MudSlam!

May 14, 2014 by Melinda Regehr in Campus Life | Comments Off

mud slam4 MudSlam this year was originally planned for Sunday, the 13th of April. However, the weather predicted for this day was not very good. It was very cold this day, so MudSlam was canceled. Ironically, Kansas decided to bless us with some snow later that night. Our next try for MudSlam was Sunday, April 11th. As we got closer to the date, there were many nervous students because there was a high prediction of rain for that day. Thankfully, the weather was not too bad when the day arrived! It was quite windy, but very warm out. This was the first year of playing MudSlam that I did not shiver on the sidelines while not playing. However, it was very hard when playing on the north court because there was a very strong wind coming from the South. My team had many passes that came right back in our faces, and it was very difficult trying to serve against the wind. However, it was very funny to watch people try to serve into the wind.

The “Blockbusters” ended up winning the whole tournament. Thanks to everyone who helped make it possible!

Winning team!

Bubberts 2014

April 22, 2014 by Melinda Regehr in Campus Life, Events | Comments Off

Mods 6A and 6C

This year’s Bubberts Awards were on the evening of April 12th. Bubberts was great as always! Everyone looked super spiffy and fancy. To start the night out, the Bethel Parent’s Association brought lots of homemade desserts and goodies for all of the students to snack on. Once the students were finished with the yummy food, everyone went in to the auditorium, and the show was started. We had six amazing movies directed by: Danny Barrera, Ben Carlson, Brooke Powers, Eric Preheim, Heather Eddy, and Matthew Rodenberg. First place ended up going to Danny Barrera, second went to Ben Carlson, and third went to Brooke Powers. If you have not seen the winning video, “Graduation State of Mind” here is a link for you:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXDP5mMKOYc

In between these videos, the students were entertained by Aaron Tschetter, Cris Nelson, and Cody Claassen. My mod mate, Alli Rudeen, about cried when they sang a Bubberts rendition of the Frozen song, “Let it go.” After Bubberts there was a dance in the library that was also very fun!

A lovely group of ladies!

My roommate, Michelle!

Spring Semester

March 30, 2014 by Melinda Regehr in Campus Life | Comments Off

Mariyana’s Birthday

For my modmate, Mariyana’s birthday, my mod decided to blindfold her and take her to half price appetizer’s at Applebee’s. It was a very sad time when we got there and it was closed. So, Plan B… McDonald’s. Hey, it is the thought that counts, right?

Next up was the concert choir spring break tour! We all had a few days off and then had to be back on the Wednesday of spring break week. We rehearsed a few hours that day, had supper at Bethel College Mennonite Church, and then gave a mini tour at the church.

Jill and I entertaining ourselves on the bus

The next day BCMC, again, provided breakfast and then we had another few hours of rehearsal and sang for a meeting at Bethel College. Then, after lunch, we were finally off to Arkansas! This was a really long bus ride… about eight hours. Once we got to Little Rock, we checked in at a hotel and just relaxed until it was time for bed.

Kaleigh Glanton, Lizzie, and myself

The next day, the choir sang at ACDA, which is the American Choral Directors Association. This was a great concert, and we received a standing ovation. After this, we had a few hours just to hang out. For supper we went to a fancy restaurant and ate some delicious food.

The next day, we got back on the bus and drove to Kansas City, Kansas. Then we sang at Johnson County Community College. They had a very cool hall, and it was great to talk with all of the people that came to see us. Sunday, the final day, we sang at the Church of the Resurrection. I enjoyed this service very much, and found all of the people to be super friendly. Our next stop was Panera– thanks to Dale Schrag. Then we finally got on the bus and drove home. It was a great trip!

This past week, Mojo’s hosted Kaleigh Glanton, a contestant on The Voice. Her dad, Howard Glanton, is the guitar instructor here at Bethel. Mojo’s was packed and it was a a great night of singing!

Cooper Lyle

Lastly, but VERY IMPORTANT, my family got a new puppy! He is an Australian shepherd and some kind of terrier…. Everyone meet Cooper!!

The Pirates of Penzance

March 10, 2014 by Melinda Regehr in Fine Arts | Comments Off

Over the past month many of Bethel’s students have been working on the opera, The Pirates of Penzance. Our fearless leaders in this production were Chris Westover, John McCabe-Juhnke, Doyle Preheim, Danika Bielek, Ethan Koerner, and Soyoun Chun. As a concert choir member, I was in the chorus as a daughter. We wore long, high necked dresses with bloomers, pantyhose, slips, and anything else uncomfortable you can think of! The principals of the show put in many hours, and this past week, the whole cast met every night from about 6 to 10:30 pm. Most of this past week the cast was also joined by the orchestra members- who did an amazing job playing each song with us! This was an exhausting and at the same time exhilarating week. I loved spending time with all of the cast members, directors, and every other person that was involved. We performed this opera three times this past weekend on March 7, 8, and 9. Friday’s show was a great opening night– the audience was very alive and they were very receptive toward our humor. Saturday was a good run, and then we ended with a bang on Sunday afternoon!

Daughters!

Pirates!

Police!

Full cast

#MennoniteColleges

February 8, 2014 by Melinda Regehr in Events | Comments Off

MCUSA Convention 2011

Last month I had a new, but awesome experience! First, for some background, I grew up Mennonite and, yes, I did a lot of Mennonite-y things! I went to all of the youth events that I could. I loved things like the junior high youth event, Know Jesus, put on by Hesston College, junior high youth event, Snow Camp, put on by Rocky Mountain Mennonite Camp, and the Mennonite Church USA high school youth conventions during the summer. Convention, especially, was a week-long-super-exhausting-but-always-high-energy event.

What does this have to do with my new, but awesome experience? Well, at Know Jesus and Snow Camp, the people that attended were mostly from around the area. Snow Camp was in Colorado and Know Jesus was in Kansas. Most of the youth that I met there mainly knew about Hesston and Bethel College, just like I did. However, when I went to Convention, it was a whole different story! There were booths set up from Bethel, Hesston, EMU, CMU, Goshen, Bluffton, and yes I might have forgotten some others. I visited all of the booths that week, but when I left, put the other colleges out of my mind.

College Reps at Menno Haven

My new, but awesome experience was at Menno Haven Camp in Illinois this January, where I was a representative from Bethel College. Katelyn Melgren and I were the only representatives who did not know anyone else. Many of the reps started out at Hesston College and then went to a different Mennonite college. But, they were all still friends. As Katelyn and I maneuvered our way into this already tightly knit circle, I began to see the beauty of each of the colleges they were at. I had this weird sense that I was missing out on something awesome. I wanted to be able to experience places like Goshen or Bluffton, but also be able to experience Bethel. Previously I have not had any desire to experience other Mennonite colleges. I am NOT SAYING THAT I WANT TO LEAVE BETHEL, AT ALL. It is more that I want to know the people at these other colleges. Honestly, I got to know the above people for only two days… and that’s all. But, I already miss the fun of bringing community together, especially across college boundaries.

Last Bits of Interterm on Campus

January 29, 2014 by Melinda Regehr in Academics | Comments Off

As I said before, I took Social Development and Social Justice this Interterm. This class involved many interesting field trips. In Wichita we visited this awesome place called “Dress For Success.” It was by far my favorite place. I thought it was almost perfect! I have to admit, before I walked in, I thought it was going to be a shabby little place with a lot of old, sub-par clothing piled up for people to take. Instead it was super organized and clean, full of beautiful dress clothes, and made to feel like a classy boutique. There were dress suits, dress skirts, purses, shoes, earrings, scarves, necklaces, and probably much more. This place does not just give women some clothes to interview in; it gives women a whole outfit and hopefully a huge boost in self confidence. Not that clothes should define you, but I imagine for many women it is hard not being able to look their best and it is easy to feel not good enough because of the clothing worn.

The women first get one outfit if they have a job interview, and then there are many more opportunities to get another set. It is not just a one and done kind of deal. These women are welcomed back to many meetings and events, and most of them include more outfits. All in all I was very impressed with this social service. Hopefully there is somewhere equally nice for men to go and get some clothing and hope.

Another place we went to was the “Breakthrough Club.” This is a non profit social and vocational program for people with severe mental illness. They focus on wellness and abilities rather than illness and disabilities. This place was really cool; they try very hard to make every one feel they are on the same level. They do not differentiate between “professionals” and “patients.” This program encompasses many areas for empowerment. They have work out equipment in the building, because they want to focus on the well being of the whole person, not just their mental health.

One other really cool place we went was a market-mall type thing. It was very easy to see the Mexican influences in this store. They had a lot of stores that were catered toward the Mexican culture. In one store they had an adorable little bunny! It was the highlight of my trip!

I got to hold him!

Interterm on campus

January 26, 2014 by Melinda Regehr in Academics | Comments Off

This interterm I took a social work class called “Social Development and Social Justice.” We had a great time in class and out of class; for out of class we took five field trips to Wichita. Throughout this class we were challenged to go and experience something that we were not familiar with. A small group of us decided to go to The Muslim Community Center and Masjid (mosque). I am a Mennonite and this was a very different and enlightening trip for me. Here is an except from the journal I wrote for class:

“We did not go in the right door of the mosque, but luckily there was a nice man who showed us to the main office. We were then picked up there by a different man. He was extremely warm and welcoming. He sent the guys over to their part and then took us girls to a stairway. It was kind of confusing, because he could not actually take us up to the women’s area of worship. He found a female student to take us up. We all took off our shoes and then walked up stairs. We did not really know where to go then, so we sat in some chairs on the side of the room. I was surprised by how much I liked the space. I thought I would dislike being away from the main worship area. But, this room was very peaceful to me. The openness of it and all of the space were oddly comforting. The sunlight was shining through the windows and it made me feel very relaxed. A few young girls came over and asked us if we had any questions they could answer. They were very sweet. I asked them the best way to tie our scarves, but they said theirs had two different parts, unlike our scarves.

It was very different to just hear the speaker and see him through a TV screen. They even had sheets over the railing so the women could not see the men at all and vice versa. The atmosphere on our upper level was very interesting. It was very casual; people came in and left whenever they wanted to. Many of the women checked their cell phones, and some texted. A young boy was running around the whole service. I think it is harder for the women to get into the service because they are more physically removed from it.

Their prayers were very interesting. I liked how they were all together, like they were praying as one. Later they told us that they don’t like any space to get in between them and they are very physically close during this time”

Off for Christmas Break

December 14, 2013 by Melinda Regehr in Campus Life | Comments Off

Thursday afternoon I left Bethel for Christmas Break. This break is also the end of fall semester at Bethel College. I left Bethel about 3pm on Thursday, went home for about 10 minutes, and then went to my youngest sister’s basketball game in Whitewater. I got home late that evening and had a little bit of time to relax. The next day, Friday, I left at 1pm for my Camp Mennoscah summer staff reunion. I just got back from that a few hours ago. Of course, if was super fun! But, I am now back at home and do not have to go anywhere. I can sit and read a book or take a nap if I want to. While I have many things I need to do this week, for now I am just reveling in this time off.

As I think back on this past semester at Bethel, I realize that I grew in many ways. This was a very busy semester for me. My classes were no harder than usual, but I had a lot more hours than I was used to. At times I was very challenged deciding how to keep a good balance between school work and socializing. There were many days that I went to class, went to work, and then studied the rest of the evening. Sometimes this frustrated me. But, I am very happy with how my semester went. Hard work may be boring at times, but worth it in the end.

Though I was not able to socialize as much as I wanted, I still grew a lot closer to many people. I had never lived with four of the girls in my mod, and did not know very much about them. I grew to appreciate these four girls not just as nice people, but for the unique aspects that I soon learned about each one of them. I also expanded my overall friendships at Bethel; some people I did not know very well have become very good friends.

Christmas Plans

December 10, 2013 by Melinda Regehr in Campus Life | Comments Off

This is finals week! Lots of stress, crying, and studying. Maybe it is not that bad, but it’s quite intense! To get away from all of the stress I decided to ask all of my mod mates what they are doing over Christmas Break. Except Michelle Unruh, because she is taking a final right now… oops!

Katelyn Melgren- Her mom’s side of the family is coming to town and staying with Katelyn’s family for a few days. They will be going to the Christmas Eve service at her church. They will also have an extended family grab bag with the stipulation that the gift has to be related to food. Christmas with her dad’s family will be the following weekend, over New Years, and they will have a grab bag gift exchange with the theme of silly slippers.

Alli Rudeen- She is going home to Osage City. Later, she will come back to this area for her mom’s side family Christmas in Moundridge. This will be a rather large party of 20+ people. Her brother and sister in law, Aaron and Rachel, will also be coming home from where they live in Oregon. At some point, Alli will have Christmas with her dad’s family in Kansas City. In addition to these plans, Alli is going to catch up with some high school friends before they go to study abroad, read some books, get excited for her interterm trip to Europe, and not think about school for three weeks. Of course, she is hoping for some shopping trips with her mom, also!

Alyssa Scheuerman- She and her other two siblings will all be travelling home for this break. Then Alyssa is going to Iowa to see her grandparents. She is excited to make candy with her mom and help her dad chore. More importantly, she is excited for all of her siblings to be together, because it will be the first time since last Christmas.

Madelyn Weaver- She is going to stay in Hesston and spend a lot of time with her family. She will be having a Weaver and Lehman Christmas also. The Weaver Christmas is at her house and the Lehman Christmas will most likely be at her grandparents in Florence, KS. They will bake sugar cookies, and on Christmas Eve they will eat a special raclette meal, which is a Swiss tradition that her family has.

Allie Hipp- She is going to visit her grandparents in Ellis, KS. Her extended family will have a grab bag and,yes, present stealing is allowed. The stealing can sometimes get very intense, so hopefully she will survive the break ;). When she is not having fun, she will be working with her dad on the farm. Allie also has a lot of presents to wrap because she has already finished her Christmas present shopping! Apparently this lady knows how to black Friday shop!

My plans, you ask? I will be going home for a few days, and then traveling to California with my parents and siblings. We will be staying with my grandparents and having a wonderful Christmas there! I think skiing may be in the line up… which I have never done! Then around New Years Day, we will head home, right in time for interterm to start.

Mod 6A Christmas picture

December is Here!

December 10, 2013 by Melinda Regehr in Campus Life, Events | Comments Off

This past week was very busy! I had multiple assignments due all at once, including a 30 minute presentation and multiple papers. Friday was reading day, oh, and also Gala! I do not think much “reading” was done on this day. So, Gala happened Friday night. We had a delicious meal in Memorial Hall, which was very beautifully decorated. Next was a cold walk over to the FAC for the jazz concert. All of the musicians did a wonderful job! After that, we walked over to the president’s house where we were served cookies and could take pictures with Santa! Finally there was a dance that I heard was a great time.

Two days later, we had some more fun-but-distracting-from-studying events. The first was Lighting of the Green. I helped out with this event by passing out candles and then lighting them. For a person who is not very good with lighters to begin with, this was a very difficult task in the bitter cold. But, the candles, singing, and company was totally worth braving the weather.

Immediately after Lighting of the Green, everyone could head over to the caf for a nacho bar and presents from the Bethel Parent’s council. All Bethel students received a Mojo’s gift card- which is one the best kind of gifts to get! This was also a tacky Christmas sweater party. I saw some pretty tacky sweaters. However, Allan Jantz’s was not supposed to be tacky… in case you were wondering!

Today is Tuesday, the 10th of December. I had one final yesterday, took two already today, and have one left at seven tonight. After that I am done with school for a few weeks! Well, almost. I plan to stick around to finish up my service learning volunteer hours and work at my campus job for some extra Christmas money!

Archives for melindaregehr