Nebraska Public School Advantage News

Nebraska Public School Advantage News

Desh the Halls!: Dragons put a bow on another December to remember

Desh the Halls!: Dragons put a bow on another December to remember

December 22, 2022
By Tyler Dahlgren There’s so many directions we could have gone with the headline. “Deshing Through the Snow….” “You know Deshler and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen….” “Desh the Halls….” The latter, albeit predictable, was the least of a stretch, not to mention incredibly accurate. Throughout the month of December, Deshler’s Dragon lair is overflowing with seasonal flavor. And that’s to be taken...Read More

Cozad begins building for the future the "Haymaker Way": "There's a terrific sense of ownership in this community, a drive to be the best we can possibly be"

Cozad begins building for the future the "Haymaker Way": "There's a terrific sense of ownership in this community, a drive to be the best we can possibly be"

December 21, 2022
By Tyler Dahlgren Before he was the interim superintendent of Cozad Community Schools, James Ford was a part of a legion of basketball coaches who swear by an age-old adage: Look good, feel good, play good. Ask any athlete. The mantra is tried and true, and it extends well beyond any field or court. “Same thing goes for learning,” said Ford. “If you’re comfortable in the learning space, if it has...Read More

Building a Kingdom of Wellness: "Wellness 4 All" model gives students in Seward County districts a comfortable space to center

Building a Kingdom of Wellness: "Wellness 4 All" model gives students in Seward County districts a comfortable space to center

December 14, 2022
By Tyler Dahlgren Early in the first semester of his senior year at Milford High School, Alec Shook learned a lesson as valuable as anything a dozen years of curriculum could possibly offer. “It’s healthier to speak about your problems than to let them build up,” Shook said. For years, Shook had done the latter. He’d stash worries and file burdens until the coast appeared clear, figuring an “out...Read More

Veteran and longtime school administrator Ramon Otero shares a powerful message at South Central USD 5's Veterans Day Program

Veteran and longtime school administrator Ramon Otero shares a powerful message at South Central USD 5's Veterans Day Program

November 29, 2022
I snuck in the side of Sandy Creek's gymnasium halfway through Ramon Otero's speech, crossing the stage as quietly as I could. It was Friday, Nov. 11th, and South Central USD 5 in Fairfield was holding its annual Veterans Day Program. The gymnasium was packed, with Otero, the husband of the district's superintendent, at the podium. I was there to spend some time with the school's digital media...Read More

Sandy Creek's Storytellers: Digital Media team leaving its mark on South Central USD 5

Sandy Creek's Storytellers: Digital Media team leaving its mark on South Central USD 5

November 23, 2022
By Tyler Dahlgren Folks around Fairfield will be talking about the 2022 football season for a long, long time. Their Sandy Creek Cougars played eight-man football for the first time in 55 years, and they played it well, racking up six wins and advancing to the second round of the Nebraska Class D-1 State Playoffs. It’s quite a story. One the players, their families, the coaches and fans will...Read More

From a bank in Southwest Kansas to becoming ESU 17's first mental health provider, Stephanie Fling's journey is a rewarding whirlwind

From a bank in Southwest Kansas to becoming ESU 17's first mental health provider, Stephanie Fling's journey is a rewarding whirlwind

November 16, 2022
By Tyler Dahlgren The story of ESU 17’s first mental health provider starts at a family-owned bank in Southwest Kansas. Before her move to the foot of Nebraska's Sandhills, that’s where Stephanie Fling worked. Throughout her career, though, she couldn’t shake the inclination to pursue a career shift into education. More specifically, into mental health work. Six years ago, a life shift happened,...Read More

The Library Magic: Collaborative spirit and passion brings one of Nebraska's eight joint school/public libraries to life

The Library Magic: Collaborative spirit and passion brings one of Nebraska's eight joint school/public libraries to life

November 11, 2022
By Tyler Dahlgren Tucker Tejkl's bad days are few and far between. If you follow the Shelby-Rising City superintendent on social media, you know that already. But if he ever catches himself in a mood, a quick pass through the school's library almost always does the trick. "You always get a smile as you go through here," Tejkl said. "Seeing the kids, how they're interacting and just the energy in...Read More

The Shelves are Stocked: Beatrice High School's Mini Market helping students, families in pilot year

The Shelves are Stocked: Beatrice High School's Mini Market helping students, families in pilot year

November 4, 2022
By Tyler Dahlgren For years, Officer Zac Lauenstein kept the drawers in his Beatrice High School office stocked with snacks to bridge the gap from meal to meal. Pop-Tarts, granola bars, sweet and salty crackers- the good stuff . Over his 12 years serving as a high school resource officer, Lauenstein hosted countless students in that office, their troubles wide-ranging, some more severe than...Read More

Swedes Crowned Don't-Quit Champions: Behind the two-week whirlwind that brought "Body by Jake" and a $100,000 fitness center to Gothenburg Elementary

Swedes Crowned Don't-Quit Champions: Behind the two-week whirlwind that brought "Body by Jake" and a $100,000 fitness center to Gothenburg Elementary

October 24, 2022
By Tyler Dahlgren It’s funny how fast something can come together in a small town, where word seems to spread at the speed of light and folks are somehow even quicker to lend a helping hand. One minute a YouTube ad plays on a treadmill screen at the local YMCA, and the next minute the famous creator of “Body by Jake” is in an elementary school on the foot of The Sandhills cutting ribbons and...Read More

Cultivating Culture: Diller-Odell's surge to volleyball success started off the court

Cultivating Culture: Diller-Odell's surge to volleyball success started off the court

September 30, 2022
By Tyler Dahlgren The streets of Odell are almost always quiet. As the sun set Tuesday night, silence echoed up and down the small village’s streets. I had my windows down, enjoying one of the first cool breezes of Autumn. It was a true joyride. An easy kind of peaceful. Completely still. Odell, I tell you, could have passed for a ghost town. But then I heard it. Climbing up Perry Street, still a...Read More

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