Nebraska Public School Advantage News

Nebraska Public School Advantage News

Karsyn and her Classroom: Beloved Aurora third-grader is right where she belongs

Karsyn and her Classroom: Beloved Aurora third-grader is right where she belongs

February 4, 2026
By Tyler Dahlgren It’s an ordinary Tuesday in Ashley Peterson’s classroom at Aurora Elementary, and her third-graders are laser focused on the morning’s lesson. Little Karsyn Soto sits behind a corner desk and learns alongside her friends. Fifteen minutes of observation is all it takes to see that Karsyn is right where she belongs. The other kids in the classroom are drawn to Karsyn’s corner like...Read More

The Handprints on Arnold: How one school in The Sandhills has redefined "student-run"

The Handprints on Arnold: How one school in The Sandhills has redefined "student-run"

January 29, 2026
By Tyler Dahlgren You’d be amazed at all the handprints Arnold students have left on their hometown and even some surrounding counties through the years. Here in this Custer County village of 600, students don’t just study business, art and science. They run a graphic design firm, manage a commercial-grade greenhouse, and manufacture products that are installed on street corners, county roads and...Read More

The Many, Many Pathways to Mullen

The Many, Many Pathways to Mullen

January 2, 2026
By Tyler Dahlgren Mullen is small yet mighty. A town of 500 people smack dab in the middle of the Sandhills, it’s known for friendly people, world-class golf courses, and their beloved Mullen Broncos. In this isolated but breathtaking landscape, the school serves as the cornerstone of the community. But behind the school’s tradition of academic, athletic and extracurricular success lives a unique...Read More

The Elf Society: Fifteen Years of Quiet Magic at Centennial

The Elf Society: Fifteen Years of Quiet Magic at Centennial

December 22, 2025
By Tyler Dahlgren Kathy Calder does not think of herself as an elf. Not in the traditional, jolly and jovial sense, anyway. She is more likely to describe herself as a straight-shooter, a tough cookie if you will. By Calder’s own admission, her personality aligns more with the Grinch’s than it does with Buddy the Elf’s. “I can be a hard case,” Calder said. “I have rules and expectations for my...Read More

The Bridge Between Heartbreak and Hope: York Public Schools receives incredible gift in honor of former student

The Bridge Between Heartbreak and Hope: York Public Schools receives incredible gift in honor of former student

December 18, 2025
By Tyler Dahlgren Part I: JJ's Legacy Nearly 11 years have passed since Randy and Jules Vanderheiden lost their son, though time doesn’t dull an absence like JJ’s. His memory lives in quiet moments, in familiar places, and in the stories shared by those who knew and loved him. JJ was a senior when he passed away in January of 2015. He was a three-sport athlete, a good student who instinctively...Read More

Popcorn, Pajamas and Plenty of Cheer: Buffalo Hills Elementary goes big to ring in the holiday season

Popcorn, Pajamas and Plenty of Cheer: Buffalo Hills Elementary goes big to ring in the holiday season

December 17, 2025
By Tyler Dahlgren It was Friday morning in downtown Kearney, peaceful and still when a school bus carrying a jovial bunch of students from Buffalo Hills Elementary came rolling to a stop in front of the The World Theatre. It was just before 9:30, the start of the school’s annual holiday celebration, and the pajama-clad students had their sights set on popcorn, soda and Tim Allen’s Christmas...Read More

Wake Up, Sandy Creek! Elementary students start every morning with an episode of Cougar Talk

Wake Up, Sandy Creek! Elementary students start every morning with an episode of Cougar Talk

December 10, 2025
By Tyler Dahlgren For five minutes every morning, students at Sandy Creek Elementary stop what they’re doing and tune in. At 8:15 sharp, classrooms fall quiet and the Clear Touch televisions flicker on. Two fifth-grade anchors, calm and cool and savvy well beyond their years, appear on screen. The show begins. “Good morning, Cougars!” Welcome to Cougar Talk — the daily student-run newscast that’s...Read More

Courage on the Hill: Brady principal’s quick action helps save a life at State Cross Country Meet

Courage on the Hill: Brady principal’s quick action helps save a life at State Cross Country Meet

December 4, 2025
If you’ve ever attended the Nebraska State Cross Country Championships at the Kearney Country Club, you know about the hill. The Class D girls had just finished their race when Samantha Pavelka started up that daunting hill. The Class D boys would begin soon, and Brady Public School’s principal was on a beeline for some ribbons she needed to pick up for the junior high track team. Then, in one...Read More

Where Gratitude Gathers: Sunrise students lead the way in heartfelt Veterans Day tribute

Where Gratitude Gathers: Sunrise students lead the way in heartfelt Veterans Day tribute

November 19, 2025
By Tyler Dahlgren Sunrise Middle School in Kearney carried on one of its most meaningful traditions last Tuesday, hosting local heroes and their families for a Veterans Day program honoring courage and sacrifice. Sunrise and Horizon, Kearney’s other middle school, alternate hosting the event each year. This fall it was Sunrise’s turn, and the school let the students run the show. “We flip-flop...Read More

A Place to Come Back To: Inside Wahoo High School's CEO program, and the community behind it

A Place to Come Back To: Inside Wahoo High School's CEO program, and the community behind it

November 18, 2025
By Tyler Dahlgren In Wahoo, opportunity doesn’t just wait for students at graduation. Instead, it greets them while they’re still walking the halls. At Wahoo High School, the Career Exploration Opportunities (CEO) program has become a signature piece of the district’s identity, a bridge between high school classrooms and the living, breathing world of work that awaits outside the school’s doors...Read More

Pages