In the News

The bounce back: A Lark gets back his winning wings

As a sophomore in high school, Heath Agnew was captain of his basketball team, averaging a double-double every game. Proven to be a young leader with immense potential, Agnew already had colleges begin the show interest in him. By his junior year he was getting calls from some of the biggest Division II schools in the country, several Division IIIs, and even a couple of Division Is. Agnew’s future was looking promising.

Basketball was year-round for Agnew. During the fall of his senior year, it became his sole focus. But there was one thing holding him back. He had started feeling shooting pains in his back the previous summer.

“I never thought anything of it,” he said. “When it started hurting I’d go see someone to loosen my muscles so I could still play. I never took time off. I thought ‘I’m 17 years old, I’m invincible, I’ll be fine.’ ”

So he kept training.

Then, in the middle of weight training, it happened.

He felt a pop while dead-lifting.

The next morning he wasn’t able to move his right leg. Agnew had suffered from a herniated disc, causing pinching in the sciatic nerve down his right leg. He was put in rehab, started physical therapy, endured shock pain management and hoped to be healthy by the time the season started.

However, recovery wasn’t going as well as expected and Agnew missed the first six games of the season. The DI and II schools who had been watching him called to say they chose to put him on hold for the spring. After seeing rehab wasn’t working, the doctors gave Agnew two options.

“Do you want to play or have surgery?”

“Looking back on it now, I should’ve had surgery,” said Agnew. “But it was my senior year and those guys were the teammates I’d been playing with since third grade. That was my team, my school, my people and I had to show loyalty to that.”

So Agnew played through the pain and contributed to the team the best he could. He returned to play for four games before he broke his ankle and ended up in a boot, benched for three more weeks.

He came back to play three weeks earlier than he should’ve, helping his team end the season by winning district.

Then he and his mom decided it was time for surgery. By then the nerve damage was so bad, he could no longer feel anything above the ankle in his right leg.

“At that point, all thoughts of playing college basketball were over,” said Agnew. “I decided I was just going to go to school and be a regular student at Texas State.”

But when he woke up from surgery, feeling like a new person, he reconsidered.

“I visited two DIIIs in Texas and got a good offer from a DII in Minnesota,” said Agnew. “I was really considering Minnesota, but after they found out about my back injury, things changed. I told the coach, ‘Minnesota’s too cold for that small offer.’”

Enter Dustin Galyon.

“I got a call from my dad saying that he had received a call from a NJCAA, DII school in Hesston Kansas,” said Agnew. “I wasn’t considering a junior college, but my dad said the coach was already in Texas, why not give it a shot?”

Agnew’s car ride to Texas Roadhouse, where he was meeting Galyon, was the first time he was able to sit up, let alone ride in a car for two weeks.

“We got there before they did so I went to the bathroom,” said Agnew. “I’m using the bathroom and Hurricane Galyon comes flying at me and starts greeting me, a hundred miles an hour talking to me. I thought ‘what am I getting myself into?’”

Two weeks later, Agnew endured a nine-hour drive to visit Hesston College.

“It was the perfect day, 70 degrees, chicken patties for lunch, everything was perfect,” said Agnew. “I met with the Jontray Harris, who I had known from playing against in high school, and instantly I could just see the maturity from just a year at Hesston. It was a testament to how coach can change people.”

On his way back to Texas, Agnew called his mom and told her he’s moving to Kansas.

“I committed and the rest is history.”

But that’s not the end of the story.

“He just keeps getting healthier and healthier,” said Galyon. “A guy who comes in as a freshman and didn’t play much while his body was getting right, to now as a sophomore, started every game this semester, unanimous team captain, I would say in some ways he’s won more than people ever thought.

“Heath Agnew’s story is incredible,” said Galyon. “When we talk about athletics, we talk about perseverance, toughness and winning. Yes, winning is important. But if you think about winning in a broader perspective, winning is not giving up, defying the odds and coming back from adversity.”

by Jasmine Pankratz

AVDS equips participants with tools and responses for trauma and recovery

“The unthinkable does happen to us and to our families and to those around us.”

These were some of the opening words of Hesston College’s interim president, Ben Sprunger, at the kick off session for the annual Anabaptist Vision and Discipleship Series (AVDS) conference hosted on the Hesston College campus January 17 to 19. About 200 registrants including church leaders and a variety of other professions from eight states, and including Hesston College students from different fields of study, participated in the weekend activities with more attending free sessions and extra events.

Centered around the theme “When The Unthinkable Happens,” the conference took place just one week before the one-year anniversary of the mass shooting at Excel Industries in Hesston. But the idea of trauma goes far beyond one shooting. As a conference description said, “It can happen anywhere, including your community. It could be a tornado, domestic or sexual abuse, a mass shooting or something else. As Christ’s followers, we need to be ready and respond well.”

Unofficially kicking off the event, Dr. Donna Minter, founder and executive director at the Minnesota Peacebuilding Leadership Institute (Minneapolis), previewed the topic of trauma at forum for Hesston College students Feb. 17, in speaking of each person’s BHAG – Big, Hairy Audacious Goal.

Minter asked, “What is your BHAG for Jesus?” One of hers includes STAR (Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience) training, which she led as a bonus event to the weekend conference on Feb. 20, to a full roster of 50 registrants.

At the official AVDS opening Friday evening, keynote presenter Rev. Dr. Kate Wiebe, founder and director of the Institute for Congregational Leadership (Santa Barbara, Calif.) spoke on “Collective Trauma Part 1: Preparing and Responding,” and confronted the question, “Why respond to trauma?”

“We respond to trauma because it is hopeful work, walking alongside people going through trauma expedites restoration and, most importantly, because trauma is never the end of the story,” Wiebe said.

Wiebe’s outlines served as springboards for discussion throughout that evening and into the weekend as audience members were encouraged to share about personal experiences with trauma with those around them.

She also encouraged participants to remember that trauma and healing are like beauty – they are in the eye of the beholder.

“What feels like trauma or healing to one person, may not to another,” Wiebe said. “Everyone experiences trauma and healing in different ways and at different paces.”

With these ideas brewing, members of the conference came back Saturday morning for Collective Trauma Part 2: Building Resilience with Rev. Dr. Wiebe and “Reconciliation: An Anabaptist vision for trauma-informed, resilience-oriented and restorative-focused faith communities,” by Dr. Minter.

The afternoon consisted of seminars led by a variety of mental health and social work professionals, pastors and Hesston College faculty. Also scattered throughout the weekend were personal stories of overcoming trauma by people who lived through the worst, including a Wichita father who lost his son in a drive-by shooting, a survivor of the devastating 2007 Greensburg, Kan., tornado and Adam Miller, a survivor of the shooting at Excel.

As Miller reflected on his experience and the last year of recovery, he noted that there have been “lots of ways I’ve seen God at work.”

“People at work who don’t claim a faith come up to me and say there is something different about me in how I’ve reacted and responded to what happened,” Miller said. “It’s been encouraging to know they see that in me.”

Janelle Schmucker, a Hesston College sophomore and social work major who was actively involved in the weekend noted her reactions: “I really enjoyed it as a whole. I learned so much on how trauma can affect the development of personalities. It was fascinating.”

Saturday evening, Ted & Co. TheaterWorks presented a comedic re-thinking of the birth of Jesus called “Just Give ‘Em the News.” Lead actor Ted Swartz connected the advent season of waiting to trauma healing.

“Laughter is not an immediate fix [to trauma], but it is part of the healing,” said Swartz. “And when you are able to do that with a community, you are connecting together in a way nothing else does.”

Recognizing that the topic of trauma is not easily answered, the Anabaptist Vision and Discipleship Series will look to take on part two of this next year during the 2018 conference.

For now, conference participants headed home equipped with the mindset and basic skills to deal with trauma because when the unthinkable happens, it is important to know how to respond.

“Responding to trauma is an art,” said Wiebe. “Your experiences matter, you are not alone and the people around you are hopeful, too.”

by Mackenzie Miller and Rachel McMaster

Musical based on children’s books coming to Hesston College stage

Hesston College Theatre will present six performances of the whimsical Broadway hit “A Year with Frog and Toad” as the spring musical March 1 to 5, in the Keim Center Helmuth Studio Theatre on the Hesston College campus.

Showtimes are 7 p.m., March 1 to 4 and 2 p.m. matinee performances on March 4 and 5. The play is rated G and is suitable for the whole family.

“A Year with Frog and Toad” has been nominated for three TONY Awards, including Best Musical. It is based on the beloved children’s books by Arnold Lobel, and includes a score by Robert and Willie Reale. The story follows a year of fun for two friends – a cheerful and friendly Frog and the grumpy Toad – who care for each other in spite of their differences.

“While this show is geared towards kids, teens and adults will appreciate the themes of friendship, the excellent musical score, the hilarious characters and the fantastic acting, singing and dancing,” said director Rachel Jantzi.

Ticket prices are $10 for adults and $5 for students and children. Tickets can be purchased through the Hesston College Bookstore in person, by phone at 620-327-8104 or online. Purchasing tickets in advance is recommended. Tickets will be available at the door 45 minutes prior to show time and are subject to availability.

The Hesston College production is part of a lineup centered on “a season of laughter,” and stars 14 student actors. The set will include a lily pad area for children to sit on in front of the stage and be closer to the action.

Children’s artwork from the Hesston College preschool will be featured in the lobby, which Jantzi says is a fun way to include both the children on campus and the education department.

Pen to Paper to Performance: Script writing contest deadline extended to Feb. 22

This spring, Hesston College Theatre, led by Rachel Jantzi, is hosting a script writing contest called Pen to Paper to Performance that encourages creativity – both on-campus and in the wider community.

Submissions are due By Wednesday, Feb. 22. Eight selected submissions will be chosen to be produced in the final showcase event on April 28 and 29. Winning submissions will be announced March 11, and will receive a percentage of the box office earnings.

South African group to make return appearance in performing arts series

The internationally acclaimed South African male a cappella group Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s tour to promote its latest album will include Bethel College.

Ladysmith performs as part of the Hesston-Bethel Performing Arts Series Feb. 7 at 7:30 p.m. in Memorial Hall. This is Ladysmith’s second local appearance – it was last on the HBPA stage in 2010.

Walking in the Footsteps of Our Fathers, Ladysmith’s first studio recording in five years, was recently nominated for a Grammy® Award in the Best World Music Album category.

The late South African president Nelson Mandela designated Ladysmith Black Mambazo “South Africa’s cultural ambassadors to the world.” In 2014, the group marked 50 years of making music rich with the intricate rhythms and harmonies of their native South African musical traditions.

Ladysmith founder, farm-boy-turned-factory-worker Joseph Shabalala, assembled the original iteration of the group in the early 1960s. Ladysmith is Shabalala’s hometown, about three hours west of Durban and east of Johannesburg; Black refers to the ox, the strongest farm animal; and Mambazo is the Zulu word for a chopping axe, a symbol of the group’s ability to “chop down” any singing rival.

Ladysmith’s collective voices were so tight and their harmonies so polished that by the end of the 1960s, they were banned from competitions, although they were welcome to participate as entertainers.

A radio broadcast in 1970 opened the door to Ladysmith’s first record contract and the beginning of a discography that currently includes more than 50 recordings. Their philosophy in the studio was, and continues to be, as much about preserving musical heritage as entertainment.

The group borrows heavily from a traditional music called isicathamiya, which developed in the mines of South Africa, where black workers were taken by rail to work far away from their homes and their families. Mine workers would entertain themselves after a six-day work week by singing into the wee hours of Sunday morning. When the miners returned to the homelands, this musical tradition came with them.

During the 1970s and early ’80s, Ladysmith established themselves as the most successful singing group in South Africa. Paul Simon incorporated the group’s rich tenor/alto/bass harmonies into his landmark 1986 album Graceland, considered seminal in introducing world music to mainstream audiences.

A year later, Simon produced Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s first worldwide release, Shaka Zulu, which won a Grammy® in 1988 for Best Folk Recording. The group has won three subsequent Grammy® Awards, for Raise Your Spirit Higher (2004), Ilembe (2009) and Singing for Peace Around the World (2013), and has been nominated a total of 17 times.

In addition to their work with Paul Simon, Ladysmith has recorded with numerous artists from around the world, including Stevie Wonder, Dolly Parton, Sarah McLachlan, Josh Groban, Emmylou Harris, Melissa Etheridge and many others.

Their film work includes a featured appearance in Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker video and Spike Lee’s Do It A Cappella, and they have provided soundtrack material for Disney’s The Lion King, Part II, Eddie Murphy’s Coming To America, Marlon Brando’s A Dry White Season, Sean Connery’s The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, James Earl Jones’ Cry, The Beloved Country and Clint Eastwood’s Invictus.

The documentary On Tip Toe: Gentle Steps to Freedom, which tells the story of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, was nominated for an Academy Award®. The group has appeared on Broadway, has been nominated for Tony® Awards and has won a Drama Desk Award.

Reserved seating and general admission tickets for Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s Feb. 7 performance are available at hesstonbethel.org or by calling 620-327-8158. Single tickets are for sale at Bethel College’s Thresher Shop in Schultz Student Center and in the Hesston College Bookstore during regular business hours. Prices range from $27 to $23 with discounts available for students and senior citizens.

The rest of the 2016–17 HBPA lineup is the Montréal Guitare Trio, March 4 in Krehbiel Auditorium on the Bethel campus, and Sybarite5, a string quintet, April 20 in Hesston Mennonite Church.

The Hesston-Bethel Performing Arts series is funded in part by the Hesston Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, the City of North Newton, Excel Industries and Hustler Turf Equipment (Hesston), the Hesston Community Foundation, the North Newton Community Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and area businesses and patrons.

Hesston College mourns the loss of Russ Neufeld

The Hesston College community joins a far-flung network of friends and family of Russ Neufeld in celebrating his life and mourning his death. Russ served as director of Information Technology and was well loved on campus. He died Saturday evening, January 21, after a long battle with cancer.

“We join Russ’s extensive community of friends and family in mourning,” commented Vice President of Finance and Auxiliary Services Mark Landes, Neufeld’s supervisor. “We also celebrate a tremendous person and a life well lived. It doesn’t feel like a stretch to say Russ was one of the most well-liked people working at Hesston College. People were drawn to his engaging personality and broad worldview. Russ joined the college’s IT department in June 2010 and was promoted to IT director in April 2014. He will be remembered among the Hesston College community for his caring and calm demeanor, his out-of-the-box thinking and his extensive knowledge. He knew a lot about a lot. Russ had a significant and positive impact during his short time here and will leave a wonderful legacy behind. We will miss him greatly.”

The memorial service is scheduled for 3 p.m., Friday, Jan. 27, at Hesston Mennonite Church. A reception will follow the service. During the reception, there will be an open mic time for sharing stories and memories of Russ.

For now we ask your prayers for Kendra, Ethan and Natalie and the extended Neufeld and Duerksen families in their time of grief. Honor Russ’s memory by continuing to carry out his birthday (Jan. 16) wish, posted to Facebook January 11:

So, thanks very much for your support in the myriad ways you’ve shown it. For my birthday I’d like to steal an idea from a friend and ask you to take all this love you have and share it. It only multiplies and there are so many who could use it. Whether it’s just a random act of kindness, or helping at your local homeless kitchen / shelter, or repairing broken relationships, just spread the love folks – it’s the only thing in this world that endures. We’ve received more than we could have imagined – let’s continue to spread that a little wider.

Andover Organ Series to bring world’s talent to Hesston

During the spring 2017 semester, Hesston College will host talented organists for concerts on the Andover organ at Hesston Mennonite Church. Thanks to funding by the John Ernest Foundation, the concerts, called the Andover Organ Series at Hesston College, will bring another form of fine art to south central Kansas. All concerts are free and open to the public.

The series lineup includes

• Emmanuel Arakélian, Paris, France, Jan. 31, at 7 p.m. Born in Avignon, France, Arakélian is a student at the Paris Conservatoire, with emphasis on organ and harpsichord. He is currently on a six-month residency at St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans, La.
• Kevin J. Vaughn, South Bend, Ind., March 21, at 7 p.m. Vaughn is director of music and organist at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church (South Bend), instructor of organ at Goshen (Ind.) College and adjunct professor of piano and organ at the University of Notre Dame (Ind.).
• Shayla Van Hal and Bethan Johnson, April 21, at 7 p.m. Van Hal and Johnson are graduate students at the University of Kansas (Lawrence).

Hesston College announces fall 2016 Dean’s List, Honor Roll

Hesston College announced the names of full-time students whose fall 2016 semester grades earned them a place on the Dean’s List (3.90 to 4.00 GPA) and Honor Roll (3.50 to 3.89 GPA).

Dean’s List – Freshmen

Jenna Boller, Kalona, Iowa
Anna Breckbill, Kidron, Ohio
Kylie Brenneman, Hesston, Kan.
Lucas Comfort, Salina, Kan.
Jeremy Deckinger, Wichita, Kan.
Ashley Doggett, Carlsbad, N.M.
Joy Driver, Rockingham, Va.
Andre Eanes, Harrisburg, Va.
John Ebaugh, Holtwood, Pa.
Elizabeth Eichelberger, Geneva, Neb.
Emma Eitzen, Lititz, Pa.
Shota Funazaki, Japan
Autumn Gehman, Adams, Tenn.
Casey Hertzler, Rockingham, Va.
Luke Hertzler, Harrisonburg, Va.
Kayleigh Johnson, Smithfield, Utah
Katelyn Kilmer, Goshen, Ind.
Levi Litwiller, Hopedale, Ill.
Gaitan Lleshi, Hesston, Kan.
Nicole Loewen, Hutchinson, Kan.
Chloe McNiel, Valley Center, Kan.
Alicen Meysing, Canton, Kan.
Elizabeth Miller, Archbold, Ohio
Mackenzie Miller, Lancaster, Pa.
Sarah Miller, Marion, S.D.
Josie Noll, Atchinson, Kan.
Miho Okuda, Chiba-ken, Japan
Ryan Oostland, Goshen, Ind.
Jasmine Pankratz, Abbyville, Kan.
Monica Plank, Marion, Kan.
Rebecca Reutzel, Topeka, Kan.
Kendall Richardson, Lodi, Calif.
Grace Roth, Goshen, Ind.
Shalee Rowley, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Jaelyn Rufenacht, Archbold, Ohio
Mariah Trible, Valley Center, Kan.
Sadie Winter, Newton, Kan.
Noah Yoder, Harrisonburg, Va.

Dean’s List – Sophomores

Cheri Baer, Apple Creek, Ohio
Cassidy Bontrager,, Wellman, Iowa
Rachel Brown, McKinney, Texas
Elena Buckwalter, Fulks Run, Va.
Renee Buckwalter, Wellman, Iowa
Tori Byler, Belleville, Pa.
Olivia Copsey, Goshen, Ind.
Tanner Daniel, El Dorado Springs, Mo.
Silas Driver, Harrisonburg, Va.
Nicholas Eichelberger, Geneva, Neb.
Kyle Good, Harrisonburg, Va.
Emily Griffioen, Belmond, Iowa
Brittany Hochstetler, Ogema, Minn.
Jonae Hochstetler, Ogema, Minn.
Adele Hofer, Greenwood Village, Colo.
Chanhee Hwang, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
Allison Jantzi, Newton, Kan.
Jacqueline Jones, Goddard, Kan.
Stasia Majerick, North Liberty, Iowa
Sophia Miller, Newton, Kan.
Jessanna Nebel, Hesston, Kan.
Tyler Nissley, Elizabethtown, Pa.
Curtis Oesch, Caldwell, Idaho
Trever Oyer, Hubbard, Ore.
Ana Penner Heide, Cuauhtemoc, Mexico
Bailyn Piecewicz, Spokane, Wash.
William Calvin Plank, Marion, Kan.
Kathryn Roth, Wauseon, Ohio
Jonah Short-Miller, Bellingham, Wash.
Vanessa Steckly, Milford, Neb.
Lilian Trifena, Hesston, Kan.
Kristin Troyer, Shickley, Neb.
Allyson Vogt, Hesston, Kan.
Naomi Wright, Calhan, Colo.
Yedidiya Zewdu, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Dean’s List – Juniors

Brooke Hershberger, Goshen, Ind.
Raven Norris, Maize, Kan.

Dean’s List – Seniors

Kelsey Anderson, McPherson, Kan.
Crystal Burgess, Los Angeles, Calif.
Meredith Burkhart, Newton, Kan.
Samantha McElroy, Wichita, Kan.

Honor Roll – Freshmen

Landon Baer, North Lima, Ohio
Savannah Bontrager, Milford, Neb.
Daisuke Chiba, Aikawa, Japan
Santino Cuellar, Newton, Kan.
Nebiyat Demissie, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Tyler Huffman, Goshen, Ind.
James Hunter, Lenexa, Kan.
Jeffrey Kauffman, Hutchinson, Kan.
David Ladwig, Wichita, Kan.
Jose Lezama Mendoza, Barquisimeto, Venezuela
Cooper Morgan, Dacula, Ga.
Zachary Neely, Ada, Okla.
Patricia Oliver, Wichita, Kan.
Jacques Palmer, Arlington, Texas
Garrett Roth, Hesston, Kan.
Dylan Schoknecht, Woodstock, Ga.
Carissa Slabach, Newton, Kan.
Kyle Stucky, Moundridge, Kan.
Austin Troyer, Rockingham, Va.
Haley Unruh, Wilmore, Kan.
Jiayi Wang, China
Ashley Yasin, Lake Isabella, Calif.
Payton, Yehnert, Parker, Colo.
Lindsey Yoder, Millersburg, Ohio

Honor Roll – Sophomores

Meron Ageze, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Heath Agnew, Mountain City, Texas
Wyatt Baer, Marshallville, Ohio
Madeline Black, Hesston, Kan.
Sarah Booth, Newton, Kan.
Alyssa Booton, Lehigh, Kan.
Erin Brubaker, Goessel, Kan.
Christian Buerge, Garden City, Kan.
Aby Byler, Harrisonburg, Va.
Christina Kauffman, West Liberty, Ohio
Jeffrey Kauffman, Hutchinson, Kan.
Jimmy Kim, Gunpo, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
Cierra King, Cochranville, Pa.
Riley Kingsley, North Newton, Kan.
Myrella Lopez, Newton, Kan.
Nelson Martinez, Port Saint Lucie, Fla.
Emily McMichael, Fort Worth, Texas
Marianna Meza, Valley Center, Kan.
Anna Miller, Millersburg, Ohio
Hannah Miller, Parnell, Iowa
April Newfield, Peabody, Kan.
Madison Roberts, Valley Center, Kan.
Guershon Safari, Boise, Idaho
Emma Schrock, Lakewood, Colo.
Kaitlyn Shaw, Newton, Kan.
Graham Stauffer, Hesston, Kan.
Allyson Steiner, Peoria, Ariz.
Taryn Wallace, Hesston, Kan.
Madison Wedel, Newton, Kan.
Moira Wells, Elbert, Colo.
Gabriela Willis, Rusk, Texas
 

Honor Roll – Juniors

Jaren Allen, Cheney, Kan.
Geoffrey Bell, Andover, Kan.
Jaymee Bowers, Goshen, Ind.
Megan Coon, Inman, Kan.
Brianna Gouvion, Newton, Kan.
Alyssa Graber, Wolford, N.D.
Kendra Honeycutt, Lincoln, Calif.
Hannah Howe, Bel Aire, Kan.
Nicole Janssen, McPherson, Kan.
Ciara Kroeker, Hutchinson, Kan.
Dakoda Lee, Boise, Idaho
Katelyn McFarland, Clearwater, Kan.
Desiree Newman, Archbold, Ohio
Michelle Nguyen, Wichita, Kan.
Gretchen Nisly, Hutchinson, Kan.
Bailey Osborn, Valley Center, Kan.
Amber Partin, Derby, Kan.
Alicia Ramirez, Albuquerque, N.M.
Frank Reese, Bel Aire, Kan.
Chase Spencer, Ochelata, Okla.
Kendra Stang, Wichita, Kan.
 

Honor Roll – Seniors

Kelly Ahne, Maize, Kan.
Rebekah Bell, Wichita, Kan.
Laura Blosser, Hesston, Kan.
Lisa Brady, Wichita, Kan.
Rebecca Engberg, Wichita, Kan.
Amie Geist, Wichita, Kan.
Lauren Guhr, Newton, Kan.
Ashley Herrman, Park City, Kan.
Manisa Howell, Park City, Kan.
Samantha Jones, Wichita, Kan.
Ann Nguyen, Wichita, Kan.
Kezia Peterson-Sommer, Sterling, Kan.
Kristen Rimer, Bel Aire, Kan.
Beth Schurz, Phillipsburg, Kan.
Paige Winget, Wichita, Kan.

First RN to BSN class marks a new start in college’s history

Aside from the start of spring semester classes for all students, Wednesday, January 11, 2017, marked a historic day at Hesston College as 27 students gathered in Lemons Center 1 as the first group of nurses in the college’s new RN to BSN program.

“We as faculty and staff are very excited about officially launching our RN to BSN program today,” said Bonnie Sowers, director of Nursing Education. “The start of this program is a historic moment for Hesston College Nursing and the college in general as we are able to serve students in new ways.”

None of the students are new to Hesston College – all 27 just happen to have previously graduated from Hesston’s associate degree nursing program (ADN) and have returned to take the next step in their education and professional development.

“Today truly feels like a family reunion – with new opportunities to reconnect with our amazing nursing alumni,” said Sowers. “The spirit in our department is positive and our graduates’ excitement about starting this next step in their professional journey is palpable. We are grateful for God’s continual leading and presence within our nursing program.”

While most of the students are local to south central Kansas, one student believes so much in Hesston’s nursing program that she will make a monthly three-hour commute from the Kansas City area.

“Bonnie and the rest of the faculty take a genuine interest in their students and go the extra mile to make sure we have everything we need,” said Amy Jantz, who graduated from Hesston with her ADN in 2006 and now works as an RN at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo. “My experience here the first time was wonderful, so when I heard I could finish my bachelor’s here as well, it was an easy decision.”

Jantz said the nursing industry’s shift to requiring RNs to have a bachelor’s degree is becoming increasingly prevalent in the Kansas City metro area. While she could have had her choice of RN to BSN programs in closer proximity or programs that operate completely online, Jantz decided Hesston’s value-added program was worth the commute.

“People here truly care,” said Jantz. “They know your name and your story and they are committed to seeing you succeed. It’s also good to be able to integrate with the rest of the class face-to-face on a regular basis – to get to know them. It’s harder to have online discussions or do group work when you don’t know the other people or even what they look like.”

Hesston’s RN to BSN program is a hybrid that meets both online and on campus. Students who are enrolled full time meet on campus for a full day twice a month, and part-time students meet one full day on campus each month. Full-time students are on a one year completion track, while part time students will complete the program in two years.

Hesston launched the bachelor of science in nursing program in Fall 2015 in response to industry goals that 80 percent of RNs have a BSN by 2020. New RN to BSN classes will start at Hesston every January.