Bethel’s highest academic award, the Thresher, goes to one or more graduating seniors – this year to Emma Beachy, Kalona, Iowa, in history and music, and Bethany Powls, Garnett, Kan., in English.

Beachy earned praise from Joel Boettger, director of bands, for the way she developed skills in jazz piano, “solid fundamentals of jazz language” and a deep love for jazz history while at Bethel, coming in with no training or experience in any of them.

As with almost every other activity normally held in the spring semester, the internet was the venue for presenting the Thresher Awards, which went to five graduating seniors.

May 8 was the scheduled date for the convocation at which they would normally have learned they had received the highest academic honor given each year.

Instead, at 11 a.m., a video of the professors reading the citations from their home offices went live on Bethel’s Facebook page.