Stories from Lincoln Public Schools

After a long break as we adjusted to pandemic-life, we are back! Please accept our apologies for the sound quality — we still have some learning to do on that front, but we’re all lifelong learners right?! Today we get to hear about how our educators are stepping up to the challenge of teaching in this new environment we’ve all found ourselves in, including the continuation of a favorite elementary activity — the embryology unit!

We have a number of schools celebrating anniversary milestones this year and the latest was Roper Elementary. It’s been 25 years for the school in west Lincoln and to mark the occasion they held an open house event on March 1st. We were there and we’ll listen to some of the guest speakers.

Brian Fitzgerald

Hello from Lincoln Public Schools. I’m Brian Fitzgerald.

Jason Keese

We announced the winners of the annual Thank You Teacher contest on Thursday during a ceremony at the governor’s mansion. You can read the winning nomination letters, check out photos from the event and even watch a video coverage from the big day. One warning if you do watch keep your Kleenex nearby. A fourth grade teacher from Humann elementary was honored for the creative ways she teaches Nebraska history to her students. Stacey Haney won the History Nebraska Excellence in Teaching Award. Congratulations, Stacey.

And on our website, you also can find that which LPS students placed first at the Scholastic Arts Awards ceremony held in Omaha. 39 students earned a gold key award with a chance to move on to the national competition. You’ll also find photos of many of the winning pieces. As always, you can find all of this and much more on any one of our social media platforms.

Brian Fitzgerald

Jason Keese

Brian Fitzgerald

Boys State basketball is going to be going on the latter half of the week. They’ll be using some LPS facilities will be at Southeast And East. And then of course, they’ll also be at the Devaney Center and Pinnacle bank arena. And then the end the week ends with distr

Thursday is Nebraska Teacher Appreciation Day, so on this episode we’ll listen to the latest Superintendent Spotlight. Steve Joel talks about the powerful impact that teachers can have on students, families and communities.

Brian Fitzgerald

Hello from Lincoln Public Schools. I’m Brian Fitzgerald.

Jason Keese

But first, let’s see what’s making news on LPS.org. Speaking of great teachers, we just posted a story and video about a Park Middle School teacher who’s piloting some cutting edge science curriculum, as he says “It’s really cool.”

LPS released the initial designs for the two new high schools. We have a special web page where you can check out the site-plan documents and watch a rendered fly-through video of what’s inside of the new schools will look like.

And we also have a story about a great event hosted recently by Southeast High School. A 9-11 survivor spoke to students about his experience in New York City that day. His talk held special significance for Southeast. The school’s theatre is named after Jennifer L. Dorsey-Howley

In this episode we listen to the latest episode of Superintendent Spotlight, where Steve Joel and Director of Operations Scott Wieskamp discuss next steps now that the bond issue has passed.

Jason Keese interviews Jaime Boedeker, the principal at Nuernberger Education Center. Jaime talks about his journey to LPS, what they do at Nuernberger, misconceptions about their students and how he deals with the stress of such a demanding job.

In this episode we listen to a couple performances from this year’s African-American Read-In event held at LPS District Office. You’ll hear a North Star High School student perform the song “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and a group of students from Belmont Elementary School read parts of the poem “The Undefeated,” by Kwame Alexander.

Today, we’ll listen to the latest episode of Superintendent Spotlight, our biweekly online interview show with Superintendent Steve Joel. He talks about the power of public education as we celebrated I Love Public Schools Day this week, and he answers a series of questions from students.

Brian Fitzgerald

Hello from Lincoln Public Schools. I’m Brian Fitzgerald.

Jason Keese

Something we just posted yesterday. There are nearly 900 wind turbines operating in Nebraska providing more than 14% of the state’s energy. Now thanks to a partnership with Lincoln Electric System, a group of physics students at North Star High School recently learned firsthand what it takes for a turbine to produce all of that energy. LES provided physics teacher Karen Koval and her students all of the supplies necessary to construct and test energy produced by miniature turbines. Students use supplies such as paper plates, compact discs, construction paper and masking tape to create blades they attach to a turbine roughly 12 inches tall. It’s one example of the many partnerships LPS has with businesses and community organizations.

Th

Today, you’re in for a real treat. Our fellow communications team member Caitlin Lukin rang in the new year by visiting lunchrooms in schools across the city. She asked students from kindergarten all the way to 12th grade about their hopes and goals for the new year and the new decade. Topics included martial arts, unicorns and ninjas who fight garbage!

Today, we’ll listen to the latest episode of Spotlight Superintendent, in which Steve Joel shares some important information about the upcoming bond election on February 11th.

Today, we’ll listen to an interview with Marco Pedroza, the principal at Scott Middle School. Marco talks about his non-traditional path to the principal’s office at Lincoln’s largest middle school. He’ll also answer one of the most confounding questions of our time: would he pick super strength or the power to be invisible.