In the News

Hesston College European Chorale to perform kick-off concerts

The Hesston College European Chorale will kick off its European tour with several local concerts. The 37-voice choir will perform at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 12, in the Schowalter Villa Chapel in Hesston, at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, April 22, at Inman Mennonite Church as part of the morning worship service and at 4 p.m. Saturday, May 5, in the Hesston Mennonite Church sanctuary on the Hesston College campus. The concerts are free and open to the public.

The choir, under the direction of Bradley Kauffman and with accompaniment provided by Ken Rodgers, will perform nine concerts in the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, France and Spain May 8 to 29.

Hesston College choirs have taken a European tour every two years since 1980. Aside from concert appearances, students will also explore the history and culture of the countries they visit, visit historical Anabaptist and early Mennonite sites and stay with host families.

Hesston College to “go green” with 2012 Earth Day celebration

Hesston College academic departments, campus facilities and local businesses will partner to host an Earth Day celebration at Hesston College from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 19 on the Hesston College campus. The event is free and open to the public.

The day’s activities will center around the theme “Living the Green Life,” and will complement the college’s emphasis on sustainability during the academic year.

“The purpose of Earth Day is to remind ourselves that we live in the world and we need to do our part to take care of it,” said Nelson Kilmer, science faculty member and one of the event’s organizers.

Classes and individuals from the science and business departments will present conservation methods for energy, water, soil and waste. Participants can come and go as they explore ways to be sustainable.

Highlights include presentations and rides on the electric bicycle and bicycle charging station from Kilmer’s Physics II class, food cooked with solar energy, presentations from Lorna Harder’s Environmental Biology class and Dyck Arboretum of the Plains staff on gardening and native landscapes and information about recycling and waste disposal.

Menno Barrel, a student-operated rain barrel business from business instructor David LeVan’s Entrepreneurship class will sell their 55-gallon, recycled rain barrels. The rain barrels, which can be purchased for $70, a savings of up to $55 over competitors, capture rain from roofs and store it for later use. The students created the business for a class assignment and constructed the barrels themselves from recycled food-grade drums purchased from Pepsi Co. in Wichita. All of the profit earned from the sale of the rain barrels will be donated to Mennonite Central Committee to help continue water conservation efforts in countries around the world.

Local businesses will also be present to demonstrate their “green” products, including a representative from Westar Energy’s Smart Energy Program with a Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf electric cars, Excel Industries with the Zeon electric mower and King Solar explaining solar panel installation.

At 7 p.m. on April 22, the college will host award-winning author Marty Essen with his high-energy, multi-media show “Around the World in 90 Minutes” in the Hesston Mennonite Church sanctuary on the Hesston College campus. The show is a compilation of stories and photos Essen took during three and a half years of traveling the world with his wife, Deb, for his book “Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents” (Encante Press, 2007). The program is free and open to the public.

Hesston College students help send books to Ethiopia

above Hesston college students (from left) Evette Yoder (Phoenix, Ariz.), Anna Yoder (Garden City, Mo.), Carly Unruh (Wayland, Iowa) and Asbel Assefa (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia) package books for Ethiopia Reads during the campus packaging event sponsored by the African Student Union. Photo by Kendra Litwiller.

Asbel Assefa’s school in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, wasn’t so different from the schools her American classmates attended. The education Asbel received at Bethel Mekane Eyesus School prepared her to further her education at Hesston College. Yet one detail sticks out as a glaring difference when comparing Asbel’s school to schools in the U.S. – books.

For many schools in the eastern African country, books that are beneficial to student learning are in short supply. According to LeAnn Clark, a Hesston resident involved with the non-profit organization Ethiopia Reads, many classrooms in Ethiopia have no books and 99 percent of the schools do not have libraries.

Asbel’s Christian school had books and a library, but there was still room for improvement.

“At most schools in Ethiopia, the library isn’t given much priority,” said Asbel, a Hesston College freshman. “My school’s library was unorganized and not stocked with good books for students.”

Hesston College students rallied together and partnered with Ethiopia Reads during the last week of March to package and ship books to create libraries at schools.

According to Ethiopia Reads, Ethiopia is a poor country with an average annual income of $125. Only four percent of the more than 80 million people have electricity and there is overwhelming poverty and disease. About 12 million people will go without eating a meal every day, and 57 percent of the population lives with extreme hunger. The country’s 4.8 million orphaned children give it the second highest number of orphans in the world.

“It is difficult for children in Ethiopia to get a good quality education,” said Clark. “The average child only spends one year in school. They are eager to learn, but in many cases they are only able to attend for a half day because of extreme overcrowding.”

Denver-based Ethiopia Reads was founded in 2001. It collects, sorts and ships books to Ethiopia to open libraries in schools. The organization has opened more than 60 libraries and established five regional mobile libraries. The programs are managed and run by Ethiopians in Addis Ababa and Awassa who also grew up without books at home or school. The organization provides training for the Ethiopian employees in library science, publishing and design, project management and non-governmental organization administration so they can help improve literacy and opportunities for the country’s young people.

“We have already lost a generation of Ethiopian children to AIDS and poverty, and we are going to lose another generation unless someone does something,” said Clark. “There is nothing literacy doesn’t impact – it can change so many things in children’s lives.”

Hesston College’s African Student Union arranged for the campus community to package more than 20,000 books that had been collected by a Houston, Texas, Starbucks. Members of the African Student Union also helped serve at a baked potato bar fundraiser March 16 at the Hesston Area Senior Center where they raised about $1,000 to help ship the packaged books to Ethiopia.

“People in the United States don’t realize just how privileged they are to have books at their disposal,” said Hesston College freshman Zenawit Nerae (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia), African Student Union president. “I hope that by being a part of Ethiopia Reads we have helped people on campus understand the impact books have on education.”

Asbel’s school recently received a shipment of books from Ethiopia Reads as well, and though she wasn’t there to enjoy the new books, she was grateful that someone recognized the need and that her younger sisters could reap the benefits.

“Without good reading material, educating students is hard to accomplish,” said Asbel. “I think education is the best thing for development. I was humbled by the reaction of the Hesston College students and their willingness to help. The work Ethiopia Reads does is special because it has a lasting effect – a really good one.”

Photo release - A parade of nations

Hesston College’s annual International Festival is an opportunity for international students to share their cultures with the rest of the Hesston College campus. Guests enjoy food from the students’ countries and a program of traditional songs and dances.

The theme for the 2012 festival on March 22 was “A Parade of Nations,” which focused on the flags of the students’ countries and an Olympic athlete from each country in preparation for the summer 2012 Olympics in London.

Hesston College is home to 36 international students from 13 countries during the 2011-12 academic year.

The business of conservation

by Kyle Albrecht and Rachel Schlegel

Hesston College business instructor David LeVan has given the same assignment to his Entrepreneurship class each spring semester for the last three years – create and operate a business for a few weeks during the semester as a way to gain practical business experience. In the past, the student-run businesses sold relatively inexpensive and easy to produce products to students on campus.

This year’s class dreamed bigger. The seven students wanted to do something that would benefit more than just the class or the college. Inspired by the college’s emphasis on sustainable living and a suggestion from Bible and Religion faculty member Marion Bontrager, the class decided to make and sell rain barrels.

The students named their business “Menno Barrel,” based on the college’s affiliation with Mennonite Church USA and the business’ local target market. Over the course of about three weeks, the students will manufacture and sell 55-gallon rain barrels. All of the profit earned from the sale of the rain barrels will be donated to Mennonite Central Committee to help with relief efforts in countries around the world.

“We wanted to reach out to the community and do something that would have an impact on more than just students on campus,” said sophomore Mallory Schroeder (Newton, Kan.), Menno Barrel CEO.

The idea and strategy behind Menno Barrel is to help with water conservation and provide a cost-saving water source option for outdoor water needs. The barrels capture rain from roofs and store it for later use. The recycled barrels also complement the students’ efforts to remain as environmentally friendly as possible.

The students are constructing the barrels themselves from recycled food-grade drums purchased from Pepsi Co. in Wichita and selling them for $70, a savings of up to $55 over competitors.

“We analyzed all the costs of constructing our own barrels versus buying them from a distributor and selling them for profit,” said sophomore Hayden Goerzen (Newton, Kan.), chief financial officer for Menno Barrel. “We came up with a design that was simple and effective so the barrels are easy for customers to use, and we are able to offer them at a cost that is much lower than the competition.”

Two of the students on the team participated in a rain barrel construction class at the Sedgwick County Extension Office as part of the research for the company. With just a few adaptations to the design they learned from the class, the students realized that constructing the barrels themselves was both simple and cost-effective.

“The barrels are designed to be fairly simple for any person to install or repair regardless of past experience,” said freshman Brandon Sharkey (Goshen, Ind.), Menno Barrel’s head of manufacturing.

The students of Menno Barrel decided their idea was a good business venture because the nearest competition is about 45 minutes away in both Wichita and Hutchinson. They are excited to be a local option for the residents of smaller towns in south-central Kansas while also offering the recycled option that major home improvement stores do not.

The students drafted a business plan and presented it to college administrators on March 23 to ask for assistance with start-up costs. The college agreed to make an initial investment of almost $1,300, giving the students official approval to move ahead with their business venture.

“This is the best business idea we have seen from this class since it began,” said Hesston College President Howard Keim following the student presentation.

During the first night of manufacturing in the campus facilities space on April 3 the students were efficient and effective in developing a system to clean and begin construction on the barrels. Each student’s business leadership was evident as they worked together to solve problems from a leaky hose to the correct sizing of a drill bit.

“I’m excited that the students decided to take on a project of this magnitude,” said LeVan. “The complexity of the venture required thought and commitment. It’s what I hoped this assignment could be every year. They are working together, taking leadership roles and working with an outside audience, which can be challenging and scary, but they are willing to do it.”

Menno Barrels will be sold during the annual Mennonite Central Committee Relief Sale at the Kansas State Fair Grounds in Hutchinson from 3 to 9 p.m. April 13 and from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 14. They will also be sold on the Hesston College campus during the college’s Earth Day celebration from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 19.

(left) Menno Barrel CEO Mallory Schroeder; (center) Freshman Matt Weaver (Goshen, Ind.) drills a spigot hole in a drum to be turned into a rain barrel; (right) The Hesston College Entrepreneurship class takes a break from turning 55-gallon food-grade drums into rain barrels. Pictured from left are sophomores Brenda Nieto-Montoya (Three Rivers, Mich.), Mallory Schroeder (Newton, Kan.), business instructor David LeVan, Kyle Albrecht (Clarence, N.Y.) and Hayden Goerzen and freshmen Matt Weaver (Goshen, Ind.) and Brandon Sharkey (Goshen, Ind.). Class member not pictured is sophomore Miranda Hilliard (Sedgwick, Kan.).

Photo release - Grandparents explore diversity

above Grandparents of Hesston College students learn about the diversity of Africa from Pastoral Ministries Director Tim Lichti, freshman Zenawit Nerae (Ethiopia) and sophomores CJ Chukwukelu (Nigeria) and Ron Moyo (Zimbabwe) during one of the Grandparent Days sessions.

Hesston College hosted more than 70 grandparents of 42 students during the college’s annual Grandparent Days March 29 to 30. Grandparents traveled from five states to spend time with their grandchildren and learn more about Hesston College. The theme over the two days was “The Many Faces of Diversity.” Presenters ranged from students to faculty and staff to community members and explored the diversity of students’ backgrounds, religious beliefs, learning styles and hometowns and countries on the Hesston College campus.

“I have been impressed with Hesston College for a long time,” said Lester Eigsti who traveled with his wife Gloria from Goshen, Ind., to visit their grandchildren sophomore Jill Eigsti and freshman Russell Klassen, both of Goshen. “Hesston’s friendly atmosphere and support system really gives students the opportunities to discover a life path.”

(left) Freshman Zenawit Nerae (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia) presents about the traditions and religions in her home country; Hesston College sophomore Andrew Penner (Fresno, Calif.) gives a campus tour to a group of grandparents on campus for the college’s annual Grandparent Days March 29 to 30.

Nursing students experience cross-cultural clinicals

Providing medical care in a building with unpredictable electricity, observing cataract surgeries performed by the light of a flashlight and with local anesthesia, caring for patients while dealing with language barriers, making friends and bridging cultural gaps – that’s how a group of Hesston College nursing students spent their spring break.

Rural India is not a typical college student spring break destination. But for the group of seven nursing students and one of their instructors, it was the spring break trip of a lifetime.

While many of their classmates used the week away from classes to relax, the group traveled 32 hours one way – 20 of those hours in the air – adjusted to an 11 and a half-hour time difference and went without the comforts and amenities of home to spend two weeks observing and working in India’s health care system Feb. 29 to March 13.

The group was hosted by Menno-Clinic, India in the southern village of Chiluvuru, Andhra Pradesh, for a cross-cultural experience that provided them with clinical opportunities in a new environment and culture while putting their growing nursing knowledge to practice.

“Nursing care is really universal,” said Jean Rodgers, the nursing instructor who accompanied the students. “Nurses throughout the world have the same basic care knowledge. This was an opportunity for the students to experience nursing care from a much different cultural sense than they are used to.”

Menno-Clinic opened in 2002 as an affordable option for medical care. Dental and eye care were added in 2007. The vision for the clinic was started by Dr. Subbarao “Doc” and Olga Yarlagadda who wanted to help improve the lives of the people in their native country. With support and fundraising assistance from the Emma Mennonite Church congregation in Topeka, Ind., and other Mennonite churches and organizations around the world, the clinic became a reality.

Doc, who now lives in Memphis, Tenn., accompanied the Hesston group along with Hesston College alumni John C. Murray and his son John N. Murray. The elder Murray was lead pastor of Emma Mennonite Church during the clinic’s early stages and now serves as lead pastor at Hesston (Kan.) Mennonite Church. John N. is a youth pastor at Trinity Mennonite Church in Glendale, Ariz.

“When Menno-Clinic was started, part of the dream was to bring people from the United States to engage in the clinic, so this was like a dream come true,” said the elder Murray, who serves on the clinic’s board of directors. “The people at the clinic were grateful for these students who took an interest in them and who they are and made them feel valued and cared for. The interactions were a step in helping break down long-standing caste barriers.”

The students spent several days at Menno-Clinic working in a rotation to participate in different aspects of the clinic – taking blood pressures and pulses at the initial check in, helping doctors in the exam room, observing cataract surgeries and other procedures at the eye clinic and in the lab and pharmacy. They also visited local government operated and private hospitals where they were able to see the differences in health care between the United States and India and even within India itself.

“The standards of care in India are different than the standards we follow in the U.S.,” said Rachel Tippin (Elbing, Kan.). “I learned it’s important to not judge the system because of its limitations and just learn as much as I can.”

Government-run health care in India means free health care, but the students saw how it has greatly decreased the quality of care in government hospitals. A lack of funds, resources and staff make sanitary conditions and proper care difficult.

“I was really struck by the conditions of the hospitals,” said Logan Duerksen (Newton, Kan.). “They try their best to keep the hospitals sanitary, but it’s difficult for the staff to help people get better when they are exposed to so much – even in the hospitals.”

Outside of the clinic and hospitals, the group spent time getting to know local people and becoming acquainted with the culture and beliefs. They attended a Hindu wedding, spent a day playing with children at an orphanage and led Sunday school at a local Christian church.

The group also took time to go from house to house in the village visiting with John C.’s friends from his nine previous visits to India and learning about their lives and families.

“The hospitality the people showed us was overwhelming,” said Kara Ropp (Kalona, Iowa). “They were eager to host us and made us feel like old friends.”

In a country where Christians, Muslims and Hindus make up the majority of the population, the Hesston students had commonalities with only a handful of those with whom they interacted. The country’s historical idea of a caste system also presented difficulties as the students tried to connect with and give back to the people assisting them during the trip. Yet they found that the differences didn’t matter all that much.

“We came from different backgrounds and beliefs, but it was great to be able to come together over food and conversation to fellowship, eat and laugh,” said Anna Yoder (Garden City, Mo.).

As the students returned to campus to finish the remaining seven weeks of the semester and process the impact of the trip, they found that their worlds and professional understandings have grown.

“The trip was beneficial to me as a nurse because it helped me see how important it is to be considerate of the different cultures and lifestyles within a community,” said Duerksen. “Nursing is more than just the medical aspect – it’s valuing relationships with patients and co-workers so they are reminded that they matter.”

Cross-cultural nursing trip blog

Grace Schmidt (Wichita, Kan.) watches a cataract surgery at Menno Clinic India. The surgeries were 15 to 20 minute procedures performed with local anesthesia and, at times, by the light of only a flashlight as electricity was unpredictable.

Hesston-Bethel Performing Arts receives NEA grant to support concert and residency by The Rose Ensemble

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Chairman Rocco Landesman has announced that the agency will award 863 grants to organizations and individual writers across the country. Hesston-Bethel Performing Arts is one of the grantees and will receive $10,000 to present an April 27 concert and three-day residency by The Rose Ensemble. The 863 grant awards total $22.543 million, encompass 15 artistic disciplines and fields, and support projects in 47 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

The Rose Ensemble’s April 25 to 27 residency with Hesston-Bethel Performing Arts will include outreach performances and lectures for the student bodies of Hesston College and Bethel College (North Newton) as well as for Goessel Elementary School and two Newton elementary schools. The Rose Ensemble will also lead a free public choral master class with the Hesston College and Bethel College choirs at noon on Wednesday, April 25, in the Bethel College Administration Building Chapel. The residency will culminate with a public concert entitled “Music from the Land of Three Faiths: Voices of ancient Mediterranean Christians, Jews and Muslims” at 7:30 p.m. April 27 at Hesston Mennonite Church on the Hesston College campus.

The Rose Ensemble reawakens the ancient through imaginative performances of vocal music with historical instruments and a vocal sound critics have called “supernatural.” Based in St. Paul, Minn., the ensemble was winner of the 2005 Chorus America Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence. The group’s concerts and recordings have been called “first class” (Neuss-Grevenbroicher Zeitung), “impassioned and brightly alive” (Choral Journal) and “engaging… satisfying” (Gramophone).

“Art Works is the guiding principle at the NEA,” said agency Chairman Rocco Landesman. “I’m pleased to see that principle represented through the 823 Art Works-funded projects. These projects demonstrate the imaginative and innovative capacities of artists and arts organizations to enhance the quality of life in their communities.”

Matthew Schloneger, director of HBPA, is grateful that the NEA continues direct grant funding to Kansas organizations despite the organization’s cuts in 2011 for matching funds for the Kansas Arts Commission.

“We are grateful for the ongoing support of the National Endowment for the Arts,” said Schloneger. “HBPA is one of only five Kansas organizations to have received direct NEA funding for each of the last five years, and I think that speaks to the incredible artistic quality of our series.”

In March 2011, the NEA received 1,686 eligible applications for Art Works requesting more than $84 million in funding. The resulting funding rate of 49 percent of eligible applications reflects both the significant demand for support and the ongoing vitality of the not-for-profit arts community despite current financial challenges. Art Works grants are awarded based on the applications received by the NEA and how those applications are assessed by the review panels.

For a complete listing of projects recommended for Art Works grant support, visit the NEA website at arts.gov.

Single ticket prices for the Rose Ensemble’s Hesston concert range from $15 to $18, depending on seating section, with discounts available to students and senior citizens. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 620-327-8158 (Hesston College) or 316-284-5205 (Bethel College), email hbpa@hesston.edu or visit the HBPA website at www.hesston.edu/hbpa.

The Hesston-Bethel Performing Arts Series, now in its 30th year, started in 1982 as the

Hesston Performing Arts Series (HPA) with funding and planning provided by Hesston College and the Hesston community. In 1998, HPA planners launched a partnership with Bethel College (North Newton) and the name changed to Hesston-Bethel Performing Arts. Hesston College and Bethel College host five performances by world-renowned or regionally acclaimed artists each year.

Hesston College students to preach during Holy Week

Four Hesston College students – Dani Klotz (Wakarusa, Ind.), Mariah Martin (Glenwood Springs, Colo.), Leah Rittenhouse (Mount Pleasant, Pa.) and Tyler Yoder (Bay Port, Mich.) – will share preaching duties for the Burrton community-wide Holy Week series at 7 p.m. April 1 to 4 at Burrton Mennonite Church. The Holy Week series is open to the public.

The students are enrolled in a preaching course with Hesston College Bible and Ministry faculty member Michele Hershberger and will deliver the sermons in preparation for Easter and as a way to gain practical experience for the class and their futures in ministry.

“Over the past several years I have audited several Bible classes at Hesston while I taught the same classes at Ellsworth (Kan.) Correctional Facility,” said Burrton Mennonite lead pastor Jim Dunn. “I have observed many capable and dedicated students who are testing a variety of calls into professional church wide ministries. Giving students the opportunity to preach at Burrton is simply another setting in which each student might hear and receive confirmation for that call, both from God and folks in the community.”

Yoder, a sophomore, will preach on April 1. His message will focus on Jesus’ call to servant leadership as he prophesied his death during the Last Supper.

“We need to remember that we can be a leader while still being a servant – they go hand in hand,” said Yoder.

Yoder will graduate in May with an associate of arts degree in youth ministry. He plans to continue his studies at Eastern Mennonite University (Harrisonburg, Va.), pursuing a degree in congregational and youth ministry. Yoder is grateful for the opportunity to branch out from his usual focus of working with youth and minister to a more diverse congregation.

“It will be an interesting experience preaching to a congregation that is older than me and that comes from a variety of denominational backgrounds and beliefs,” said Yoder.

Klotz, a sophomore, will preach on April 2. Her message will focus on Jesus’ encouragement of non-violence as he prepares his disciples for his death.

“The passage is a little confusing because at first glance it seems that Jesus is contradicting himself on the issue of non-violence,” said Klotz. “It’s a topic I care a lot about, but I don’t think it’s ever an easy topic to teach or preach about. When you tell someone to be non-violent, you have to have a lot of integrity yourself.”

Klotz will graduate in May with an associate of applied arts and sciences degree in business and an associate of arts degree in Bible. She plans to continue her studies at Goshen (Ind.) College, pursuing a degree in business with a minor in conflict transformation studies. She is focusing on Bible at Hesston as a way to learn more about her own faith and the Anabaptist tradition in which she was raised.

“Studying Bible helps me learn more about my faith and be an informed Christian,” said Klotz. “Preaching class is teaching me skills I may not use often use in a formal setting, but it will help me as I share my faith with others.”

This summer, Klotz and her husband, Natanael Fontan, will work with Western District Conference of Mennonite Church USA in South Texas.

Martin, a freshman, will preach on Jesus’ prayers on the Mount of Olives on April 3.

“I want my message to be a reminder of the importance of prayer and communication with God in our lives,” said Martin. “I hope that the congregation relates to the difficulties and joys of prayer and that they are challenged to follow Jesus’ example to live a life of greater, deeper and truer prayer.”

Martin is studying Bible and Ministry with the hopes of pastoring a church in the future. She is glad for the experiences preaching class offers as she explores the duties of a pastor.

Rittenhouse, a third-year student, will preach her sermon on Peter’s denial of Jesus on April 4.

“I want this passage to challenge us to follow Jesus more closely, even when that means heading into situations that are uncomfortable or scary,” said Rittenhouse. “Transformation often comes from those experiences.”

Rittenhouse earned her associate of arts degree and completed the Disaster Management Program in May 2011. She is non-degree seeking during her third year, focusing on youth ministry and Bible classes and exploring the ways ministry can be a part of any career.

“I wanted to take some of the classes I didn’t have time for in my schedule when I was doing disaster management,” said Rittenhouse. “I am finding that disaster management and a lot of what I am learning in the Bible department go together well. They are both about serving and ministry. Disaster management gave me the skills and tools to help manage disaster situations and my Bible classes explain why we serve.”

Burrton Mennonite Church is located at 411 North Reno Avenue in Burrton.

Dani Klotz, Mariah Martin, Leah Rittenhouse and Tyler Yoder