Thanks for your sons and daughters
by Lamar Roth, Dean of Students
2005-06 at Hesston College has been an exciting year. Your sons and daughters have had so many experiences since Opening Weekend last August. They have worked very hard, played very hard and developed life-long relationships. Some will say “Good-Bye” and graduate this May. Others are already making plans to return for a second year. They are choosing rooms and roommates, next year’s courses, and are preparing for new leadership roles on campus. What an exciting time it is for them, and for us!
I invite you to attend Commencement Weekend beginning Thursday, May 4, with the theater production of Moon Over Buffalo. The weekend will culminate on Sunday, May 7, with commencement services. Check the weekend schedule and plan to attend.
Thank you for entrusting your students to Hesston College!
Resident Assistants “retreat” to Branson
by Joy Gehman, RA – E1CS
Relaxation! That is the first word that comes to mind when I think of the Hesston College R.A. Retreat we had the weekend of April 7-9. The feeling of not being responsible for anyone but yourself, not worrying about the details of planning events, finding drivers to get to those events, and then doing your best so that the plans go smoothly, was a great relief. Nope, it was not our job anymore, not for this weekend at least. This weekend the Student Life staff--specifically Lamar Roth (Dean of Students), Brenda Wenger, Christine Schweitzer, Brent Brockmuller, and Chris Strong--were taking care of it for us! In a sense, they were like the R.A.’s this weekend and we were one big mod.
The mod activity? Going to Branson, Missouri! We left around 1 p.m. on Friday and loaded into three vans. Around 6, we arrived at the enormous Bass Pro Shop in Springfield, Mo. We were able to explore there for a couple of hours. The creativity in our group was exemplified while we were waiting for the pastor to unlock the church where we were staying. We had unloaded the luggage, so bags, pillows and sleeping bags were sprawled all over the parking lot. I forget how it all came about, but someone grabbed a pillow and encouraged everyone else to do the same. Then two lines were formed with the people and their pillows facing each other. We took turns running through the center of the lines as we got pounded with pillows. Once we were in the church, we played knockout and basketball and had intense games of foursquare that lasted all weekend. On Saturday there were a variety of activities planned for us. There was shopping, hiking, and the Dixie Stampede, where you are served a humongous finger-food meal as you watch a show. Early Sunday we left the church and had our own church service at a nearby park. Chris Voth led worship, Mitchell Sweigart gave a devotional, and there was some special music from a quartet. After that we went to Lamberts, a restaurant that is known for its “throwed rolls”, because they actually throw them at you! After that we loaded into the vans and traveled back to our responsibilities and our real mods that we had left for the weekend.
International wedding traditions
by Dave Osborne, International Student Advisor
On March 30, Hesston's international students hosted their annual International Festival in the decorated Bontrager Student Center. An international meal was prepared by the college’s Food Service staff and served by 25 international students. The menu included foods from Korea, India, Indonesia, The Democratic Republic of Congo, The People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong, Japan, Colombia, Nepal, Kenya, and several countries in South America. The festival was attended by the college’s residential students, plus an additional 110 guests.
Following the meal, the students presented a 60-minute program with the theme, “Celebrating Weddings Around the World.” Dances, skits, songs and a PowerPoint presentation provided information and fun for the audience. The evening’s event was the 14th annual festival.
Photos from International Festival
European Chorale anticipates tour
by Jake Rittenhouse, Choral Director
The European Chorale has been meeting for rehearsals and classes since March 14. The Chorale, consisting of 30 singers, is working on the preparation of approximately 30 choral selections for their European performances. Much of the choral repertoire is by American composers and arrangers, which is the music the European audiences prefer to hear when performed by American choirs. The group is also receiving orientation and educational input concerning the cultures of the various countries we will tour, as well as the art and architecture we will encounter in our travel.
The Chorale will present only one home concert this year. This will occur during the Commencement Weekend on Saturday evening, May 6. The concert will be held at 9 p.m. (following “Larkfest”) in the Hesston Mennonite Church. We will depart for Europe on Wednesday, May 10, for our nearly month-long tour, and will return on June 7. We will visit four countries--The Netherlands, Germany, France and Switzerland. The choir will present 13 concerts during the course of the tour, and will visit many sites of the early Anabaptists while in The Netherlands and Switzerland.
Music and Theatre News
Matthew Schloneger, Voice Instructor
This semester has brought many exciting events in the vocal department. It started with the class Music Theatre Workshop. This eight-week class was taught by Matthew Schloneger (voice) and Megan Tyner (theatre) with the assistance of choreographer Margaret Mead-Finizio (dance). Students in the class learned the basics of music theatre, including technique for the singing actor and basic dance skills, as well as how to prepare for auditions and performance. The class culminated with each student participating in the auditions for Music Theatre of Wichita's summer season. Students involved in this class were Rachel Albrecht, Aaron Ressler, Justin Thompson, Beth Kaufman, Adam Larson, Tara Hershberger, and Gabrielle Werner.
With the arrival of spring, two sophomore recitals were presented. Beth Kaufman, a sophomore from Freeman, S.D., gave a flute and voice (soprano) recital on Thursday, April 6, following the Grandparents Banquet. Selections included pieces by Handel, Schubert, Samuel Barber, and others. A second recital was given by Krista Miller (soprano) from Hesston, Cameron Pauls (tenor) from Middlebury, Ind., and Laura Sharp (piano) from Hesston. Their recital given on Tuesday, April 11, included a mixture of classical and music theatre pieces.
Larks Softball News
by Michelle Wade, Softball Coach
The Hesston College softball team is comprised of very young members this year. With only two returning sophomores to carry the load, many freshmen have been asked to “step up to the plate.” Although the record does not show it, the Larks are playing well and improving day by day. Strong contributors for HC are sophomores Holly Stutzman (Friend, Neb.) and Jaimie Borntrager (Haven, Kan.). Keri Boshart (Wayland, Iowa) and Tricia Montano (Hesston) carry the load of pitching, while infielders Traci Doty (Valley Center, Kan.), Hannah Gilham (Hebron, Neb.), and Tana Nelsen (Dorchester, Neb.) supply defense. Jamie Leichty (Wayland, Iowa), Katie Sowers (Hesston), Regina Wenger (Lancaster, Pa.) and Brittany Roth (Milford, Neb.) cover the grass.
I think the Larks are well on their way to peaking at the appropriate time, late in the season, and that we will close out the 2006 year in strong fashion.. (Find out more about this year’s team at the Hesston College Softball page.