TOTY | Kind and invested: Students, faculty speak on Klassen's impact at Bethel
Klassen is leaving an incredible mark on the Bethel community, which earns him the Thresher of the Year honor.
Note: For full Thresher of the Year content, pick up a copy of issue 12.
At the end of the academic year, Bethel College community members — students, staff, and faculty alike — are called upon to nominate individuals for the annual Thresher of the Year award. This accolade is awarded to someone who has a desire to connect with Bethel and non-Bethel communities, as well as someone who embodies the Thresher Way qualities and characteristics.
This year, following careful consideration of numerous candidates, Damon Klassen was chosen as the recipient of the Thresher of the Year award by the staff of the Collegian. As a Bethel alumnus with several years of dedicated service to the institution, Klassen was recently promoted to the position of Director of Theater at the college.
Conversations with Bethel students and staff shed light on why Klassen was selected to be this year’s Thresher of the Year — he has had a profoundly positive impact on those around him.
“Kind, personable, helpful, invested, honest” — these were the words used by Christine Crouse-Dick, Professor and Chair of Communication Arts, to describe Klassen.
Crouse-Dick further elaborated on Klassen's commitment to social justice, by sharing, “I admire how he seems to be guided by an ethic of social justice.” Not only does this guide his productions, but it also guides his scripts, shows, and how he chooses groups to give a voice to.
'“He is a thinker, and because he’s a thinker, just being around him causes you to think more deeply and more carefully,” remarked Crouse-Dick.
Similarly, Henry Waters, Director of Choral Music and Associate Professor of Music at Bethel, commended Klassen's flexibility.
“I admire his flexibility. He lets the students try things, exploring their character and their delivery, before refining them. That is a valuable and professional model for our students.”
Waters also highlighted the nurturing characteristics that Klassen shows his students. “He genuinely cares. He's interested in you as a real person. He actively wants to help students be the best they can be in anything they do.”
“He genuinely cares. He's interested in you as a real person. He actively wants to help students be the best they can be…”
Henry Waters
Students, too, echoed these sentiments, recounting their genuine and positive interactions with Klassen.
Rowen Schulz, a freshman from Lena, Ill., has been in the theater productions this past year and has gotten to work closely with Klassen. When asked to describe Klassen, he shared, “Genuinely, I would describe Damon as one of the kindest people I have ever met. Being in a show of his, I've gotten to interact with him first hand and he is so unbelievably kind and funny.”
Schulz emphasized Klassen's genuine concern for his actors as individuals, recalling a touching gesture when Klassen provided him with melatonin and some muscle relaxants to alleviate stress.
Tristan England, a junior from Pretty Prairie, shared how Klassen played a pivotal role in his decision to remain in the theater department.
“Damon has been a large factor in my choice to remain in Bethel theater,” said England. “With some persuasion from Damon, I decided to join the cast of Tick, Tick... BOOM! in the spring of 2023, and after Damon took over as head director shortly after Tick, Tick... BOOM! closed, I knew I had to stay in the program.”
Through his kindness, dedication, and unwavering support for students, Damon Klassen has truly embodied the essence of the Thresher Way, leaving an incredible mark on the Bethel College community.