Shannon, moved their family four hours south – just about an hour over the Mexico border – to an economically poor area, where they started the i6eight ministry with a local family.

The organization started by building houses for families. In providing a significant need in a very tangible way, the ministry of i6eight was able to demonstrate God’s love by serving together and build the relationships that were at the heart of the ministry.

As i6eight has continued to grow roots in the community, it has expanded its reach and impact. Today, in addition to building homes, i6eight provides other physical needs, including a meal program and a clothing donation and distribution center. On the education front, it sponsors youth to attend high school as Mexico does not have free education, and operates a tutoring and mentoring center. It provides employment opportunities in operating a coffee shop that employs neighborhood high school-age youth who are working to enroll in school, and the organization is working to launch the same model with a bakery, t-shirt printing company and mechanic shop.

Besides being a resource for some employment and physical needs, the organization’s outreach programs, like the coffee shop, have also become a safe after-school hangout for kids and the wider community.

“We started with two families, and now we’ve grown to 40 people who do this full-time every day,” said Swartzentruber. “More importantly, the at-risk youth that we served are now giving back and serving other at-risk youth. It’s not our ambition to just help the poor. We want to see lives transformed. When needs are met and dignity is restored, people step up. You can see it in the way the present themselves and carry themselves that they have pride and dignity.”

The organization’s ministry also reaches beyond the immediate community. Service options are available that include short-term mission trips to help with house construction, year-long internships for college students, and opportunities for anyone anywhere to offer financial support in sending students to school.

Back in Phoenix, a board of elders provide support for those on the ground in Mexico while also making occasional trips to Puerto Penasco to help with projects and other needs.

The i6eight board gave Swartzentruber a chance to bring more Hesston College contacts into the organization when he asked Mark Yoder ’80, ’13, his former Lark basketball coach, to give leadership through a board role.

“The thing that really caught my interest about i6eight was the leadership’s desire to not only build houses and make life better for those suffering in poverty, but to also share Christ and meet their spiritual needs,” said Yoder. “Anyone can meet the physical needs of others, but Christ calls us to share the gospel with the world, and lives are being changed because of the gospel in Puerto Penasco.”

Traditional Irish sounds set to close out HBPA season

As St. Patrick’s Day approaches, Hesston-Bethel Performing Arts will present the final concert in the 2019-20 season with Irish quintet Goitse at 7:30 p.m., Monday, March 9, at Hesston Mennonite Church on the Hesston College campus.

The name Goitse – pronounced “Go-wit-cha” – is an informal Gaelic Irish greeting that means “come here.” The group bids audiences to “come here” and enjoy the variety of instruments as well as award-winning vocals from Áine McGeeney, who was awarded Best Female Vocalist in 2016 by the Irish American News, in their own compositions and traditional Irish tunes. They have been praised by Irish Music Magazine with “music that’s brimming with energy and creative zeal.”

With artists coming together from Limerick, Ireland’s Irish World Academy, the group has become a leader of the new generation of traditional Irish ensembles. They have won several awards in their genre, including the Chicago Irish American News’ “Traditional Group of the Year” and “Group of the Year,” as well as the prestigious “Freiburger International Leiter 2016” award in Germany.

Along with the crystalline vocals from McGeeney, the group’s instrumentalists are also award-winning musicians. Colm Phelan holds titles as World and All-Ireland Bodhrán champion, and recent All-Ireland piano winner Tadhg Ó Meachair has won various awards in piano, piano accordion and accompaniment. Guitarist Conal O’Kane is recognized as one of the finest guitarists of his generation, and Alan Reid shines as a multi-instrumentalist on banjo, bouzouki, mandolin and oud.

Single tickets for Goitse are available starting at $23, with discounts available for senior citizens. Hesston College and Bethel College can attend for free. Tickets can be purchased online, by calling 620-327-8105 or in person at the Hesston College Bookstore or Bethel College Thresher Shop during regular business hours.

Starting at 6:30 p.m. prior to showtime, HBPA season ticket holders are invited to the annual pie reception in the Hesston Mennonite Church Community Center. Single ticket holders may attend the pie reception for $5, payable at the door.

Started in 1982 as Hesston Performing Arts, the series expanded in 1998 when Hesston College joined forces with Bethel College for The Hesston-Bethel Performing Arts series. The series presents five performances by world-renowned or regionally acclaimed artists each year. HBPA is funded in part by the cities of Hesston and North Newton, Excel Industries and Hustler Turf Equipment (Hesston), the North Newton Community Foundation, the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, and an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. Area businesses and patrons provide additional funding for the HBPA series.

A theatre season of literature gears up for a fairytale musical

Hesston College Theatre Director Rachel Jantzi always sets her lineup of shows around a theme, which for the 2019-20 season is literature.

“All of this year’s shows are based off of books,” said Jantzi.

After a fall play that featured the drama The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Jantzi and her cast and crew are gearing up for a shift in tone with the musical Tuck Everlasting, which runs from March 4 to 8 in the Keim Center Black Box Theater.

Show times are at 7 p.m. every day from March 4 to 7, with a bonus 2 p.m. show on Saturday, March 7 as well as a 2 p.m. showing on Sunday, March 8.

Tickets are $12 for adults and $5 for students. Seating is limited so advanced ticket purchase is encouraged. Purchase tickets online, in person at the Hesston College Bookstore in Erb Hall or by calling 620-327-8105.

Based on the book by Natalie Babbit, Tuck Everlasting is a fairytale that tells the story of young Winnie Foster and the extraordinary, life-changing adventure on which she embarks when she discovers the magical secret of the Tuck family.

“I’m really excited about this show for a lot of reasons,” said Jantzi. “I have amazing student actors who perform these rich characters so beautifully. Also, I went to high school with the show’s lyricist, Nathan Tysen, so it’s fun for me as an artist to get to do the work of my artist friends.”

Tuck Everlasting had a short run on Broadway in 2016, and Jantzi notes that bringing the glitz of Broadway it to the Hesston College stage has been an ambitious undertaking, but one that her cast and crew has responded to in big ways.

“This show has more dancing than we’ve ever done,” said Jantzi. “What’s really cool is I got to bring back a recent graduate as our choreographer.”

Choreographer Elizabeth Fulcher is a 2019 Hesston College graduate and a music theatre major at Friends University in Wichita.

“Getting to work with a former student now as a colleague is such a reward,” said Jantzi.

Tuck Everlasting is family-friendly and rated G, but because of its length, Jantzi recommends the show for ages 7 and up.

COMING SOON

Coming up later in the season of literature is a late-April presentation of the classic story Charlotte’s Web in a new Theatre for Young Audiences format.

For the last three years, Hesston College Theatre held a playwriting festival that featured local playwrights, but Jantzi has decided to put a pause on Pen to Paper to Performance for the year.

“Adding in a Theatre for Young Audiences show gives us a rotation on the kinds of shows we do,” said Jantzi. “I enjoy hearing from local playwrights, and we’ll continue to do Pen to Paper to Performance every few years, but performing for young audiences also helps actors build a different kind of skill set. They’re performing for an audience that may not always be paying attention or even sitting still, and that requires extra focus. It really is a marketable experience.”

Charlotte’s Web will be performed in an outdoor setting at neighboring Dyck Arboretum of the Plains April 23 to 26.

“I think there is a desire in the community to bring this kind of theatre to our kids and still have it be a show that adults will enjoy,” said Jantzi.

Choirs to combine in historical display of vocal excellence

When neighboring colleges Hesston College and Bethel College – both of whom have long histories of outstanding choirs – collaborated for a joint concert a year ago, concertgoers raved about the quality and experience for days.

The colleges are bringing their choirs together for a second year on Sunday, February 23, at 7 p.m. at Alexanderwohl Mennonite Church, 1304 K-15 Hwy, Goessel.

The program, titled “How Firm a Foundation,” will feature the Hesston College Bel Canto Singers under the direction of Dr. Russell Adrian, and the Bethel College Concert Choir under the direction of Dr. William Eash. The choirs will perform individual selections from their respective repertoires, as well join together on some pieces. They will also be joined by members of the Alexanderwohl Mennonite Church Chancel Choir directed by Renae Peters.

The concert is free and open to the public. An offering will be collected to benefit Mennonite Central Committee.

“Making music together is a natural way for students from our colleges to interact with each other and engage with members of a local congregation,” said Adrian. “The fellowship and cooperation that young people exhibit in this type of project is a good example for our church and community.”

Both choirs are the premier vocal ensembles at their respective institutions, maintaining annual travel schedules in the region and nationally.