EDUCATION

It’s by no accident that such great things occur in Newton. Foundation of a quality education, from pre-school to college, lead Newton’s youth to success.
With 11 schools in Newton’s USD 373, local Bethel College and Hutchinson Community College Newton Campus, as well as over 15 colleges and Universities in neighboring Sedgwick County, no mind is left to wander.

Newton USD 373 reaches beyond Newton and North Newton to nearby Walton, Kansas and to the rural areas surrounding, embracing more than 3,500 students, and leading to graduating classes at Newton High averaging about 400 students. Here’s a learning environment whose size complements its vision, a school system large enough to enhance the retention of dedicated teachers and the accumulation of the newest educational technology, at the same time a school system not so large that the individuality and idiosyncratic needs of students are lost in the shuffle. Support for education is part of the fabric of community life in Newton. Parental involvement is a given.

The district’s voters recently approved a bond issue for construction of a new elementary school and the major renovation of 10 existing buildings, a vote by the way which passed with a whopping three-to-one margin. Further, Newton students reap the benefits created by USD 373’s endowment. Precious few public elementary and secondary schools enjoy the grants, scholarships, and remarkable educational programming that an endowment makes possible, and the district has made imaginative use of the community’s generosity: in individual grants to creative, extra-mile teachers looking to bring new ideas and fresh approaches to their classrooms, in support of ground-breaking programs otherwise not available, and in recognition of the particular achievement by outstanding students and staff. As a 501(C)(3) tax-exempt organization, the endowment operates without the bureaucratic restrictions too often associated with government-sourced funds, and the Newton community’s support — gathered in annual campaigns and special fund-raising events — channels directly to the service of local education.

Newton schools have answered the community’s call to superior performance. Not only have all schools in the district met Kansas’ requirements for “Adequate Yearly Progress,” but five schools achieved the state’s “Standard of Excellence,” and all students on average consistently score well above mandated competence in math and reading. Six in 10 district teachers hold advanced degrees. Class sizes are controlled, especially in the elementary schools where a limit of 25 students prevails. The district is ethnically diverse, and learning continues in the hallways and on the playgrounds throughout the district.

All instruction, kindergarten through high school, proceeds toward achievement guided and measured by precise standards calibrated to both continuing education and the requirements of the working world, and teachers work with full administrative and parental support in pursuit of those standards. Professional development of teachers is methodical, quantified, collaborative, and relentless, combining classroom experience and ongoing class work to ensure student success against an ever-changing backdrop of familial and cultural change. The district’s resources in this regard stretch from teaching strategies for meeting state assessments to personal mentors to specialized techniques in helping students for whom English is a second language.

Newton athletic teams, known well to opponents throughout Kansas as “The Railroaders,” compete in football, volleyball, cross country, tennis, basketball, wrestling, gymnastics, swimming, soccer, baseball, softball, track and field, golf, and – just begun in the past school year – bowling. Other extracurricular educational fun ranges from competitive dance to debate, from Future Farmers of America to Model United Nations, from jazz band to Odyssey of the Mind Science Olympiad.

USD 373 has joined with other Harvey County school districts in Halstead and Hesston in a cooperative effort to serve students with special needs. These free services address the particular requirements of children from birth to 21 years of age in a seamless continuum stretching from total immersion in the regular curriculum to placement in a separate, dedicated facility, including community-based training for youngsters with moderate to severe disabilities. Naturally only certified or licensed, experienced, highly skilled specialists deliver these services – in adaptive physical education, audiology, occupational and physical therapies, psychology, social work, nursing, speech and language pathology, and visual and hearing impairment – and at the moment more than 700 young people in the three districts are participating.

Each year USD 373 recognizes teachers who exemplify the district-wide ambition toward positive, long-term impact on the lives of children, whether in helping a struggling student at last learning how to learn or encouraging a shy student to step into the spotlight or demanding the very best every student can produce. The criteria for these awards for teaching excellence embody the district’s own published goals: for continuous improvement in students’ learning, for sensitivity to students’ emotional development, for the extension day to day of role models to life in an infinitely complex, increasingly challenging century.

Northridge Elementary 1900 Windsor Dr (316) 284-6540 South Breeze Elementary 1020 Old Main (316) 284-6560 Walton Elementary 502 Main (620) 837-3161 Santa Fe Middle School 130 W. Broadway (316) 284-6270 Cooper Education Center 816 Oak Street (316) 284.6230 Early Education Center 218 E. 7th (316) 284-6510		Slate Creek Elementary 901 E. Fourth (316) 284-6550 Sunset Elementary 619 Boyd (316) 284-6570 Chisholm Middle School 900 East First (316) 284-6260 Newton High School 900 W. 12th (316) 284-6280 Eby Learning Center 900 W. Broadway (316) 283-9208

BETHEL COLLEGE
Founded in 1887 as a part of Mennonite Church USA, this 4-year, Liberal Arts School is located in North Newton, KS.
Bethel College offers four degree options in 21 majors, 19 minors, and also offers five Certificate program, three Pre-Professional programs and three Specialized programs.
Study and Travel Abroad programs, as well as undergraduate research and internship opportunities available in every major. Crossing a span of 90 acres, Bethel College encompasses a new $5.5 million sports complex, and a new $5 million Science Center and Observatory.

Hutchinson Community College
A rich tradition of excellence surrounds Hutchinson Community College and Vocational School. HCC provides educational opportunities to the Newton area with a full service center, located in the historic train depot on the corner of North Fifth and Main in downtown Newton. Services available to students include a full-service bookstore, academic advising, financial aid advising, career counseling, open computer labs, testing and enrollment and registration services.
Since 1928, the institution has been providing quality educational possibilities in a variety of areas. HCC offers vocational and technical education in one and two year programs that lead to 15 certificate and 25 associate degree choices. There are opportunities for transfer study, where students can complete basic requirements at HCC, and then continue at other four-year institutions in the community, or around the state and nation.
In addition, the college has a host of distance education options, allowing students to learn at their convenience, even from home. HCC-Newton offers daytime, evening and weekend courses, designed for the adult learner, and an active Business and Industry program that helps with training and certification for workers and managers. Students can earn a degree from HCC, right here in Newton, or just take classes as a non-degree student to enhance their mind and life.
High school juniors and seniors are eligible to enroll in college-level course work and with HCC’s Step Ahead program, they have the chance to receive tuition credit toward full-time enrollment at HCC for the fall semester following high school graduation.
For additional information, please contact the HCC-Newton Center at (316) 283-7000 or visit them online at www.hutchcc.edu/newton. HCC/AVS is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of NCA.