In the News

Hesston College to host Arizona golf benefit for student scholarships

Hesston College will host its third annual national golf benefit March 10 at The Legend at Arrowhead in Glendale, Ariz., to raise money for student scholarships. Hesston College alumni and friends of the college are invited to participate in the golf tournament and other weekend activities.

The four-person scramble tournament features play on the premiere Legend at Arrowhead course, designed by golf legend Arnold Palmer, and raffle prizes, including a top prize of a Masters Golf Tournament package for two to the 2012 tournament April 5 to 8 in Augusta, Ga. The package, valued at about $8,000, includes round-trip airline tickets, three nights lodging, breakfasts and evening receptions and tickets for the practice round and opening round.

Raffle tickets are available to anyone regardless of participation in the golf tournament, and individuals do not have to be present to win. Tickets for the top prize are $10 per ticket or 15 tickets for $100 for people participating in the golf benefit and $10 per ticket or 12 tickets for $100 for people not golfing in the benefit.

Other raffle prizes include a Barrett Jackson 2013 car auction VIP package in Scottsdale, Ariz., valued at $3,500, TaylorMade Burner 2.0 clubs valued at $1,500, an Arizona golf package for four for golf at three area courses valued at $1,500 and an Arizona sports package including autographed jerseys of Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald valued at $1,200. Raffle ticket prices for these prizes is $5 per ticket or five tickets for $20.

“The golf weekend is always fun and a good way for people from around the country to reconnect while also supporting Hesston College,” said Development Officer and event coordinator Larry Martin. “Steve Yoder and his daughter Amber Yoder (Phoenix, Ariz.) work hard to find exciting prize donations. No one leaves empty handed.”

Prizes will also be given for first through fourth places as well as the men’s and women’s longest drive and men and women closest to the pin. All participants will receive door prizes of gift cards ranging from $5 to $50.

The tournament entry fee for a team of four is $450. Individuals may also register for $125, and will be placed in a foursome. The entry fee covers green fees, golf carts equipped with a GPS unit for scoring, range balls and a barbecue dinner. Individuals or businesses can sponsor a hole for $250 and receive advertisement for their sponsorship.

For questions or to register or buy raffle tickets, call Amber Yoder at 623-412-2220 or email ayoder@nationalmallfront.com.

Hesston has maintained a presence in Arizona during the college’s week of spring break for many years as it is the annual spring break destination for the baseball team. The team plays at 6 p.m. March 5 at Phoenix College, 5 p.m. March 6 at Arizona State University (Phoenix), 2 p.m. March 8 at Mesa Community College, 6 p.m. March 8 at Gateway Community College (Phoenix) and 12 p.m. March 9 at Arizona Christian University (Phoenix).

President Howard Keim will preach at Trinity Mennonite Church (Glendale) at the 9 and 10:30 a.m. services March 11. Alumni and Church Relations will host a gathering for alumni and friends at the Los Angeles Dodgers versus Chicago Cubs spring training game at Camelback Ranch (Glendale) at noon, March 11. Tickets are $20 for adults and $5 for children 12 and younger. Reservations are required and can be made by calling Hesston College Alumni and Church Relations at 866-437-7866.

Education majors learn lessons of inequality

Hesston College students saw how different education can be from one place to another after spending a day in a Tulsa, Okla., high school.

Hesston education professor Marissa King took a group of 24 education majors to Central Junior High and High School Feb. 14 to experience a school that, for most of her students, was a new environment.

“I want my students to have tangible experiences, to explore their interests and build skills,” said King. “For many students, this trip was cross cultural. We were looking at a school that is incredibly diverse and in an urban setting. The problems and issues are much different than those an affluent school may face.”

Hesston students are used to observing in classrooms in the fairly affluent and rural school districts of Harvey County, Kansas, and most of them come from similar educational experiences. Central provided an opportunity to see education at work in a low economic, inner-city area where school is often not a top priority.

Central is classified as a Title I, Needs Improvement School because it has failed to meet the requirements of standardized testing set by No Child Left Behind. Following the 2010-11 year, the school, which is also a magnet school for fine and performing arts, was one of 28 throughout the city in danger of being shut down due to low enrollment and poor performance.

“Central is one of the roughest high schools in the city,” said Central English teacher Sadie Stockdale. “Most of the kids have never been given the tools they need to believe that they can be successful in life. They come from low-income homes and are involved with gangs. They believe prison is more of a reality than college.”

Central’s atmosphere and historically low student performance rates seem to have a direct correlation with high teacher turnover rates and a lack of adequate leadership from the district, which allowed Hesston students to see first-hand the effects of education inequality.

“The day was an eye-opening experience,” said freshman Bonita Garber of Bainbridge, Pa. “The level of inequality in education because of economic status is mind blowing. No one ever believed these students could make anything of themselves, so they don’t believe it either.”

Several of the teachers at Central, including Stockdale, work through Teach for America, a national organization that places teachers in impoverished areas with the belief that all students – regardless of race or economic status – deserve a high quality education. Teach for America educators join the program as recent college graduates and typically display strong leadership potential. King taught first grade for three years in Phoenix, Ariz., with Teach for America before joining the Hesston faculty for the 2011-12 year.

Teach for America states that only eight percent of kids growing up in low-income communities graduate from college by age 24. Stockdale and her colleagues work hard at Central to change the perceptions students have of themselves.

“High expectations mean a lot to kids,” Stockdale told Hesston students. “Meeting them where they are at instead of giving up when they don’t quite make it and knowing how to manage your classroom are the two biggest attributes a successful teacher can have.”

Hesston students had the opportunity to see classrooms and teachers in action as well as put their own skills to work by participating in the action. They spent the day observing in classrooms, doing class presentations about preparing for college and working in small groups with the high school students to review the standardized test objectives that need the most improvement.

“Teachers must develop diversity competencies in order to effectively serve all students,” said King. “This trip was a chance for students to connect theory and research to action.”

For sophomore Brocia Beachy of Wolcottville, Ind., the day was glimpse into what she might be able to expect as she moves on from Hesston following graduation in May. Beachy plans to spend next year gaining more experience in diverse and low economic areas by volunteering with the Hopi Mission School on the Hopi Reservation in Kykotsmovi, Ariz.

“This year, Marissa and my education classes have helped me discover a passion for teaching and how much I care about kids,” said Beachy. “Being at Central made it evident to me that it makes a big difference when teachers care about their students. It was interesting to see different teaching styles and how students respond to them.”

Central teachers thought the experience was good for their students as well as the college students.

“It is good for the kids to get one-on-one interaction with college students,” said English teacher Matt Gress. “It gives them a chance to see what college could be like and hopefully encourage them toward that path as well.”

Despite some initial concerns from the college students about knowing how to engage the students, they came away with a greater understanding of the struggles that are a reality for so many schools, teachers and students in urban and low-income areas throughout the country.

For Beachy, it was added fuel to serve where she is most needed.

“I want to make a difference for kids wherever I might end up,” she said. “I don’t want to just go where it is easy and always comfortable.”

(left) Sadie Stockdale gives Hesston College education students an introduction to Tulsa Central Junior High and High School; (right) the Hesston College group poses outside Tulsa Central Junior High and High School after their day of observing and working with students.

Hesston College welcomes new board members Anna Gomez, Steve Ropp and Jessica Schrock Ringenberg

The Hesston College Board of Overseers added new board members Anna Gomez of Los Fresnos, Texas, Steve Ropp of Iowa City, Iowa, and Jessica Schrock Ringenberg of Bryan, Ohio during the 2011-12 academic year. Board members serve a minimum four-year term as part of the college’s governing body.

Gomez is a psychotherapist and mediator at Ebony Center, a private psychotherapy practice in Brownsville, Texas. Gomez earned a B.A. in psychology and sociology from Texas A&M University (College Station, Texas) and a M.S. in counseling from the University of Houston-Clearlake (Texas). She is a member of Iglesias Menonita Buenas Nuevas in San Juan, Texas, where she has served as a youth sponsor, worship leader and volunteer at Mennonite Central Committee relief sales. She also served as a member of Mennonite Church USA’s Youth Convention Planning Committee and as a youth worship leader for the Columbus, Ohio, convention in 2009.

“I see Hesston College as a place where our students can develop their skills, build long-lasting relationships and gain a deeper knowledge of God’s mission in the world,” said Gomez. “It is also a place where students develop critical thinking skills, where they work together to solve problems and where they can be challenged by gifted faculty and staff.”

Ropp is Senior Vice President and Director of Commercial Banking at Hills Bank and Trust Company in Hills, Iowa. He is a 1980 Hesston College graduate and earned a B.S. in agricultural business from Iowa State University (Ames). Ropp is a member of First Mennonite Church (Iowa City) where he has served on the Stewardship Commission and as moderator and treasurer. He has also served on the boards of Crooked Creek Christian Camp (Washington, Iowa), Iowa Mennonite School (Kalona), IMS’s Building Campaign board and the food committee for Iowa Mennonite Central Committee relief sales.

“Hesston College has had a major impact on my life and the life of my family,” said Ropp. “It is an honor to serve and give back to a place that supported, challenged and encouraged us.”

Schrock-Ringenberg is a student at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary (Elkhart, Ind.) where she is working on her masters of divinity in theological studies with a projected graduation of May 2012. She is a 2002 Hesston College graduate and earned a B.A. in Bible from Goshen (Ind.) College. Schrock-Ringenberg is a member of Zion Mennonite Church in Archbold, Ohio, where she served as pastor of youth and young adults and Christian education from 2004 to 2010. She also served on the Ohio Mennonite Conference Youth Ministry Resource Committee and as the Ohio Conference representative on the Mennonite Church USA Constituency Leaders Council. She served as a member of Mennonite Church USA’s Worship Planning Committee for the Columbus, Ohio, convention in 2009.

“Hesston College changed my life and set me in a trajectory I could never have accomplished by myself,” said Schrock-Ringenberg. “I am passionate about the mission of Hesston College and I am honored to participate in its future.”

“We are thankful for the high level of commitment and expertise of these new members of the Board,” said President Howard Keim. “Each brings unique experiences and perspectives that will help to build our programs and serve our students.”

The new members join existing members Dale Beachey of Fort Myers, Fla., Ginny Birky of Newberg, Ore., Wilbur Bontrager of Middlebury, Ind., Annette Brown of Frisco, Texas, Kelvin Friesen of Archbold, Ohio, Denton Jantzi of Hesston, Kan., Harley Kooker of Christiana, Pa., Jorge Vallejos of Sandy Springs, Ga., and Norm Yoder of Henderson, Neb. The Board of Overseers meets three times annually on the Hesston College campus to discuss college strategy and policy.

Students to present evening of musical theatre

Students in Hesston College’s Music Theatre Workshop class will present an evening of showtunes and musical scenes at 7:30 p.m. March 1 in the Northlawn Studio Theatre on the Hesston College campus. The performance is free and open to the public.

The evening program will feature scenes from “Rent,” “Kiss Me Kate,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” “The Secret Garden,” “Seussical the Musical,” “Carousel,” “Me and Juliet” and “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change,” and is the culminating event for the nine students enrolled in the eight-week course. The show has a running time of about 90 minutes. Accompaniment will be provided by collaborative pianist and Hesston College music faculty member Ken Rodgers.

The course is an opportunity for students to learn the fundamentals of a singing actor and lay a foundation to pursue musical theatre in their future education or careers. They also create resumes, take professional headshots and learn how to audition. Wayne Bryan, producing artistic director of Music Theatre of Wichita, visited the class Feb. 9 as a guest lecturer to offer audition tips and help students become familiar with the process through mock auditions.

“I think of this course as a kind of music theatre bootcamp,” said Matthew Schloneger, Hesston College music faculty member and one of the course instructors. “Students learn the basics for success in musical theatre whether they choose to pursue it further in college settings, community theatre or professionally.”

Hesston College presents a full-length musical every other spring semester, and offers the class during the off year to give students interested in musical theatre more opportunity to hone their skills.

“People interested in musical theatre need to be a triple threat with acting, singing and dancing,” said Schloneger. “The class teaches the fundamentals of all three.”

Schloneger and his colleagues offer a triple threat in instruction as well. Schloneger, who is a classically trained vocalist and active performer in opera and oratorio, offers professional voice training for students. Students take private voice lessons with Schloneger throughout the eight weeks, focusing primarily on the music theatre singing style. Laura Kraybill, Hesston’s theatre instructor and director, has a master’s degree in theatre education and helps develop students’ acting abilities. Danika Bielek, a dance instructor at Bethel College Academy of Performing Arts (Newton, Kan.) served as a guest dance instructor, teaching basic dance moves and choreographing the scenes for the performance.

Students in the class are sophomores Robert Howell of Newton, Kan., Kaedi LeFevre of Hesston, Kan., Melody Marshall of Grottoes, Va., Libby Waltner of Hurley, S.D., and freshmen Deni Brummer of Hutchinson, Kan., Broxton Busenitz of North Newton, Kan., Emerencia Dudas of Toledo, Ohio, Emmali Lapp of Hesston, Kan., and Cameron Ponce of Elkhart, Ind.

Photo release - One step closer to Broadway

Wayne Bryan, producing artistic director of Music Theatre of Wichita, shares tips about headshots with students in Hesston College’s Music Theatre Workshop class Feb. 9. Bryan was the guest presenter in the Music Theatre Workshop class and Voice Masterclass. He offered audition tips and went through mock auditions with students in the Music Theatre Workshop class and offered critiques for students singing during Voice Masterclass. Music Theatre Workshop students will showcase their work and talent with a performance at 7:30 p.m. March 1 in Northlawn 109. The performance is free and open to the public.

Spectacle of Celtic music and dance comes to Hesston-Bethel Performing Arts stage

The fourth event in the 2011-12 Hesston-Bethel Performing Arts series brings to Bethel College’s (North Newton, Kan.) Memorial Hall stage a wildly popular Irish music spectacle.

Celtic Crossroads will be at Bethel College Thursday, Feb. 23, at 7:30 p.m.

South Central Kansas residents may know Celtic Crossroads from its specials on local PBS station KPTS-Channel 8.

Celtic Crossroads intends “to do [for] Irish music what Riverdance has done [for] Irish dance.” The show incorporates a half-dozen world-class musicians, playing more than 20 instruments – from fiddle to Irish harp, banjo to uilleann pipes, Irish flute to bodhrán – among them. Celtic Crossroads also features high-energy Irish step dancing.

Celtic Crossroads concerts display how Irish music has influenced a multitude of musical genres, featuring a fusion from the Irish music family – including Eastern European Gypsy, North American bluegrass, world classical and jazz, and various forms of Celtic music from around Europe and the rest of the world.

The name “Celtic Crossroads” originates from a time in Ireland when neighboring communities met at the crossroads between towns and villages to socialize (long before the pub tradition began). Celtic Crossroads is intent on keeping the Irish music tradition alive while, by virtue of the performers’ youth and raw talent, high-kicking it into the 21st century (including true high-kicking from some of Ireland’s best Irish dancers).

Interludes from uilleann pipes, whistles and Irish harp, as well as from some of Ireland’s finest exponents of traditional song, transport listeners to that crossroads in Ireland. Tempestuous fiddle playing competes with explosive banjo, intricate mandolin, accordion, mandola and bouzouki and awe-inspiring guitar riffs, while silky flute playing reminds the audience that the fiercely traditional musicians are also classically trained.

On its first American visit, Celtic Crossroads enjoyed a sell-out tour based largely on word of mouth. The HBPA date comes at the very start of the 2012 world tour and is the only one in Kansas and one of a handful anywhere in the Midwest.

The 2012 incarnation of Celtic Crossroads includes Diarmaid Hurley of County Sligo, who has been with Celtic Crossroads since it was founded, on bodhrán, mandolin and bouzouki; Isaac Alderson, American-born, on uilleann pipes; Kate Moloney from County Clare on flute and accordion; Michael McClintock, from Dublin by way of Australia, music director and lead fiddle; James Riley, Dublin, on guitar; and Lisa Canny from County Mayo on vocals.

No one should be surprised to see anyone on stage swapping instruments at any given time, or to hear McClintock or Riley on vocals, in addition to Canny.

The featured dancers for Celtic Crossroads are Marcus Donnelly, County Galway, dance director; Shaunessy Sinnett, a Canadian; and Charlene Morrison, County Mayo.

Single ticket prices for Celtic Crossroads range from $20 to $24, 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), e-mail hbpa@hesston.edu or visit the HBPA website at www.hesston.edu/hbpa.

The final concert in this season’s HBPA series will feature ancient choral music by the Rose Ensemble, April 27 at Hesston Mennonite Church. See www.hesston.edu/hbpa for more information.

This program is presented in part by the cities of Hesston and North Newton, with generous underwriting by area patrons.

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.

by Melanie Zuercher

Bel Canto Singers to perform at KMEA

The Hesston College Bel Canto Singers under the direction of Bradley Kauffman have been selected to perform as part of the Kansas Music Educators Association annual in-service workshop at 2 p.m., Feb. 23 in the Century II Mary Jane Teall Theater in Wichita, Kan. Guest passes for the workshop will be available at the registration booth in the Century II lobby prior to the performance.

The weekend KMEA conference is a gathering of music educators throughout the state of Kansas. Participants attend workshops, presentations and performances featuring some of the state’s best ensembles across all educational levels. Bel Canto was selected to perform at KMEA by a recorded audition from the spring of 2011.

“This is a chance to highlight the work the Hesston College music department – and specifically Bel Canto – does throughout the year for an audience of distinguished educators from across the state,” said Kauffman.

Bel Canto will present two concerts in preparation for their KMEA performance. They will perform 3 p.m. Feb. 19 in the Hesston Mennonite Church sanctuary on the Hesston College campus. The concert is free for the public.

A concert featuring Bel Canto and the Wichita (Kan.) State University A Capella Choir and Concert Chorale under the direction of Tom Wine will be at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 20 in Wiedemann Hall on the Wichita State campus. Wiedemann Hall is easily accessed from Hillside Avenue, south of 21st Street. Admission is $7 for adults and $3 for students.

Bel Canto is a mixed chamber choir, whose members are selected by competitive audition. The ensemble performs at churches and schools across the country with local performances and annual tours during Fall Break, for a weekend during the spring semester and for two weeks every other May. The 2011-12 group has 21 members.

Family history links baseball and softball at Hesston College

In the ultra-connected community that is Hesston College, it’s quite normal for graduates to send their children off to the place they attended years earlier. Moms and dads, sons and daughters – it’s sort of a family thing.

In the early and mid-1980s three young men from three different communities came to Kansas to study and play baseball. And a generation later, those same three men, now fathers, sent their daughters to Hesston to play Softball for the Larks.

This spring, pitcher Erin Albrecht, Sebewaing, Mich., and infielders Ashlyn Knepp, Millersburg, Ind., and Olivia Miller, Newton, Kan., daughters of Barry Albrecht ’85, Terry Knepp ’82 and Forrest Miller ’85, will be lacing up their spikes as freshman for the Hesston College softball team.

In addition to her father, Knepp also has an uncle, Daryl Haarer ’89, who played baseball for the Larks and encouraged her to start her college career at Hesston.

“When I committed to Hesston, my dad and uncle were excited for me,” Ashlyn said. “I think it’s been fun for my dad and uncle to see me follow in their footsteps.”

“I grew up hearing stories about this place,” said Erin, whose parents, along with an older sister, all attended Hesston. “It’s been fun to see my own story develop as I’m walking around the same campus as my family did. I’ve felt a lot of support from them in coming here.”

Both of Olivia’s parents work on the Hesston campus, with her dad also serving as assistant softball coach. Still, Olivia sees herself carving out her own path as she balances softball with the rigors of the Hesston nursing program.

“It’s been fun to be on a campus that my family has so much history with,” Olivia said. “At the same time I feel like it’s been a new adventure for me – something uniquely my own.”

Anthony Brown to honor Paul Robeson with original tribute

Hesston College and The Orpheum Theatre will partner to present “I Go On Singing” an original tribute to Paul Robeson at The Orpheum Theatre (Wichita, Kan.) at 7:30 p.m., Feb. 21 and a free program for schools at 10 a.m., Feb. 22.

Internationally acclaimed baritone and Hesston College faculty member and artist-in-residence Anthony Brown’s tribute to Robeson, who was an all-American athlete and scholar, champion orator, international recording artist, and star of the stage and screen during the 1930s and 40s, is in honor of Black History Month.

Robeson’s story is a 75-minute song-filled, multi-media presentation that reveals him as a towering figure in 20th century American history. Brown uses Robeson’s own words from his autobiography “Here I Stand” and comments from legendary peace activist and artist Pete Seeger to trace his humble beginnings as a preacher’s son in Princeton, N.J., to his international celebrity and pioneering activism on the world stage.

Accompanied by collaborative pianist Hesston College music faculty member Ken Rodgers, photo projection and narrator Junius Dotson, senior pastor at Saint Mark United Methodist Church in Wichita, “I Go On Singing” is equal parts historical documentary and live concert experience. Musical numbers range from spirituals to Broadway, and include original arrangements of Robeson’s favorites like “Ol’ Man River,” “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child,” “Shenandoah,” “Scandalize My Name,” “It Ain’t Necessarily So,” “All Through the Night,” “Joe Hill,” “Deep River” and many others.

Brown is an international promoter of peace, Hesston College sociology faculty and artist-in-residence and founder of Peacing It Together Foundation, an organization that serves the global community as a resource for peace and social justice. He uses music and the spoken word to bring people together across the divides of race, culture and religion. Brown’s travels have taken him to countries such as Bosnia, Moldova, Northern Ireland, Uganda, Ethiopia, the Philippines, China, Japan, South Korea and Colombia, where he has seen music transform and heal.

“Paul Robeson: I Go On Singing” was written especially for Brown by personal friend and playwright, Andrew Flack, and premiered in Robeson’s hometown of Princeton, N.J., to inspiring reviews.

Benjamin J. Colbert, chairman of The Paul Robeson House Committee in Princeton said of the show, “We were very fortunate to have witnessed Mr. Brown’s portrayal of the music, life, and times of Paul Robeson. His performance in ‘I Go On Singing’ brings new life and inspiration to a generation of admirers.”

“Anthony Brown is a treasure,” said Patricia Fernandez-Kelly, Ph.D of Princeton University. “Endowed with a superb baritone voice, he has assembled an exquisite show that celebrates Paul Robeson and his times. Instructive and deeply touching, Mr. Brown’s performance is extraordinary. More people should have the opportunity to witness it.”

Hesston College, the only two-year liberal arts college in Kansas, was named the number 2 two-year college in the country by “Washington Monthly” magazine in 2010. Hesston offers students a supportive and relational community that values immediate leadership and involvement opportunities in all areas of the student experience. Students build a foundation that starts them toward futures of success and service to others, the church and the world.

Tickets for the Feb. 21 performance are $15 and can be purchased at wichitaorpheum.com or through Select-A-Seat by calling 316-755-7328 or at selectaseat.com.

School groups wanting to attend the free Feb. 22 performance should contact Hesston College at 866-437-7866 and The Orpheum Theatre at 316-263-0884 to reserve seating. The program is best suited for middle school and high school age students.