Nebraska Public School Advantage News

Nebraska Public School Advantage News

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
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
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
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
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
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
By Tyler Dahlgren Setting the Scene Lee Schneider’s made-for-television movie begins here, at sunset deep in the dunes of the Nebraska Sandhills. The second-year principal’s arms are fully extended to reach his motorcycle’s gorilla ape handlebars. His do-rag flutters in the wind as he drifts down a steep hill, picking up more and more speed with each line of “I Need a Hero” Bonnie Tyler belts out...Read More
By Tyler Dahlgren The Committee Chadron Public Schools have long leaned on strategic planning, a necessity for similar western Nebraska towns where stakeholder input carries substantial and influential value. Vice President of Chadron’s Board of Education, Sandy Roes speaks candidly about the importance of engagement. “We live and die by collaboration,” Roes said. “We don’t have the resources to...Read More
BY TYLER DAHLGREN NCSA COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST They sit around a conference table in Broken Bow’s North Park Elementary School, five calm and collected 6th-graders ready to field any questions that may come their way. It’s Wednesday, so I break the ice with a “Hump Day” quip, which draws a couple of laughs. Common ground. We’re all just working for the weekend. They’re about to be interviewed...Read More
By Tyler Dahlgren NCSA Communications Specialist There was a kickball game in Falls City’s famous Jug Brown Stadium Wednesday morning. And to the casual passerby, it looked like just that. A rather large group of high school students, far more than the regulatory 10 per side, taking a 30-minute reprieve from the classroom to have some fun under an usually strong autumn sun. On the sideline, Katy...Read More

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