"I see [our students] building long, lasting friendships, a sense of belonging to something very special; boosting their self confidence. Each one of my athletes and partners together, they value each other's talents and skills."

Andrea Hill has been leading the Unified Track & Field Team for seven years at Grand Island Senior High, and, well, she’s on a mission.  And she’s got the whole school and the whole GIPS district behind her.

Coach Hill has been a fierce advocate for student inclusion, empathy, and connection through the medium of Unified athletics.  In those seven years, the student athletes and student partners on the GISH Unified Track Team has broken new ground as Unified sports has grown across Nebraska.

Most notably, for the first time in school and state history, the GISH Girls Unified Track & Field Team brought home a sweep of Gold Medals in all four events at the NSAA State Meet. 

Coach Hill joins 'The GIPS Cast' to share her passion for Unified sports and where she sees the GISH Unified Track & Field Team continuing to make history. 

Because when we lean into inclusion, everyone wins. 

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GUEST: 
Andrea Hill - GISH Unified Track & Field Coach

HOST:
Mitchell Roush - GIPS Communications Director

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FB: facebook.com/GrandIslandPublicSchools

https://www.gips.org/

"Number one for me is building relationships with my students... That right there is my number one classroom strategy — just building relationships and having conversation with my students."

Mrs. Kari Thornton has been teaching 2nd Grade at Engleman Elementary for 16 years.

Every year Mrs. Thornton aim to make the learning in her classroom an active experience for her students.  Which means building opportunities for students to interact with their classmates with a clear prompt, or students moving to different parts of the classroom for conduct different steps of the learning activities, or partnering for a creative project, and so much more.

It may sound, well active, but it’s all intentional.  Each prompt, each activity, each engagement designed to help reach all students.

Mrs. Thornton joins 'The GIPS Cast' to share how her approach to teaching seeks to keep learning fun and engaging.  

Because it's all about helping students learn and lean into a growth mindset.

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GUEST: 
Kari Thornton - 2nd Grade Teacher, Engleman Elementary

HOST:
Mitchell Roush - GIPS Communications Director

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FB: facebook.com/GrandIslandPublicSchools

https://www.gips.org/

"We do it [teach] because we care and we want to raise really great humans to make a really great world."
 
It’s not just an activity — it’s students finding their voice.

At least, that’s what Mrs. Zeller will tell you.

Kathryn Zeller has been a teacher at Westridge Middle School for a number of years.  And anyone who’s stepped into her classroom will tell you — she’s passionate, she’s creative, and she will find a way to reach every student.

That’s the common theme for Mrs. Zeller’s passion project — the Westridge Middle School Speech Team.

Mrs. Zeller joins 'The GIPS Cast' to share why Middle School Speech is deeply connected to helping students discover who they are and how to share themselves confidently with the world.

Throughout the conversation, Mrs. Zeller shares her focus of giving students a chance to participate in something; helping them find a sense of belonging at school; and having fun. 

A few Westridge students — Kingleigh, Kyra, & Grace — pop-in to share their voices and experiences too.  All of it, of course, rooted in making friends and crafting cool speeches along the way.

Because it all comes back to fostering creativity and empowering student voices.

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GUESTS: 
Kathryn Zeller - Teacher & Speech Coach, Westridge Middle School
Kingleigh, Kyra, & Grace - Westridge 8th Graders & Speech-ers

HOST:
Mitchell Roush - GIPS Communications Director

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FB: facebook.com/GrandIslandPublicSchools

https://www.gips.org/

"The weight room is just an avenue for how we prepare kids for life."
 
Coach Pat Doyle is the Strength and Conditioning Coach at GISH.  He’s also the Islander Powerlifting Coach.  With over 700 athletes coming through his weight room and working with the strength staff, Coach Doyle has a lot going on.

How does he balance it all?  Consistency.

He joins 'The GIPS Cast' to share why he has the best job in the world.

In just five short years, Coach Doyle — with support of the GISH Administration and the Activities Office — has brought the strength and conditioning program to new heights.  They’ve developed and opened a renovated weightroom which is one of the nicest facilities of its kind in the state.  He’s built strong relationships with student athletes and the program Coaches to cultivate a culture of expectations and excellence.  He’s launched both a Boys and Girls Powerlifting Teams who’ve earned State Championships and National recognition.  And, recently, he earned a state coach of the year honor from NHSSCA.

Because, for the Islanders, it all comes back to consistency.


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GUEST: 
Pat Doyle - GISH Strength & Conditioning and Power Lifting Coach 

HOST:
Mitchell Roush - GIPS Communications Director

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FB: facebook.com/GrandIslandPublicSchools

https://www.gips.org/ 

"It brings me joy to spread the joy." 

Students are changing the world, and they’re making it happen through the power of connection.
 
And that’s where we meet Alexia Nunez, a Sophomore at Grand Island Senior High and the President of the GISH chapter of 'GlamourGals'.

'GlamourGals' is a national organization that empowers teenagers to make intergenerational connections with folks at Retirement Homes and Assisted Living Facilities thru painting nails and conversations.

Alexia shares her story of researching volunteer opportunities; of discovering 'GlamourGals'; and recruiting three of her best friends — Isabel, Katherin, & Angie — to join her in starting the club.  Together, they've recruited 40+ GISH students to join the cause.

Because with some fresh nail polish, meaningful conversations, and a passion for building connections students can change the world.


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GUESTS: 
Alexia Nunez - GISH Sophomore & GlamourGals President
Isabel Corona Rodriguez - GISH Sophomore 
Katherin Xicara Ramos - GISH Junior 
Angie De Orta - GISH Sophomore 

HOST:
Mitchell Roush - GIPS Communications Director

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FB: facebook.com/GrandIslandPublicSchools

https://www.gips.org/

"I also just love seeing how much my students grow... when you see those kids and where they went in life, and knowing that you played a part in that, that's what keeps you coming back."

Mr. Jason Weseman has been teaching 5th Grade at Howard Elementary for 13 years.

Every year Mr. Weseman sees first-hand how much students grow in just a few months.  Whether it be academically, socially, or in self-confidence, investing in students and making learning personal are what drive his classroom.

Mr. Weseman joined The GIPS Cast to share more about the "art" of teaching 5th Grade.  Specifically to unpack the strategies he uses for student engagement, the importance of adding a variety of approaches in the classroom, why reading Shakespeare in 5th Grade can be fun, and how math equations are like Super Mario World.

Because while teaching is high stakes, it's also high reward. 

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GUEST: 
Jason Weseman - 5th Grade Teacher, Howard Elementary

HOST:
Mitchell Roush - GIPS Communications Director

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FB: facebook.com/GrandIslandPublicSchools

https://www.gips.org/

"We're here for everybody — not just select people... It's a humanity thing. We're here for humanity and I think that's the great thing about public schools. We care about the kids."

In her 27 years with Grand Island Public Schools, Kris Spellman has proudly worn the title, “Lunch Lady”.  Her official job title for nearly three decades has been “Director of Nutrition Services”.  But if you ask her what she does, she’ll smile at you and say, I’m a proud Lunch Lady.

Throughout her career with GIPS, Spellman has served approximately 28,000,000 school lunched — and that's not counting breakfast!

But, true to form, it's not just about school lunches.  For Kris, it’s about supporting the 10,000 students we have across our 19 schools to have food security, to help them stay nourished, to help them thrive and flourish in the classroom. 

She joins The GIPS Cast to reflect on her career, how she's seen the school meal landscape change through the years, and the importance of advocating for students before venturing to her well-earned retirement at the end of the school year. 

Because 28,000,000 meals served as a proud “Lunch Lady” is simply incredible. 

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GUEST: 
Kris Spellman - GIPS Nutrition Services Director

HOST:
Mitchell Roush - GIPS Communications Director

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FB: facebook.com/GrandIslandPublicSchools

https://www.gips.org/

"I just wanted to do something where I could go out and take that information out into the community, or to people that I know that don't have access to that [healthcare resources]."

Students are capable of accomplishing great things.  Our job as educators is to give them opportunity.

HOSA is a national organization that exists to provide leadership, learning, and service opportunities for students who look to be future professionals in the healthcare field.  HOSA - Future Healthcare Professionals.

We have a HOSA chapter at GISH which is sponsored by one of our English teacher, Dr. Megan Stone.  But what makes Dr. Stone’s approach interesting is how “out of the way” she intends to be.  The GISH HOSA Chapter is designed to be led by students in the GISH Academy of Medical Sciences & Education.

And part of that student empowerment?  Providing a free Healthcare Fair for the community of Grand Island.

Both Dr. Stone, and HOSA Student President, Aksam Dodban, join the GIPS Cast to share about the growth of their annual Healthcare Fair which will be in its third year this year.

At the heart of it all is a deep passion for healthcare advocacy; a desire to see wellness prioritized in our community of Grand Island. 

And that passion is being led by students.

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GUESTS: 
Dr. Megan Stone - GISH English Teacher
Aksam Dodban - GISH Junior & HOSA Student President 

HOST:
Mitchell Roush, GIPS Communications Director

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FB: facebook.com/GrandIslandPublicSchools

https://www.gips.org/

"We're making an environment and creating an environment where collectively, we're lifting it together... It's not about wins and losses. It's not about the can or can't. It's about the hard decision to lift it up as a group."

What’s next for Girls Basketball at Grand Island Senior High?

Kathryn Langrehr, GISH Girls Basketball Coach, and Chris Ladwig, GISH Activities Director, join The GIPS Cast to unpack that very question.

Earlier this school year, they made the tough decision that GISH would not be offering a Varsity or JV schedule for this season.

Why?

The short answer is mainly due to numbers.  Back in October, with the season set to start, GISH didn’t have any Junior or Senior student athletes set to go out for the sport.

The long answer, as with most things, is much more nuanced.  But truly, the decision — as difficult as it was to make — was 100% rooted in a commitment to providing meaningful, competitive, fun, and life-enriching experiences for students.  And at the end of the day, sometimes you have to be innovative and — yes — even make a painful decision in order to move forward. 

While the initial decision may have felt like a shock, the intentionality towards supporting student athletes has given the players and coaches reason to be proud today and optimistic about the next few years. 

Because the Islanders aren’t going anywhere — they're building for the future. 

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GUESTS: 
Chris Ladwig - GISH Activities Director
Kathryn Langrehr - GISH Girls Basketball Coach

HOST:
Mitchell Roush, GIPS Communications Director

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FB: facebook.com/GrandIslandPublicSchools

https://www.gips.org/

"There's no shame in getting your hands dirty for your money.  I think the trades are great!  I don't want anybody to ever feel discouraged about being a tradesman or tradeswoman."

Bryn Otto (GISH Class of 2022), has been making a splash in the welding arena and [around the world] on social media ever since high school.

Bryn sits down with "The GIPS Cast" to share his journey from "settling" for welding as his high school Pathway, to finishing college early thanks to high school dual credits, to a young, international leader in the arena of welding with over 55,000 social media followers. Along the way, he shares his passion for Career Technical Education (CTE) and how sometimes finding one lightbulb moment is all it takes.  

Because building a career you're proud of starts by saying 'yes' to opportunities.

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GUEST: 
Bryn Otto, GISH Class of 2022

HOST:
Mitchell Roush, GIPS Communications Director

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FB: facebook.com/GrandIslandPublicSchools

https://www.gips.org/