Bethel, Newton Schools unveil downtown banners
The long-awaited project spearheaded by the Newton Area Chamber of Commerce became a reality last Friday.
NEWTON — This past Friday, banners were hung on lampposts in downtown Newton to display the town’s pride of Bethel College and Newton Schools.
The Newton Area Chamber of Commerce made this project — led by Salvador Lujano — a reality and celebrated this accomplishment Friday morning with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Newton Train Depot. The banners are now displayed along Main Street.
Lujano served as the Newton Area Chamber of Commerce board president between 2022 and 2023. He spoke about his passion to foster the same school pride as seen in Lawrence for the University of Kansas and in Manhattan for Kansas State University.
He noted how Manhattan was covered in purple for Kansas State’s big upcoming athletic event. He wanted to see Newton filled with Railer gold and Thresher maroon to demonstrate the area’s school pride.
“We want to show our full support for these students as a community while they begin the next chapter in their lives, preparing to enter the workforce and make a difference in our communities,” said Lujano in a 2022 Newton Chamber of Commerce newsletter.
The Newton High School CTE (Career Technical Education) students contributed to the project by designing and engineering the brackets used to hang the banners. Newton High School and Bethel College’s marketing teams worked together to design the banners. The City of Newton approved the banners and helped hang them on lampposts downtown. The Newton Area Chamber of Commerce staff was also involved and supported the project.
“I’m most excited about seeing more Bethel pride in downtown Newton and the energy it brings,” Dean of Employment Experiences Megan Kershner said. “There has been a longstanding riff between our two communities, albeit much better now than in years past, and I want to do all I can to continue bridging our relationship with one another.”
During the ceremony, speakers of the event included the Newton mayor Leroy Koehn, Kershner, and Lujano. All three spoke about their excitement for the project. The Newton High School drumline was also present. Bethel faculty, staff members, and students were invited to and in attendance for the event.
City workers from Newton are working to hang the rest of the banners following the completion of the ceremony.