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.

Dave Foncannon's alabaster sculptures will be on display in the Hesston College Friesen Center for the Visual Arts gallery Feb. 26 to April 13.

Hesston College will welcome back one of its own – Dave Foncannon – as the featured artist in the Friesen Center gallery Feb. 26 to April 13. Foncannon will display his alabaster sculptures.

A reception and chance for the public to meet the artist will be from 2 to 5 p.m. Feb. 26 in the gallery.

Many of Foncannon’s sculptures – with trademark qualities such as unfinished surfaces and edges and highlighting attributes of the stone – reflect the idea of the journeys through life.

“I think of carving each piece as a journey,” said Foncannon. “I carve intuitively, meaning I don’t come to the piece with a shape or subject in mind. Unfinished parts are reminiscent of natural growing edges in our lives. Tool marks and broken edges are like the marks we carry through life.”

Foncannon, of Limon, Colo., is a man of many talents. Aside from his art, he is also a songwriter and mandolin player for the bluegrass band Fireweed and recently ended an 18-year position as pastor of Pueblo (Colo.) Mennonite Church.

He received an associate of arts in Bible from Hesston College, double majored with a bachelor of arts in Bible and Religion and art from Bethel College (North Newton, Kan.) and earned a master of divinity degree from Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary (Elkhart, Ind.).

The gallery is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

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.

Beachy is a freshman in Hesston’s aviation program. He is the son of Steven and Marcia Beachy of Hutchinson. With his latest accomplishment, Beachy will begin work on the instrument rating.

Hesston College offers flight training and air traffic control programs. Flight training holds FAA certification in single-engine land Private Pilot, Commercial Pilot and Instrument Rating courses, as well as fixed-wing private pilot through airline transport pilot certifications. The air traffic control program is one of 36 Collegiate Training Initiative programs in the country, and the only one in Kansas to gain FAA approval.

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.”

Sadie Stockdale gives Hesston College education students an introduction to Tulsa Central Junior High and High School.

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.”

The Hesston College group poses outside Tulsa Central Junior High and High School after their day of observing and working with students.

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.”

Freshman Jesse Yoder (Sarasota, Fla.) was in complete control on the mound, striking out 14 in six innings of shutout ball to earn the win.

“It was good for our guys to get out and play,” said Ramseyer. “They did a nice job. Jesse Yoder was special on the mound, I was very pleased with his outing. Alec Stahly also did a nice job coming in for the final inning. Alec and Jesse, along with the rest of our pitchers, have worked extremely hard preparing for the season and it was great to see them have success.”

Five Hesston players scored in double figures in the rout, led by sophomore Mishaun Pfannenstiel’s (Inman, Kan.) game-high 20 points. Others who reached double-digits were Rachel Miller (Hutchinson, Kan.) with 15, Marissa Vermillion (Halstead, Kan.) and Mallory Schroeder (Newton, Kan.) with 11 each and Destavia Davis (Nacogdoches, Texas) with 10.

Now 14-12 on the year, Hesston travels to Salina, Kan., to take on Brown Mackie College on Saturday, Feb. 18, beginning at 2 p.m.

Hesston was led offensively by sophomore Mahlon Jones’ (Oklahoma City, Okla.) game-high 34 points. Freshman Pierre Zook (McMinnville, Ore.) added 22.

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.

“Our sophomores have shown tremendous grit this season,” said women’s coach Dan Harrison. “They’ve battled injuries but have kept playing hard and have represented the college and program well. Their leadership and good natures will be missed. This year’s sophomores have been part of some of the biggest wins in the program’s history.”

“I’m excited for our sophomores,” said men’s coach Dustin Galyon. “It will be a great game and I’m excited to honor this outstanding group. This class of young men is exceptional. They’ve made many contributions towards building our program and to the Hesston College community.”

During halftime of the men’s game, fans will be treated to a performance by the Haven Trash Cats. Under the direction of Brad Shores, the high-energy drum corp comprised of Haven (Kan.) High students has performed at numerous festivals, basketball games and other events. 

“We want to thank our sophomores for great basketball in Yost Center the past two years,” said Director of Alumni and Church Relations Dallas Stutzman. “Their academic achievements and contributions to the Hesston campus community have been tremendous. Coupled with tremendous entertainment by the Trash Cats, it will be a fun night. ”