Nebraska Public School Advantage News

Nebraska Public School Advantage News

The Tie That Binds: Storm Families keep culture going strong at Creek Valley

The Tie That Binds: Storm Families keep culture going strong at Creek Valley

February 13, 2020
By Tyler Dahlgren The high-schooler walked hand-in-hand with the kindergartner through their school’s gymnasium in Chappell, a small town in the Nebraska Panhandle. Heartwarming moments like these are growing more common at Creek Valley Public Schools, since the implementation of “Storm Families”, an innovative mentorship model that is binding the entire district. Tessa Fraass, Creek Valley's K-...Read More

Meet Jen McNally: ESU 5's mental health model strives to provide wellness for all

Meet Jen McNally: ESU 5's mental health model strives to provide wellness for all

February 3, 2020
By Tyler Dahlgren Though 18 years in the making, the story of Jen McNally’s career really starts anew each morning. As coordinator for ESU 5’s Mental Health Program, which was piloted ahead of the 2017-18 school year, no two days ever look quite the same for McNally, a psychotherapist herself whose comprehensive approach to mental wellness in the school setting centers on the foundation of self-...Read More

The Next Step: A Key Piece to School Culture, O'Neill's Center for Teaching and Learning Celebrates Student Triumphs

The Next Step: A Key Piece to School Culture, O'Neill's Center for Teaching and Learning Celebrates Student Triumphs

January 27, 2020
By Tyler Dahlgren Eme Aufdenkamp cooks her meatballs in oil as the sizzling from the stovetop blends comfortably into the buffet of sounds coming from the kitchen inside O’Neill’s Center for Teaching and Learning. Ashley Butler browns ground beef and then stirs the meat sauce while Franklin Sorrels maneuvers around his peers and slides a tray of garlic bread into the oven. Their classmates hustle...Read More

Create, Solve, Innovate: Collaboratively Developed, ESU 11 Lab Sets Students Up For the Future

Create, Solve, Innovate: Collaboratively Developed, ESU 11 Lab Sets Students Up For the Future

January 21, 2020
Tyler Dahlgren Welcome to Stephanie Dannehl’s library, where, contrary to the cliche, you’re not supposed to be able to hear a pin drop. Inside Bertrand Community School on a cold Tuesday in January, the space is alive and humming with enthusiasm. ESU 11’s CSI Lab, a mobile makerspace containing 10 high-tech stations, is here for the next two weeks, a perfect fit for a place that’s sending...Read More

The Power of Storytelling: An Update Blog

The Power of Storytelling: An Update Blog

January 8, 2020
By Tyler Dahlgren If you’re reading this, it means the Holiday Season has come and gone, and you’re geared up for another semester with recharged batteries and a few new pairs of snazzy dress socks, colorful ties or whatever wardrobe booster stocked your stuffing. As I’m writing this, Thanksgiving is a few days away, because that’s how deadlines work, and, in between the deep-fried Turkey, mashed...Read More

Community, Collaboration and a Partnership with Kids at its Core

Community, Collaboration and a Partnership with Kids at its Core

December 18, 2019
By Tyler Dahlgren Part One: At the Table Around a conference table in North Platte, three professionals in the field of education gathered to share a story they frankly didn’t even know existed to tell. It’s a story of community, collaboration and a partnership that functions because of what is at its core: Kids. Around here, it’s always been about kids. And though they line the interstate and...Read More

Science Fair Showcases Creativity, Innovation at Waverly Middle School

Science Fair Showcases Creativity, Innovation at Waverly Middle School

December 18, 2019
By T yler Dahlgren Each fall, science teacher Gary Brown gives his eighth-grade students at Waverly Middle School a set of paramaters, assists them in finding an idea, and sets them loose. For the next 10 weeks, students freely explore the science behind a proposed solution. The eighth-graders, some partnered up and some working solo, creatively craft their projects, meeting a myriad of deadlines...Read More

With Reckless Abandon: For students, North Platte's Brandy Buscher avoids the path of least resistance

With Reckless Abandon: For students, North Platte's Brandy Buscher avoids the path of least resistance

December 5, 2019
By Tyler Dahlgren There’s 30 miles between Sutherland and North Platte, a stretch Brandy Buscher travels every day. Eastbound to work in the big town each morning. And westward towards home in the small town each night. Thirty miles, to decompress from the day, in thirty minutes. On some days, that’s all she does. She enjoys the calmness. And, on some days, the really tough and heavy ones, she...Read More

Positively Poetic: State Poet shares message with ESU 11 students at The Tassel

Positively Poetic: State Poet shares message with ESU 11 students at The Tassel

November 15, 2019
By Tyler Dahlgren Matt Mason stood on The Tassel Performing Arts Center’s stage Thursday morning and recited his Pushcart Prize-winning poem “Notes for My Daughter Against Chasing Storms”. Before long, the auditorium was filled with laughter--and Mason’s infectious energy. The author of two full-length books of poetry, Mason is no stranger to the Holdrege area. From 2000-2007, he was an...Read More

Must-See TV: Tucked in Tuesdays have Crete Elementary Students and Families Tuning In

Must-See TV: Tucked in Tuesdays have Crete Elementary Students and Families Tuning In

November 12, 2019
By Tyler Dahlgren Another Tuesday is winding down at Crete Elementary. The clocks on the wall are inching towards three and there's a buzz rising in classrooms throughout the building. These kids are excited, and (plot twist!) not for the ringing of the day’s final bell. At 3 p.m., the school secretary makes her weekly reminder over the intercom. “Don’t forget, tonight is Tucked in Tuesdays.”...Read More

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