Nebraska Public School Advantage News

Nebraska Public School Advantage News

Life, Here They Come: ESU 17 event gives sophomores in The Sandhills real-world simulations

Life, Here They Come: ESU 17 event gives sophomores in The Sandhills real-world simulations

April 4, 2022
By Tyler Dahlgren Life has in its repertoire an array of knee-buckling curveballs, and though that’s precisely the lesson organizers behind ESU 17’s “An Intro to Life” wanted to pass along to the approximately 140 area sophomores in attendance, they weren’t exactly expecting another reminder themselves. High winds swept snow across The Sandhills on Wednesday morning, throwing a potential wrench...Read More

Working on the Future: Students gain invaluable real-world experience through ESU 9's 18+ Program partnerships

Working on the Future: Students gain invaluable real-world experience through ESU 9's 18+ Program partnerships

March 15, 2022
By Tyler Dahlgren Cesar Ramirez doesn’t let working in a soap factory keep his hands from getting dirty. They might always smell good, one of several perks of working at Pacha Soap Co. for a trio of ESU 9’s 18+ Program students who spend their mornings at the company’s fulfillment facility in downtown Hastings, but they’re not unaccustomed to the dusty residue of a solid day on the job. “Getting...Read More

The Purpose in Perspective: Instructional Rounds are an all-around enriching experience for teachers at Cross County

The Purpose in Perspective: Instructional Rounds are an all-around enriching experience for teachers at Cross County

March 9, 2022
By Tyler Dahlgren The bright flame from Jessica Jackman’s chemistry experiment always draws excited gasps and wide eyes, but perhaps the loudest Oohs and Aahs on this Monday morning in February came from the back of the room, where a pack of fellow Cross County teachers stood and observed. It’s a mini-culture shock for a kindergarten teacher to find themselves in a high school science lab, but...Read More

The Avenue Scholars Series: Proud alum Qua'Niquia Damper is a shining light at Children's

The Avenue Scholars Series: Proud alum Qua'Niquia Damper is a shining light at Children's

March 7, 2022
By Tyler Dahlgren Downtime is a rare commodity in the course of Qua’Niquia Damper’s typical day. The 2016 Omaha North graduate is a medical assistant in the Hematology-Oncology Department at Children’s Hospital, where she puts in a full eight hours before heading to Maple Crest Health Center for another shift. Damper is a talented hair stylist, too, and books appointments on the side. Damper, you...Read More

The Avenue Scholars Series: Like he always does, Nazeer Rahy hits the ground running in internship

The Avenue Scholars Series: Like he always does, Nazeer Rahy hits the ground running in internship

March 3, 2022
By Tyler Dahlgren Nazeer Rahy tends to hit the ground running. When his family came to America from Afghanistan through the Special Immigrant Visas (SIV) in 2014 (his father worked with the U.S. military for years prior), it didn't take as long you'd think for the then-12-year-old to acclimate to new surroundings. For example, though his favorite sport is and always will be soccer, Nazeer took...Read More

The Avenue Scholars Series: Millard South senior Billiana Mekoum cherishes opportunity with United Way of the Midlands

The Avenue Scholars Series: Millard South senior Billiana Mekoum cherishes opportunity with United Way of the Midlands

March 1, 2022
By Tyler Dahlgren Marquita Lambert remembers the first time she met Billiana Mekoum. It was last school year, Lambert’s first as an Avenue Scholars career coach at Millard South, and Mekoum, a junior at the time, was quiet. Shy, even. Her potential, however, was quite pronounced. “I saw that Billiana had the drive,” said Lambert, herself an owner of multiple businesses. “She wanted to make a...Read More

Sven Strong: An 8th-grader's cancer journey, the community behind him and a spirit that can't be stopped

Sven Strong: An 8th-grader's cancer journey, the community behind him and a spirit that can't be stopped

February 15, 2022
By Tyler Dahlgren It’s a Tuesday morning in the corner pocket of Nebraska when Sven Rauch walks through the Dundy County Stratton office doors, introduces himself and reaches for a handshake. The eighth-grader’s Helena Acres hat is ever-so-slightly cocked to the side, his maroon t-shirt tucked in tight to a pair of blue jeans. Sven’s belt buckle shines a polished gold and, as the owner of a...Read More

Scripted for Success: Small pocket of northeast Nebraska is rich with One-Act talent and tradition

Scripted for Success: Small pocket of northeast Nebraska is rich with One-Act talent and tradition

January 28, 2022
By Tyler Dahlgren Chapter 1: Setting the Stage After a decades-long run of One-Act brilliance, the trophy case walls at Wausa and Hartington-Newcastle are starting to close in. In early December, “Wausmond” (the school started a play production co-op with nearby Osmond four years ago) brought home the C-1 title from the State Play Production Championships in Norfolk, its 13th in the last 16 years...Read More

Two-generation approach helps Learning Community make lasting impact in Omaha: "The family learns best when they learn together"

Two-generation approach helps Learning Community make lasting impact in Omaha: "The family learns best when they learn together"

January 24, 2022
​ By Tyler Dahlgren Learning Community of Douglas and Sarpy Counties exists to create opportunities for metro children and their families, and CEO Dr. Brad Ekwerekwu refers to the organization’s approach to doing so as holistic. With on-site programming at their North Omaha and South Omaha centers, a steady, collaborative presence in several elementary schools and an innovate Parent University...Read More

Nebraska’s ESUs gather in Kearney for a day of PD around mental health: “It’s become a priority for us, because it’s a priority for our schools.”

Nebraska’s ESUs gather in Kearney for a day of PD around mental health: “It’s become a priority for us, because it’s a priority for our schools.”

January 21, 2022
By Tyler Dahlgren Three times each year, Nebraska’s 19 Educational Service Units (ESUs) gather under the same roof for a day of invaluable professional development, addressing a rotating assemblage of issues in education. ESUCC has seven subgroups that select those focuses based on data gathered and input from districts across Nebraska, ensuring relevance at each ESUPDO event. On Jan. 12 at ESU...Read More

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