Nebraska Public School Advantage News

Nebraska Public School Advantage News

Road to Recovery: After tornado tears through Bayard, student CERT team helps clear a path to relief

Road to Recovery: After tornado tears through Bayard, student CERT team helps clear a path to relief

January 24, 2018
By Tyler Dahlgren The Storm First, there was chaos. On the night of June 12th, a tornado tore through the Western Nebraska town of Bayard, uprooting trees and ripping roofs right off of buildings. The storm sent the small town’s citizens scattering for cover. It destroyed family homes and took out power lines. It was a nightmare, leaving behind disarray, debris and damage. First, there was chaos...Read More

Headlights on Highway 1: Conestoga's "Breakfast Club" is changing school cuture

Headlights on Highway 1: Conestoga's "Breakfast Club" is changing school cuture

January 11, 2018
By Tyler Dahlgren It’s still dark outside when the headlights start to appear on Highway 1’s horizons, approaching Conestoga High School from both the west and the east. Tuesday’s forecast calls for an unusually pleasant 55 degrees, another reprieve from a recent string of brutally frigid weather, but that doesn’t matter much at 6:30 in the morning. It’s cold-you can see the breath of students in...Read More

The Christmas Store: Students discover the reason for the season

The Christmas Store: Students discover the reason for the season

December 22, 2017
By Tyler Dahlgren Gordon Elementary students walk into their school’s gymnasium, which for a couple December days has been transformed into a holiday-themed winter wonderland called the Christmas Store. It’s amazing how their eyes light up, said principal Casey Slama, then dart from table to table in instant pursuit of the perfect Christmas gift. There’s “Oohs!” and “Aahs!”, a rush of collective...Read More

The Breakfast Club: Lincoln Elementary staff strives to "make kids smile, every day"

The Breakfast Club: Lincoln Elementary staff strives to "make kids smile, every day"

December 19, 2017
By Tyler Dahlgren Every student at Lincoln Elementary in Hastings deserves high expectations, and the school’s staff is passionately adamant about providing them. No matter the odds. Principal Cara Kimball and her pack of tight-knit teachers don’t pay any attention to those anyways. With a staggering 93 percent of their student body below the poverty rate, Lincoln’s staff can’t afford to. “We are...Read More

The Winston Way: Fremont therapy dog "makes everybody happy"

The Winston Way: Fremont therapy dog "makes everybody happy"

December 12, 2017
By Tyler Dahlgren Almost every morning, Winston trots into his workplace on all fours and becomes overwhelmed with excitement, announcing his presence to his friends at Fremont Middle School with an echoing howl. Anne Echtinaw wishes her four-year-old golden doodle wouldn’t make such a noisy entrance, but the morning ritual isn’t entirely Winston’s fault. You see, Winston is a popular pup. Very,...Read More

Retracing Our Steps: Fall Semester 2017

Retracing Our Steps: Fall Semester 2017

December 4, 2017
By Tyler Dahlgren Blink your eyes once and you’re staring directly at the Holiday break. It certainly never seemed that way as a student, but for a guy that darts around the state from district to district telling your stories of public school success, August, September, October and November passed by in one crazy and fun blur. We’re not quite done with 2017 yet, with a handful of visits and...Read More

Springboard to the Future: SENCAP sets students up for success

Springboard to the Future: SENCAP sets students up for success

November 13, 2017
By Tyler Dahlgren NCSA Communications Specialist Dr. Randy Nelson was freshly retired, a recovering former school superintendent he jokes, when he was approached with an intriguing opportunity. This was nearly a decade ago, in 2008, and superintendents in the ESU 6 area were beginning to consider methods of combatting complacency from 12th-grade students. In other words, they were looking for a...Read More

From Panhandle to Spotlight: An electronics class, their drones, and national acclaim

From Panhandle to Spotlight: An electronics class, their drones, and national acclaim

November 7, 2017
By Tyler Dahlgren The Journey The idea was simple, really. Instead of showering entire fields of crops with pesticides and herbicides, what if a drone could be used to detect the precise location of weeds? The ability to target specific portions of a crop would eliminate the need to blanket spray a field. The ensuing journey, which started with a submission into Samsung’s Solve for Tomorrow...Read More

Teacher Feature: The moments that matter

Teacher Feature: The moments that matter

November 3, 2017
By Tyler Dahlgren For Stacy Quinteros, gratification often comes from a head nod. An affirmation of understanding from a proud student to their teacher, these moments are simple, and even ordinary in most classroom settings. For Quinteros, an English Language Learner teacher to 50 students in Gibbon, they’re the ones that matter the most. “The most rewarding part of what I do is getting those Aha...Read More

A Lost Creek Dream: Inclusive Playground brings joy to ALL in Columbus

A Lost Creek Dream: Inclusive Playground brings joy to ALL in Columbus

October 25, 2017
By Tyler Dahlgren There were magic moments in Columbus last Tuesday night, as a dream more than two and a half years in the making became a heart-warming reality. The grand opening for the Columbus Inclusive Playground drew a large crowd to Lost Creek Elementary School, where students, ALL students, laughed and played under a warm October sun. “It was incredible,” said Megan Johnson, special...Read More

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