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Pre-college students enjoy science and music camps

Each summer, Bethel hosts a number of camps for students in elementary grades through high school. The Summer Science Institute, Music Camp and Broadway at Bethel were among the many camps that enriched the lives of dozens of students this past June.

The 8th annual science camp took place June 3-8. Eleven students participated in sessions on astronomy, chemistry, environmental science, molecular biology and theory of mind. Students engaged in hands-on scientific investigation throughout the week, with ample time provided for evening recreation. The camp culminated in a Friday-afternoon symposium of student presentations attended by parents, grandparents, siblings and friends.

The Summer Science Institute gives students who have completed the freshman, sophomore, junior or senior year of high school direct experience in current fields of scientific research under the guidance of faculty mentors. Since 2000, 64 students have attended — many of them more than once — each receiving an hour of Bethel credit for his or her work.

This year’s Summer Music Camp took place June 10-16. Fifty-six students from 20 Kansas towns and three students from Pennsylvania took the opportunity to work with Bethel students and faculty, who introduced them to the music department through solos and ensemble performances. The week concluded with an exhilarating final concert by the campers.

Broadway at Bethel again was a success, with 37 students attending to learn and perform a musical, all within the week of June 17-24. This year’s production was “Li’l Abner.” Two of the attendees traveled from out of state to join the camp — one from Texas, the other from Rhode Island.

Storycorps project comes to Bethel/Newton

Kauffman Museum and the Newton-North Newton Historic Preservation Commission collaborated to bring StoryCorps, the national oral history project, to the Newton area June 19.

Keith Sprunger and Jim Juhnke ’62, emeriti professors of history at Bethel, participated in one recording session. They reminisced about the college in the 1960s, including student activism on and off campus and how they as beginning teachers related to this unique period in American history.

In another session, museum director Rachel Pannabecker ’80 and Oswald “Ozzie” Goering ’49, McPherson, retold the story of Kauffman Museum at Bethel College, from its beginnings by collector Charles Kauffman to its renaissance in the 1980s and evolution into the active educational center it is today.

In Newton, two other alumni — Richard Glover ’81 and Marvin Ewert ’50 — shared stories about Bethel Deaconess Hospital and Axtell Christian Hospital and Clinic, including the merger of the two hospitals into today’s Newton Medical Center.

Other StoryCorps subjects included Prairie View, development of Newton, the history of the railroad in the community, local family businesses and the city’s Mexican-American community.

Mirror of the Martyrs back at Kauffman Museum

Kauffman Museum technician David Kreider ’82 and museum assistant Arlin Ratzlaff ’61 have reinstalled “Mirror of the Martyrs.” The traveling exhibit had been on display at the Amish and Mennonite Interpretive Center, Arcola, Ill., in spring. Kauffman Museum serves as the permanent home for the display.

Play golf for Bethel in Nebraska in August

Alumni and friends of Bethel are invited to the 14th annual Summer Thresher Golf Classic and Barbecue Saturday, Aug. 11, at the Henderson (Neb.) Municipal Golf Course. The four-person scramble tournament, sponsored by the Alumni Association, supports the college. All golfers are welcome.

Check-in is at 7:15 a.m. and shotgun start is at 8 a.m. At 1 p.m., golfers, alumni and friends are invited to a barbecue lunch at Wally’s Place west of the course. The meal is hosted by local alumni.

Cost is $50 for golfers (includes greens fee and lunch). Current Bethel College and high school students may play for free. Those eating lunch only are asked to donate $6.

For a registration brochure, contact Office of Alumni Relations, (316) 284-5251, alumni@bethelks.edu. The deadline to register to play is Friday, Aug. 3.

Update on alumni trip to London 2008

More information is now available about the Alumni Trip to London for Bethel alumni and friends scheduled for Saturday, June 7, through Monday, June 16, 2008. Introductory details had been advertised in “Thresher E-View,” Context magazine and on the Bethel Web site.

Basic cost of the trip is anticipated to be $2,300-$2,600. The package price will include roundtrip airfare from Chicago to London and back to Chicago; a roundtrip transfer from the London airport to the hotel and back; eight nights in a standard first-class (four-star) hotel, based on double occupancy; daily English breakfast; two evening meals with the group; and tickets for two theater performances with the group. The anticipated basic cost assumes no dramatic changes in exchange rate nor in fuel prices.

To indicate your interest in participating and receive more information, contact the Office of Alumni Relations, (316) 284-5251, alumni@bethelks.edu.

Web site now printer-friendly

Sometimes the old-fashioned way of reading on paper just can’t be beat. Bethel’s Web site, www.bethelks.edu, now offers readers a printer-friendly option, which packages all of the necessary information on the page into an easy-to-read, space-saving (and paper-saving) format. To print a Bethel Web page, click “Printer-Friendly Option” in the upper right-hand corner of the Web page before choosing to print.