Spring 2019

A PUBLICATION OF THE NEBRASKA COUNCIL OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS

Spring 2019

www.NCSA.org

CO N T E N T S

3 The Power of Hope: TeamMates and the Living

8 New State Board Members

9 The Teacher Pipeline, Part One: The

Legacy of Dr. Tom

BY TYLER DAHLGREN

Panhandle

BY TYLER DAHLGREN

12 Threat Assessment: An Extra Layer of Security and Protection

BY JOLENE PALMER

14 There is no Place like Nebraska and Let's Keep it that Way!

BY DR. JIM SUTFIN

16 Mindfulness

BY CASEY SLAMA

18

Mindfulness in Memories: Gum, Pets, and Grandparents

BY SHERI CHITTENDEN

20

NPSA Ambassador Update

BY TYLER DAHLGREN

22

23

NPSA Advantage Sponsorship

NCSA Mission

The mission of the Nebraska Council of School Administrators (NCSA) is to be an effective leader for quality education and to enhance the professionalism of its members.

NCSA Today is a benefit of membership in the Nebraska Council of School Administrators, 455 South 11th Street, Suite A, Lincoln, NE 68508. Telephone 402.476.8055 or 800.793.6272. Fax 402.476.7740.

Annual membership dues are $335 (active members), $125 (associate members), or $50 (student members). NCSA Today is published quarterly. Send address changes to NCSA, Membership, 455 South 11th Street, Suite A, Lincoln, NE 68508. Copyright ©2019 by NCSA. All rights reserved.

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NCSA TODAY SPRING 2019

NCSA EXECUTIVE BOARD 2018-2019

Chair . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. John Skretta Vice Chair. . . . . . . Brandon Mowinkel Immed. Past Chair. . . . Dr. Mike Sieh NASA Representatives President. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Greg Sjuts President-Elect. . . . . . Dr. Mark Adler Past President . . . . . Dr. John Skretta NASBO Representatives President. . . . . . . Jason Buckingham President-Elect. . . . . . . Erin Heineman Past President . . . . . . . Dr. Brad Dahl NAESP Representatives President. . . . . . . . . . . . . Casey Slama President-Elect. . . . Tammy Schaefer Past President . . . . . . Jason Calahan NASES Representatives President. . . . . . . . . Dr. Terry Houlton President-Elect. . . . . . . . Laura Barrett Past President . . . . . . . . Jason Harris NSASSP Representatives President. . . . . . . . . . Sheri Chittenden President-Elect. . . . . . Ross Ricenbaw Past President . . . Brandon Mowinkel NARSA Representative President. . . . . . . . . . . . Nancy Meyer NCSA STAFF Dr. Michael S. Dulaney Executive Director/Lobbyist Dr. Dan E. Ernst Associate Executive Director/Lobbyist Megan Hillabrand Professional Development Manager Amy Poggenklass Finance and Membership Director Tyler Dahlgren Communications Specialist Carol Young Executive Administrative Assistant Connie Hilker Administrative Assistant The opinions expressed in NCSA Today or by its authors do not necessarily reflect the positions of the Nebraska Council of School Administrators.

PA RT NERSHI P

The Power of Hope: TeamMates and the Living Legacy of Dr. Tom

By TYLER DAHLGREN, NCSA Communications Specialist

The Program

What do you ask a man who’s heard them all?

Forty minutes. Face to face in his quaint office at the TeamMates headquarters off of 68th and O. Without shaping a narrative. Without boring your idol. Without him having a clue who you are. And, thanks to a Keurig malfunction, without coffee.

Well, you better ask him something.

And so, after the nerves calmed down a bit, I did. And I started with a word Osborne has used over and over throughout the years: relationships. Nebraska football would have never reached the heights it did during its peak without them, so what better place to start?

The theme of this story is the importance of mentorship, and though Tom Osborne is engrained forever in the minds and hearts of Nebraskans as a football coach, THE football coach, hoisted on the battle-hardened shoulders of one of his players after roaring back for an Orange Bowl win in Miami or a Fiesta Bowl route of Steve Spurrier and the Florida Gators in the desert, his name is just as synonymous with TeamMates.

An NCSA Gold Sponsor, TeamMates started when Tom’s wife Nancy watched a television show where philanthropist Eugene Lang returned to his once affluent middle school and, after seeing how circumstances had deteriorated in the years since, promised to pay for the students’ college educations if they managed to steer clear of trouble.

“Nancy said the television program was impressive to her and that she wanted to do something like that,” Osborne said. “So, the next day I stood in front of our football team and asked our players how many of them would be willing to serve as a mentor to a 7th or 8th-grade boy in Lincoln Public Schools.”

Twenty-two hands shot up. Twenty-two disadvantaged children from Nebraska’s capital city were matched with Husker football players. A handful of years later, 21 of those 22 kids graduated from high school. Eighteen moved on to college.

A staggering figure, and an indication of the power of mentorship. The Osbornes, and TeamMates, moved forward.

Fast forward 28 years, and the organization serves about 9,500 children throughout Nebraska and neighboring states every year. In all, TeamMates has matched more than 35,000 kids with a mentor.

“I think we’ve focused more on quality as opposed to numbers, however,” said Osborne. “To date, we haven’t had an incident where anyone has been harmed, and a lot of this is due to the fact that it’s school-based. When you’re mentoring in the school, the safety factor goes up exponentially.”

Most importantly, the Osbornes found their efforts to be worthwhile. Just as he made sure to make each one of his football players feel appreciated and taken care of, TeamMates made its mentees feel the same.

The year was 1991. Nebraska was on the brink of breaking through. Right on the cusp of the greatest run in college football history. The Osbornes had something special up their sleeves, alright. Something that would shift the courses of thousands of kids in the Cornhusker State.

And I’m not talking about dancing with pure joy as Tommy Frazier kept his legs churning through a swarm of Gators or screaming at the top of their lungs when Matt Davison came flying out of the corner of their uncle’s Zenith big screen to catch a Scott Frost pass that had been kicked up into the air

by Shevin Wiggins.

Continued on page 4 >>

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P ART N E RS H I P “If you have an environment where the main emphasis is on what people can do for you rather than what you can do for them, then sometimes things can go downhill.”

In the early 90s, Big Red football was treading uphill in a fascinating way. So was a new mentorship program put together by their head coach and his wife.

“We had no idea that it would become something this large,” said Osborne. “We were just trying to serve some kids in Lincoln, Nebraska with some football players.”

Sears Trophies weren’t far away. Something much bigger was brewing off the field, too.

The Culture

Charles Osborne left to serve his country in World War II in 1941, when his eldest son Tom was four years old. He was gone for five years, and during that time, Tom learned the importance of mentorship firsthand.

His uncle lived across the road, didn’t have any children of his own at the time, and took Tom under his wing. An avid hunter and fisherman, his uncle’s hobbies would stick with his nephew to this day. So would the effect of simply being there.

“I could see the value of having a person in your life when you are fatherless,” Osborne said. “There are so many kids now that live without fathers. Certainly, the same thing is true for the lack of a female role model. It sparked my interest in mentoring.”

Things have changed since the early 1940s. Most people think of school being exactly like it was when they attended 30, 40 or 50 years ago, Osborne said, but that’s just not the case.

“Demographics have changed and a lot of the challenges people are dealing with in school have changed, too,” he said. “There are some real benefits to school administrators in that the more individuals from the community you get into a school, the better understanding the community has of those issues people are dealing with in a school setting.”

TeamMates has found a young person with a mentor to be 56 percent more likely of going to college than a young person in a similar circumstance without a mentor. Graduation rates for students in TeamMates is around 91 percent, with most living in a single-parent home or well below the poverty line.

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“I’d say that rate considerably exceeds what the population graduation rate would have been,” Osborne said. “We have found that in 80-85 percent of our matches, behavior improves. Less classroom distractions, less trips to the principal’s office, less substance-abuse and less interferences with academic progress.”

Most importantly, TeamMates has found mentees to be more optimistic about the future.

“A mentor provides vision, and I think vision is really critical to hope,” Osborne said. “Hope is a really powerful thing for a young person.”

Sometimes, it’s incredible the journey hope can spark.

The Coach, The Congressman, The Fisherman

It may not be believable now, but Tom Osborne fell into the world of coaching “almost by accident.”

After his three-year NFL career was derailed by injury, Osborne considered a handful of paths. There was academia, law school, a possible career in college administration and even a brief stay in the seminary, but it was a rowdy group of Cornhuskers and free meals at the training table that Nebraskans have to thank for keeping T.O. around.

"A mentor provides vision, and I think vision is really critical to hope. Hope is a really powerful thing for a young person."

— Tom Osborne, PhD, Congressman, Former Head Coach of Nebraska Football

PA RT NERSHI P That, and the notion of the hole he’d feel inside without football and without athletics. A notion Dr. Osborne admits to be accurate.

“Bob Devaney had just been hired (at Nebraska) in 1962 and I went over and saw him the first week he was here and asked if he needed help,” Osborne said. “He said ‘Well, I don’t really need any coaches, but we have some kids over in the Quad that are causing trouble.’”

Osborne thought about it, and when Devaney’s offer of free grub landed on the table, he moved on in to settle the boys down.

“Apparently, he liked the way I handled the kids over there and, when spring ball came around, he said he could use me on the field,” Osborne said. “I finished my degrees and was planning to go on in academic work, but was never able to pull away from football.”

Taking it on myself to speak on behalf of Husker fans everywhere, I assured the coach that we’re all glad he hung around. If you bleed scarlet and cream, you know the rest.

Osborne won three national championships and rode off into the sunset after the final one in 1997. His sunset, however, wasn’t like other sunsets.

In 2000, Osborne announced his plans to run for the House of Representatives in Nebraska’s third district as a Republican. He would be elected in a landslide before serving two more terms in the House. During that time, Osborne would work towards drought relief for farmers, funding for rural school districts and mental health care for college students, to name a few.

After his congressional career, Osborne served as the Athletic Director at UNL from 2007-2012. The most-recognized figure associated with Nebraska football, Osborne presented his successor Frank Solich with the Tom Osborne Legacy Award the night before our interview.

He still hunts a couple of times every year, and his love for fishing never wavered. The coach usually likes to ice fish a few times every winter, but it’s been unseasonably warm and the pond doesn’t have its normal eight inches of January ice.

“Oh well,” he says. “Spring will come and I’ll be out fishing.”

A Living Legacy

Revered in Nebraska, Tom Osborne has spent 60 years building an unprecedented legacy in his home state.

Tom Osborne the wide receiver. Coach Osborne. Dr. Osborne the Congressman. T.O. the man, always stoic and mild-mannered and always radiating an air of calm confidence. His legacy stands taller on the Great Plains than any before, its foundation built on equal parts character, poise and a quiet Midwestern toughness. In the middle, and all the way to the top, among the 255 wins and 13 conference championships, Osborne’s legacy lives and breathes with the thousands of relationships that have been founded under his direction.

“If you have an environment where the main emphasis is on what people can do for you rather than what you can do for them, then sometimes things can go downhill,” he said.

His words were intended to go far beyond a football field.

They always have been deeper than the game. ■

“I was on the Education Committee, and when I was there, No Child Left Behind was passed and not terribly popular with a lot of people in academics,” he recalls. “I was able to get an amendment to No Child Left Behind which provided $50 million a year for the establishment of mentorship programs.”

The climate in Washington these days is very divided, Osborne said. Far more divided than during his time on The Hill, but he also feels it’s important to remember what you see on television-the highly-partisan and sometimes abrasive congressional leaders-don’t necessarily reflect all of Washington accurately, especially those in the rank and file.

“There are a lot of good people in D.C. that probably go under the radar, and it probably isn’t as bad as it seems.”

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Be there.

According to the National Mentoring Partnership, 1 in 3 young people will grow up without a mentor. TeamMates staff, coordinators, board members, and mentors work diligently to provide a safe, caring, adult friend to students to confide in.

85%

91%

98%

of mentors report they leave their mentoring time feeling more hopeful.

of TeamMates mentees graduate on time.

of TeamMates mentees say they trust their mentor.

TEAMMATES IS FOR EVERYONE. YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE AN EXPERT— YOU JUST HAVE TO BE THERE. TEAMMATES.ORG

The TeamMates Mentoring Program serves students in more than 160 communities across five states. The communities and school districts listed below are active programs in the state of Nebraska.

Ainsworth Alliance Alma Anselmo-Merna Arapahoe Arlington Arnold Ashland-Greenwood Aurora Axtell Battle Creek Bayard Beatrice Bellevue Bennington Blair Bloomfield Boone Central Bridgeport Broken Bow Burwell Butler County Callaway Cambridge Centennial Central City Central Valley Chadron Chase County Clearwater-Orchard Columbus Conestoga Cozad Crawford Creighton Crete Cross County Deshler District 29 Auburn Doniphan-Trumbull Elgin Elkhorn Valley Elkhorn Elm Creek Elmwood-Murdock Elwood Exeter-Milligan

Fairbury Fillmore Central Fort Calhoun Franklin Freeman Fremont Public Fullerton Garden County Gothenburg Grand Island Gretna Harvard Hastings Hershey High Plains Community Schools Holdrege Holt County Hyannis Johnson County Central Johnson-Brock Kearney Kimball Laurel-Concord-Coleridge Lawrence-Nelson Lexington Lincoln Logan View Louisville Madison Malcolm Maywood McCook Medicine Valley Milford Millard Minden Mullen Nebraska City Neligh-Oakdale Norfolk Norris North Platte Oakland-Craig Ogallala Omaha Catholic Omaha Public Schools Ord

Osceola Osmond Palmyra-Bennet-Douglas Papillion La Vista Community Schools Pawnee City Pender Perkins County Pierce Plainview Plattsmouth Ralston Randolph Raymond Central Red Cloud Sandy Creek Schuyler Scotts Bluffs County Seward Shelton Sidney South Platte Southern Valley St. Paul Stanton Sterling Superior Sutherland Sutton Thayer Central Tri County Valentine Wahoo Wakefield Wauneta-Palisade Wausa Waverly-District 145 Wayne West Point-Beemer-Bancroft Westside School District Wheeler Central Wilber-Clatonia Wilcox-Hildreth Wisner-Pilger Wood River York Yutan

ST A T E B OA R D O F ED U C ATI ON

New State Board Members Deborah Neary, State Board of Education, District 8 District 8 includes: Westside, Ralston, OPS, Elkhorn, Waterloo, & Bennington school districts I have 20 years of policy work under my belt and 25 years of leadership in Educational nonprofits. I spent 15 years as the Director of Education for the Durham Museum and have spent the last 10 years as the Executive Director at MENTOR Nebraska (formerly known as Midlands Mentoring Partnership.) I work with more than 100+ mentoring programs across Nebraska to support our youth. In all of my professional positions I have worked closely with school district curriculum, supporting classroom studies & district strategic goals, and helped to serve our most vulnerable youth. I am married and have helped raise eight foster youth.

In my spare time I serve on the board of directors of a school that serves children and adults with intellectual disabilities and autism, I am active in Rotary, I was appointed by Governor Ricketts to the ServeNebraska Board, and I volunteer as a mentor. I am a strong public school advocate and keenly aware that we have 30,000+ school age youth living in poverty in Greater Omaha, and 80,000+ across the state of Nebraska.

We also have many diverse learners and language needs. In my new role on the State Board of Education, I want to help support innovative school opportunities that uphold state school standard accountabilities, that continue the tradition of tax payer oversight (elected school boards), and focus on equitable supports for all of our youth. I believe that if we want to develop successful youth who are well-prepared for life, and that will contribute to the Nebraska’s growing economy, then the culture around our schools and the examples our leaders set is vital to creating opportunities for equitable student engagement. ■

Robin Stevens, State Board of Education, District 7 District 7 includes: Western NE I am a retired 40-year professional educator. During those 40 years I was a teacher, coach and administrator. My last 13 years in education were spent in Schuyler, Nebraska. I served as their Superintendent. My retirement has brought my wife and I back to Gothenburg, Nebraska.

My emphasis will be on expanding early childhood opportunities for the child and their parents.

I would also like to see less time and money spent on testing. I'm excited about the opportunity to represent the western half of the state, and the unique educational issues related to its demographics. ■

Mark Your Calendar

ADMINISTRATORS’ DAYS Kearney, Nebraska - July 31-August 2, 2019 8

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2019

T E A C HE R S HORTAG E

By TYLER DAHLGREN, NCSA Communications Specialist

The Reality

Superintendent Dr. Travis Miller walks from his parked car to the Bayard Public Schools Administrative Offices each morning and takes a glance into the distance, where Chimney Rock stands tall and indomitable above the Panhandle’s plains.

“This is a powerful place from the standpoint of history,” Dr. Miller said. “The pioneering spirit of our community is one that looks to the future, built on the successes of the past.”

In the present, Dr. Miller is facing challenges at Bayard that school districts across Western Nebraska, and every corner of the state, for that matter, have become familiar with in recent years.

There’s a shortage in the educator pipeline in Nebraska. In their 2017-2018 Teacher Vacancy Survey Report, NDE found 258 positions across the state unfilled with fully-qualified personnel, while 41 positions were left vacant. Of those 258 unfilled positions, 97 openings were in districts serving less than 500 students.

Bayard, for example, went a year without a Spanish teacher simply because they couldn’t find one before hiring an educator from Mexico through NDE’s teacher exchange program.

Not a single person in the United States was interested in the job.

The district spent half a year without a special education teacher. The high school employs an English teacher who holds an elementary certification and a math teacher who holds middle school and elementary certifications.

But why? Dr. Miller can’t put his finger on one single factor.

He sees a number of other intriguing career opportunities for young people to pursue. The students Nebraska’s public schools are sending to college and the workplace are better equipped now than even to grasp those opportunities, both a testament to public education in the state and a potential explanation for the shortage.

“We are putting out more and more highly competent people out of the K-12 system, and our colleges are providing a great supply of qualified individuals,” Miller said. “There is just a lot of choice in a competitive landscape, so I believe we need to do a better job of promoting teaching. It’s a wonderful profession.”

Arthur is a couple hours east of Bayard, sitting relatively isolated north of Lake McConaughy along Highway 61. The nearest town is Hyannis, 35 miles away.

“We deal with a lot of different issues, and being rural and small is one,” said Arthur County Public Schools Superintendent Barry Schaeffer. “When you are a small district like ours, if you are the science teacher, then you are the science department.”

Unfortunately, Arthur County has experienced tremendous difficulty in hiring a science teacher, so much so that Schaeffer had to lure Dr. Miller’s mother, who lives in the area, out of retirement to teach for a year.

Schaeffer found a candidate and made a hire, but that teacher called it quits at semester and the scrambling ensued. He contacted Wayne State, Chadron, UNK and launched a nation-wide search. The response was minimal.

Continued on page 10 >>

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T E A C H E R S HO R TA G E “It’s scary that you have to resort to online and not having a teacher in the room, because I still believe having a teacher in the room makes the biggest difference,” Schaeffer said.

The Resources

Recruiting teachers to the Panhandle is difficult.

“Trying to get candidates to consider coming out to Western Nebraska, even for an interview, if they don’t have a connection to this part of the state, is very challenging,” Dr. Miller said.

"Keeping them around," said ESU 13 Administrator Dr. Jeff West, "can also be a challenge. Especially if there isn’t a draw."

“We have started to see shortages in some of the more highly-qualified positions such as deaf and hard-of-hearing, visually impaired, speech pathologist and school psychologist,” Dr. West said. “Additionally, we have been trying to expand in the area of mental health providers, where we’re seeing shortages too.”

Each new school year brings new challenges for service units across the state. An incredible resource for schools, West feels ESU 13’s strong reputation has allowed them to recruit and retain very highly-qualified staff members. Considering the assistance service units provide, retention is crucial.

“ESUs positively impact many areas of school district operation, and without their service we would certainly stumble,” said Miller, who utilized ESU 13’s Western Nebraska Distance Learning Consortium during the search for a Spanish teacher.

Schaeffer isn’t just superintendent of Arthur County Public Schools. He’s also the elementary principal, the water operator, and, if the circumstances call for it, the bus driver.

“If I didn’t have ESU 16 to help me with special education, I couldn’t get everything done that I have to,” he said. “There is just no way. They provide us essential services. I can’t hire a psychologist. I can’t hire a speech pathologist. I’m lucky to hire the staff I have and maintain them. I can’t do some of the things ESUs do.”

West points to initiatives and efforts he’s seen from schools in the Panhandle to increase teacher production. Schools are identifying students interested in pursuing education and guiding them towards innovative programs designed to funnel them into the profession.

One stumbling block has been strict testing requirements for prospective teachers. The Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators is a three-part test typically taken by college soph-

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omores that measures knowledge, skills and ability in math, reading and writing.

Administrators have pushed for the easing of those requirements, citing the test as a prime contributor to the shortage.

Oftentimes, a prospective math educator will come up a point or two short in the reading category, sending a teaching candidate to a different field of study.

“The whole idea of prepping to take a test is difficult for some people,” West said. “There are students who have wonderful skills and do an excellent job working with students, but they just struggle taking the test.”

"We want to get kids engaged in classrooms in meaningful ways, and we also want them to reflect on education as a potential career."

—Dr. Travis Miller, Superintendent of Bayard Public Schools

"The true test for a professional educator," Miller said, "is the day-to-day relationships and the learning that occurs by their students."

“While I understand the rationale behind those practices and tests, I hear stories of great people who are kept out of the profession because of them,” Miller said. “I know some individuals who would make quality educators in an appropriate subject at an appropriate level who have not been able to jump through that one particular hoop.”

Bayard has implemented a teachers’ aid program modeled off similar work done at Alliance Public Schools. In January, the district started offering its students the chance to earn their Project Para Certification through UNL. “We want to get kids engaged in classrooms in meaningful ways, and we also want them to reflect on education as a potential career,” he said. “It’s been a great gateway into the education profession, and we are excited about that career credential and what it might mean for future teacher supply and the economic opportunity for our students.”

T E A C HE R S HORTAG E The Resilience

“I know all of the kids here and they know me,” Schaeffer said.

“If that’s something you want, to have that impact on a kid and be that person they like to come to school for, you have that opportunity here.”

“The people tend to be more neighborly and they care about you and how you’re doing,” Schaeffer said. “They want their school to be successful. They want to keep it open.”

It’s a collective commitment to investing in the leadership potential of children which makes the region special to Miller. Bayard has an intentional process in place for that commitment, partnering with the Franklin-Cover Corporation in a process called “Leader in Me.”

It’s in the nature of Western Nebraskans to stand strong. Like Chimney Rock, school districts out here are weathered yet immovable.

In the past 11 years, West has worked with some of the most dedicated professionals he’s encountered in a 33-year career.

“Regardless of what the obstacles are, they are a very resilient bunch,” he said. “They work very well together. Out here, we collaborate out of necessity.”

"You do the best you can with the hand you’re dealt," Miller adds.

“You don’t want to lower the bar, but sometimes you have to find creative ways to gather enough resources to get the kids over the bar,” he said.

“We know we are in the business of preparing the future leaders of our community, our state and our nation,” Miller said.

And they’ll go to any length to do it.

“When things get a little tougher, you find a way to work through it,” Schaeffer said. “We focus on who we are here for.

We are here for the kids.” *This is the first installment of a three-part series. Look for Part Two: Alleviation in the summer edition of NCSA Today. ■

There are advantages to teaching out west. Arthur County, for example, has a four-day school week, one of Schaeffer’s main recruiting pitches. "Another is the family environment which often exists in a school its size.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS APRIL April 3

GRIT – Cornhusker Marriott - Lincoln

April 10-12

NASBO State Convention – Embassy Suites – Lincoln*

April 25-26

NASES Spring Conference – ESU #3 – LaVista (Book hotel block)

April 29-30

NDE Data Conference – Younes Conf Center – Kearney

JULY July 31 - Aug 2

Administrators' Days – Younes Conference Center – Kearney

*Region meeting dates can be found on the NCSA website.

NATIONAL CONVENTION DATES NAESP – July 10-12, 2019 – Spokane, WA

AASA – February 13-15, 2020 – San Diego, CA

NSASSP – July 18-20, 2019 – Boston, MA

ASCD – March 14-16, 2020 – Los Angeles, CA

ASBO – October 25-28, 2019 – National Harbor, MD

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SCHOOL S A F ETY & SEC U R I TY

Threat Assessment: An Extra Layer of Safety and Security Protection

By JOLENE PALMER, Nebraska Department of Education School Safety & Security Director By now you have heard the term threat assessment. In order to provide another layer of protection for our students, staff, and schools, it is highly encouraged that all schools create and formally train a threat assessment team.

"Many of these things can be prevented," says University of Nebraska–Lincoln forensic psychologist Mario Scalora, PhD, who studies targeted violence. "The tragedy is that we sometimes take a pessimistic view that we're powerless, but I think it's quite the opposite."

The threat assessment approach has gained broad support for preventing violence in schools, workplaces, and communities. The U.S. Secret Service, FBI and U.S. Department of Education have all recommended that K–12 schools implement threat assessment teams. This process has been used by federal agencies to protect public officials and has been markedly effective at preventing targeted violence.

Acts of school violence often are preceded by a number of warning signs. A threat assessment team allows for the collection of contextual factors which may increase or decrease someone’s risk for violence. The team collects and connects the dots (information) to determine if threats are credible and pose an imminent threat to persons or facilities. The team considers the person of concern and their situation, grievance, and possible mental health risk factors, and identifies precursors to violence and the interventions that can help prevent it.

Palmer

School threat assessment is the active monitoring and management of threatening behavior posed by students, staff, parents, community members, or outsiders, targeted towards individual members of the school community and/or facilities.

K-12 schools across the US have adopted threat assessment teams to prevent acts of violence such as bullying, relationship violence, active shooter situations, and other incidents of targeted violence.

While mass shootings are relatively rare occurrences, acts of violence in school settings happen on a daily basis. Nationally, sixty-eight percent of schools reported at least one violent incident in which the police are contacted. Thirty percent of students reported experiencing bullying as either a victim or perpetrator. 1.3 million students were targets of nonviolent incidents.

Studies have found that attackers usually plan for a long time, days, months, and even years before carrying out an attack. People do not just “snap,” and most acts of violence in schools are not random. In addition, while attackers don't often threaten their targets directly, other people usually know enough to be concerned before a plan is carried out.

In 80 percent of the school shooting cases, other students knew trouble was ahead. Few spoke up.

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Before "there's something wrong," there's something we can do. Creating a threat assessment team will allow schools to determine what can be done before something happens.

Warning signs may present in IDEATION (thoughts of hurting self or others and justifying that violence is necessary), PLANNING (going beyond the thought of violence to creating a plan to hurt self or others), PREPARATION (obtaining necessary equipment, weapons, items, tools, people needed to carry out the plan), BREACH (practicing or testing plans against security and other determined barriers to the attack – a “dry run”), and IMPLEMENTATION (the actual physical attack/assault).

"Many of these things can be prevented. The tragedy is that we sometimes take a pessimistic view that we're powerless, but I think it's quite the opposite."

— Mario Scalora, PhD, University of Nebraska-Lincoln forensic psychologist

S C HO O L S A FE T Y & S ECURI TY The core Threat Assessment team should include four people which are the principal, law enforcement officer/SRO, mental health professional (e.g. school psychologist), and a person of choice such as counselor, teacher, social worker, human resources representative, and/or legal team representative. The core team should be formally trained and as threats are identified, other staff members can be pulled in to gather a broader information base to determine the credibility of a threat. This team provides a single identifiable reporting point for staff and students when they have a concern or information. The team will also serve as the point of contact for the local or statewide report lines where reports of possible acts of violence are made toward students, staff, and facilities. The Threat Assessment team works with school and community resources to provide appropriate interventions to keep everyone safe. Teams typically meet regularly to discuss individuals who have engaged in concerning behavior that relate to their wellbeing, stability, probability for violence or suicide or bullying.

Threat Assessment trainings taught by Dr. Mario Scalora and Dr. Denise Bulling of the UNL Public Policy Center, hosted by the ESUCC began in Nebraska, January of 2018 and will continue until all schools have been trained.

Additional training will be provided to address topics of threat management, communication during times of threat, bomb threats and more. Grant money is available to subsidize costs for core teams to attend training. When teams become part of the grant project, ongoing consultation by a certified threat manager is available at no cost to teams to support their threat assessment efforts, as well as an easy an effective method to document and track threats in your building.

Please give serious consideration to add this extra layer of protection for the students and staff in your school. Contact Jolene Palmer, School Security Director at NDE for more information. ■

NASES Announces Outstanding New Special Education Supervisor of the Year The Outstanding New Special Education Supervisor award is presented annually to a person who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in their school, their region, and at the state level within their first four years as a special education supervisor. The Nebraska Association of Special Education Supervisors is pleased to announce that McKayla LaBorde, who is in her second year as Director of Student Services at ESU #3, has been named the 2019 Outstanding New Special Education Supervisor of the Year.

Allison Kelberlau, ESU #3 Assistant Director of Students Services, praises McKayla for sharing her knowledge and expertise. “McKayla is well-respected in the metro area and state, specifically in the areas of secondary transition and supporting the behavior and mental health of students in our schools.”

McKayla is also recognized for her leadership in positive culture and relationships. In just two years, she is shifting the culture of a department that was seeking leadership, kindness, and stability. She is taking the time to build relationships with her team members, to truly get to know them with genuine interest. McKayla is known for her sense of humor and high expectations for greatness in the Student Services Department. She demonstrates a willingness to listen, problem solve, and celebrate success. She easily identifies and proposes creative solutions to obstacles that occur in the day-to-day practices in member districts and general department work.

Congratulations, McKayla! ■

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There is No Place like Nebraska and Let's Keep it that Way!

By DR. JIM SUTFIN, Superintendent of the Millard Public Schools and Chair of the Blueprint Nebraska K-12 Educational Sub Group What is this thing called Blueprint Nebraska, and why should we as educational leaders be interested?

First, let’s address the why.

You can go to multiple data sources, and the data says the same thing. Without getting into the weeds, we have low unemployment, high underemployment, litSutfin tle growth in our population base, and a misaligned educational and workforce strategy.

If we do not acknowledge our role in education and job alignment, the economic growth that we need to sustain and grow our educational programs could be further jeopardized.

Simply stated, maintaining the economic status quo means that this could be as good as it gets for funding educational programs. Worse yet the gap between needs and resources could widen.

Almost 40% of Nebraska workers have an associate’s degree or better. Only 20% of Nebraska’s jobs require those levels of education. Seven in 10 seniors (69%) who graduated from public and nonprofit colleges in 2014 had student loan debt, with an average of $28,950 per borrower.

High skill high wage jobs are not as plentiful as we need them to be, and individuals holding degrees often times have them in the wrong field. Because our population is not growing, we are entering into a crisis situation and as educators we need to take note. We need to do what we can to help retain our graduates in Nebraska as part of our workforce.

The stakes have never been higher for the state of Nebraska.

As educators we are in a place where we need to maximize the talents of every graduate and partner with workforce so that we can grow opportunities for our students. The solution is simple, but not easy. It requires the operationalizing of a statewide plan that aligns education and workforce development. Career awareness, development and engagement are essential for our students.

We are the pipeline to Nebraska’s future workforce - we have the kids. We need to educate our students and help 14

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them make decisions that maximize their talents and lead to high paying jobs. Metro Community College President Randy Schmaizl said it well in a recent Accelerate Nebraska report.

“We need better preparation in elementary schools, junior high, and senior high. We need a plan that gets students thinking about work and how to apply what they are learning.”

Couple his comments with the thoughts of Cathy Lang, State Director, Nebraska Business Development Center who in the same report states, “Greater engagement with employment is needed in the talent development system. We spend a lot of energy to give our kids experiences in sports, art and music (which are wonderful skill developers) but too often leave out experiences in the world of work. Career exploration is one thing; but we need internships, part-time jobs, and more.”

What is Blueprint Nebraska?

Blueprint Nebraska is being led by Union Pacific CEO Lance Fritz and 21st Century CEO Owen Palm. Together with a steering committee made up of successful business people from across Nebraska they have charged 16 Industry Councils to dig deeper into their respective areas. The goal of Blueprint Nebraska is to build and implement a plan to drive economic growth, increase competitiveness, and deliver opportunities for all to prosper.

One of the sixteen Industry Councils is Education. Led by former Superintendent of the Westside Schools and current CEO of Avenue Scholars Dr. Ken Bird, the Education Attainment Council has set a goal to provide a world-class education system that ensures that all Nebraskans are prepared for prosperous careers, in fields known and unknown, through engaged, vibrant and innovative educational opportunities at all levels of education.

The Education Attainment Council is made of up of four subgroups: System/Policy-Level Action and Alignment chaired

by Jeff Kutash of Peter Kiewit Foundation; Early Education chaired by Dr. Sam Meisels of the Buffett Early Childhood Institute; K-12 Education chaired by Dr. Jim Sutfin, Superintendent of the Millard Public Schools; Post Secondary/Career chaired by Dr. Susan Fritz, Executive Vice President and Provost of UNL.

PRO GRA M S POTL I G HT There is significant work being done in each of these subgroups and more detailed information will be provided at a later date.

In the fall of 2018 a survey was sent to every Superintendent and Board of Education Member in the state of Nebraska asking for their input on educational priorities around education and career development. Three areas received the highest ratings of importance.

1. Ensuring quality career education for all students that is aligned with state workforce needs.

2. Implementing meaningful partnerships with business and industry in every K-12 system to afford opportunities for career exploration.

3. Implementing statewide efforts to identify and develop student's unique talents and interests including entrepreneurial talent.

On November 29, 2018 the Blueprint Nebraska K-12 Attainment group met with educational and business leaders from across the state to discuss and create recommendations for the Blueprint Executive Board. Some of the key recommendations include: • • • •

Build meaningful relationships between schools, businesses and policy makers.

Create a systematic statewide plan between K-12 schools and the business community to develop all types of career experiences for Nebraska Students.

Identify regional career centers to increase opportunities for students/schools in rural areas.

Bring representatives from identified groups from across Nebraska to determine how the Statewide Longitudinal Data System can be utilized to build and implement a plan to drive economic growth, increase competitiveness, and deliver opportunities for all to prosper.

Our Challenge

It seems like everywhere you go you hear people talking about workforce needs. There are nonprofits, companies, and collaboratives popping up everywhere trying to figure out how we align workforce needs, student talents and educational opportunities. We need to be involved in these conversations. We need to share our stories, communicate our needs and support the development of the workforce.

As educational and community leaders, we should create awareness around the Blueprint Nebraska plan and make sure we have a seat at the table when economic development is being discussed. We are a vital piece to the puzzle.

As leaders, we need to inventory what we are doing around career awareness and exploration for our students and build relationships with our local businesses. Our students have choices to make, and we are charged with advising them about areas that match their talents and where they can earn a good living.

If we can define and develop partnerships between business and education, our students can have additional opportunities to learn what they want to do and what they don’t want to do for a career. Both are essential to the success of our state.

It is as important for our students to learn what they don’t want to do as much as it is for them to learn what they want to do. Meaningful work around career awareness, development, and engagement will not be easy, but the potential reward for our communities and our students is significant. The key to this work cannot solely rest on business or education.

Rather, it is the shared responsibility of all.

There is no place like Nebraska - let's keep it that way! ■

NASES Spring Conference April 25-26, 2019 ESU #3, La Vista, Nebraska

A day and a half of focused MTSS training with Dr. George M. Batsche, Vice-Chair of the Professional Advisory Board for the National Center on Learning Disabilities (NCLD) and former Co-Director of the Institute for School Reform at USF.

Look for registration to open soon!

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Mindfulness

By CASEY SLAMA, NAESP President Mindfulness, growth mindset, and social emotional learning is the current buzz out there in the education world right now. To address the growing mental health issues we see in our current students and schools; administrators and teachers are incorporating these into the school day. How do you visualize a compassionate, engaged, and thoughtful school?

Far too many children and adults carry an insurmountable weight of stress or past traumatic experiences that can negatively impact the way that they interact, learn, teach, lead, and live (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 2014). By teaching students to be mindful, it can be a tool they can use to calm their mind and body and counteract the enormous amounts of stress and trauma associated with school, work, and life. Mindfulness can be produced in teachable moments in the school day.

Don’t think of mindfulness as just one more thing to squeeze into the already very busy day. It is a practice to incorporate during instruction that will help build a more compassionate environment from the gym, to the halls, right into the classroom. Mindfulness will help increase the body's awareness to stress and slow down impulsive behavior.

We must seize the opportunity to show mindfulness when that moment arises. Pause in the middle of a lesson, or in the hall to help students name and process the emotions that are taking place so the student can have the chance to make a connection to the particular situation and deal with it in a mindful manner now and the next time it occurs. Students who are mindful consider the well-being of others, the greater good, they are aware of their environment, experiences, and what impact they have on their peers and others that is positive and good.

Slama

To increase mindfulness, it will require you to challenge yourself to educate the whole child with a balanced focus on the needs and concerns for each child that at any moment between an action and reaction we heighten our understanding of what is really happening by learning to take a deep breath, pause, and acquire the awareness of the situation. As stated

by Mason, Murphy, and Jackson (2019), “Within the school community, we have a unique opportunity to promote and develop this buffer through developing strong and caring teacher and student relationships.”

Mason, Murphy, and Jackson (2019) explain, “Within the school community, we have a unique opportunity to promote and develop this buffer through developing strong and caring teacher and student relationships.”

Mindfulness practice can help build stronger connections between the areas of the brain that stress and traumatic experiences have compromised. For our students, it can slow down reactivity and increase body awareness. It can contribute to greater emotional regulation and help us cope more easily with life’s frustrations, setbacks, and relationship

“My hope and wish is that one day, formal education will pay attention to what I call education of the heart. Just as we take for granted the need to acquire proficiency in the basic academic subjects, I am hopeful that a time will come when we can take it for granted that children will learn, as part of the curriculum, the indispensability of inner values: love, compassion, justice and forgiveness.”

— The Dalai Lama

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A FFILIA T E LE A DERSHI P challenges (Siegel, 2010a). The trauma that some of our students face, such as poverty, violence, racism, and prejudice requires us to be responsive to the needs of these students.

These factors adversely affect student's brains so learning can be extremely difficult for them. That is why we must explicitly teach students mindfulness techniques to counter the effects of the trauma so they can begin to learn.

Students who experience trauma require support and compassionate interactions every day. It is only when we develop a heightened awareness, greater consciousness, or mindfulness of our own self, surroundings, feelings and others that we are capable of acting more compassionately toward ourselves and others (Kohler-Evans & Barnes, 2015.

This holds true for everyone: teachers, principals, other staff and students. It is when we take a deep breath, pause and cultivate the awareness of any moment between an action and a reaction that we heighten our understanding of what is really happening (Siegel, 2012). As Siegel (2012) indicates, this consciousness starts with a simple deep breath and a pause. And, from the base of mindfulness or great consciousness comes and increased capacity to demonstrate compassionate caring and understanding (Mason, Murphy, & Jackson, 2019). This includes compassion for self and for others.

We can choose to make a difference if we act, to believe, to uplift our collection consciousness with compassion. We as educators have an enormous task before us. The expectations and demands on us to provide a quality education, keep kids safe, to get students CCR on assessments (NSCAS), etc., etc. To properly prepare the next generation

for their future, helping all students develop into contributing individuals, healthy, well-adjusted, and caring then we must shift our mindset regarding education, our children, families, and our state. Our shift must include how we show compassion toward our students, colleagues, and families and how we can incorporate the same mindfulness activities to our daily schedules to help strengthen our students mental health.

I am honored to serve as the president of NAESP this year. I have made amazing connections with some of the very best administrators in the state of Nebraska. I would never had made the connections if I had not decided to run for president-elect. If you are wondering or thinking of running for an officer position in NAESP or even in your region, I say don’t hesitate, just do it. You will not regret it. Thank you to the NCSA staff, Mike, Dan, Amy, Megan, Carol, and Connie. All of you do a great job and make it easy for us! This opportunity I will treasure and be forever grateful for. Thank you to my wife Alysha and my children, Logan, Addison, Olivia, and Luke for their support through my term as president of NAESP. This journey would not of been possible without their support through the nights and days I am on the road and out of town. Thank you to my superintendent, Lori Liggett and the Gordon-Rushville Public School Board for allowing me to partake in this opportunity.

Life is energy that will keep you alive and healthy (Mason, Murphy, & Jackson, 2019). My daughter Addison found this quote in a book I am reading. She thought it needed to be included. Thanks Addison. ■

NASBO State Convention April 11-12, 2019 Embassy Suites, Lincoln, NE

Conference Highlights

Keynote by Jay Gubrud Legislative Update Medicaid in Public Schools (MIPS) Breakout Sessions for Business Officials NDE Update

Registration is now open!

Visit ncsa.org for session topics, more information, and to register.

SPRING 2019 NCSA TODAY

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Mindfulness in Memories: Gum, Pets and Grandparents

By SHERI CHITTENDEN, NSASSP President

Looking for March mindfulness stress reduction tips?

As a secondary principal and activities director at a small, rural school in western Nebraska, I have found the following strategies helpful when working with students who are struggling.

Gum. Offer the student a piece of gum. The student Chittenden doesn’t expect the conversation about the office referral to start with a peace offering. I talk about how much I like to chew gum because I find it soothing. We talk about different flavors of gum. I share that I’m not fond of hot cinnamon gum or candy. In fact, I have never in my life eaten hot tamale candy. Students can’t even believe it. It makes them feel empowered that they have more experience than me. It changes the dynamic that the principal knows everything and gets them talking about non-confrontational favorites.

Pets. Ask the students about their pets. Sometimes they even ask to share pictures of them that they have on their phone. Pets love us, need us and depend on us. We’re important to them. We matter. Students will start to smile and breathe a little easier when talking about their dogs, cats or horses because they own the responsibility of caring for them. Talking about pets takes the students away from themselves and whatever struggles they’re having for awhile.

Grandparents. Find out more about the students’ grandparents. Grandparents generally give unconditional love. Most of the time, students recognize how important they are to their grandparents. They realize how disappointed their grandparents would be to know that they’re in trouble at school. Students often tell me the quirky things their grandparents do and say. Looking at themselves through their grandparents’ eyes often changes their perspective about the choices they’ve made.

Walk and talk. I tell the students I’ve been working in my office too long and need a break. I suggest that we walk by the preschool room to see what they’re up to. We talk about anything but the reason they were sent to the office.

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Once, as I was walking down the hallway with a troubled student, we heard the first graders singing Happy Birthday to a classmate. I asked my walking companion when his birthday was. He said, “May 25th.” Then, trying to get him to a happy memory, I asked, “What’s the best birthday you can ever remember?” He looked at me quizzically and replied, ‘Um, May 25th.” These are the moments when I realize how much I love my job.

Mindfulness-based stress reduction for me comes through memories of my great grandparents. I think of my great grandmother when I’m having a tough day or when I’m feeling sorry for myself for having to deal with the challenges that come with being a principal.

Alex and Amelia Schneider become U.S. citizens

Pictured are my great grandparents, Alex and Amelia Schneider when they became U.S. citizens. There is also a picture of their son, my grandpa, Alex Schneider, Jr., the second of ten children. Yes, that’s me at age 3 (notice I have the same haircut today) with my great grandpa. My grandpa was that same age, just three years old, when he came to America on the SS Merion in 1913.

In the late 1700’s German colonists were encouraged to settle along the Volga River in southwest Russia, much like the 1862 Homestead Act in the United States. Settlers were promised a land of opportunity, freedom from military service, freedom of religion, ten year no interest loans and more. However, the reality was quite different. The land was barren and there were no houses as promised. Catherine the Great’s Manifesto was revoked in the late 1800s and those German colonists were treated like peasants. They were taxed and pressed into Sheri with Great Grandpa

A FFILIA T E LE A DERSHI P military service for a country whose language they didn’t speak, whose history, values and beliefs they didn’t share.

more like those in steerage on the Titanic. The light was poor, accommodations rough, privacy limited. The compartments were very small with lower and upper bunks, usually wooden with no mattresses. People slept in their clothes.

Third class passengers did have meals in the dining room with the other passengers, but the food was much richer than they were used to and made them sick.

I just close my eyes and picture my diminutive great grandmother, at age 24 with her three little boys...not speaking English...enduring hardship like I can’t even imagine. What a leap of faith to make that journey! What tremendous courage to get on that huge ship on her own with three young boys!

Her grace and grit help me put things in perspective.

SS Marion

Based on research done by my father’s cousin, Chris Schneider, the SS Haverford, a sister ship to the SS Merion, brought my great grandpa from Liverpool, England to Philadelphia in 1912. He left his wife (they had been married for only five years) in Moor, Russia (German-speaking area of Russia near the Volga River) setting out with his brother June 6, 1912 to escape desperate living conditions and the likelihood of being forced to join the Russian Army.

Once settled, my great grandpa sent my great grandma, Amelia, $200 so that she could come to America to join him. On April 6, 1913 she started out from Moor, Russia with her three small boys, traveling by horse and wagon to get on a crude train (box car with rough benches), which took them to Libau, Latvia where they waited for Alex Schneider, Jr. a ship to take them to Liverpool, England. They had to have a physical examination to prove they were in good health before they could get on the ship in Liverpool.

May 14, 1913, my tiny, great grandmother boarded the SS Merion, bound for Philadelphia, over a month from the time she left Moor, Russia with her three little boys: Henry (5), Alex, my grandpa, (3) and Christian (2). The SS Merion was about half the size of the Titanic if that helps you visualize it.

It held 150 first class passengers and 1700 third class passengers. First class passengers had private cabins and traveled in luxury while passengers with a third class ticket, like my great grandmother and her three sons, had an experience

They arrived in Philadelphia two weeks later on May 28, 1913. After proving she had $20 for each person, she and her three little boys were allowed to join my great grandpa in Lorain, Ohio, where he found work as a blacksmith. They later moved to Nebraska and settled in Lincoln then Lexington.

The point of my story is that when I have tough moments, challenges, times when I’m nervous, scared, or worried, I think of my great grandmother on that huge ship on her own with three little boys. I think to myself…I carry her courage and strength in me and I can get through anything if I just set a goal, believe in myself and have faith that better days are ahead.

As we go through each school year we should all be encouraged to share our stories, especially those that help our students know that there are ways to get through tough times.

I know you all have a story, too. As we go through each school year we should all be encouraged to share our stories, especially those that help our students know that there are ways to get through tough times. Invite kids to share memories or ways that help them find balance. And remember to buy some gum. ■

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P ROM OT I N G O U R SC H O O L S

An NCSA Ambassador Update as NPSA Reaches 100th Feature

By TYLER DAHLGREN, NCSA Communications Specialist

some, able to evoke nostalgia just like I feel every time I drive past Prairie Wind Elementary in northwest Omaha.

Then, I thought about the memories I am fortunate enough to capture every week, about what a cool gig I have.

NPSA has published 100 feature stories since November, 2016. I’ve interviewed kids of all ages, teachers from all kinds of backgrounds and principals who put the kids in their building at the top of priority lists I didn’t even know existed.

I was somewhere in Boone County, on my way to do a twostop story assignment in Cedar Rapids and Spalding, home of Riverside Public Schools, when I rolled on by a one-room country schoolhouse.

Say what you will about the snow, and the havoc it has wreaked on the school year, but winter weather makes for wonderful scenery. I wish I would have pulled over and taken a photo. It would have looked pretty neat above this story.

Instead, I just admired the structure, much like I’ve come to admire the people who make up Nebraska’s public schools since I started this storytelling journey with NPSA in October of 2016.

I imagined a school day in the 1920s, how the students then compare to the students now. There’s probably more similarities than you’d think.

I imagined the teachers through the years, the ones who brought this little building to life. I’m sure they cared about their students then the same way teachers across the state care about their students now.

The kids have always come first. Class is no longer in session at this old schoolhouse, but not even Father Time himself can do a thing to change that.

As our Caravan carried on, and Siri piped in with another navigational update, I thought about the memories made at that schoolhouse over the years. No doubt it’s a sacred place to 20

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I’ve stuck my hand in the side of a cannulated steer in North Bend. I’ve walked a therapy pony through the halls of a school in Laurel and spent days as a guest eating lunch in the cafeterias at Ashland-Greenwood, York and many others.

I’ve covered Special Olympic track meets and rodeos for students with special needs. I’ve had heart-wrenching conversations with administrators in the midst of awful tragedies and heartwarming talks with educators who use money out of their own pockets to help a student in need.

Working in parallel support of I Love Public Schools, we’ve had several incredible opportunities to spread the message of #ilovepublicschools. The NCSA Ambassadors, who you’ll hear from below, are all over the map, meeting with school and civic groups and advocating for our public schools.

Every day, public schools in every corner of the state do something worthy of the spotlight, and, though they’re generally reluctant to step into it, it’s important that we continue to promote.

Siri directed me to Riverside High School in Cedar Rapids, a place I’d never been before, but you wouldn’t know it by the smiles that greeted me just inside its historic doors.

The story assignment was the third installment in NPSA’s, The Secretary Series. I set my recorder on a desk, got comfortable in my chair and pressed play.

This time, I didn’t forget to snap a picture.

PRO MO T ING O UR S CHOOL S Catching Up with NCSA’s Ambassadors Q: Through the eyes of an ambassador, how has the landscape of public education advocacy in our state evolved over your time with NCSA? Can you sense a difference being made?

Wendell: It’s been an eye-opener for me. As we travel the state, we meet so many amazing educators, students, parents and community members. Gathering stories and seeing them on Twitter and Facebook, on the NPSA website, and from watching the I Love Public Schools films has not only been rewarding, but extremely enlightening.

Dr. Cinde Wendell: Well into our third year, we are still true to our mission, and that is travelling the state advocating for public schools and telling the great stories of public schools.

They’re doing great things and giving us so many great things to talk about. I think there has been a significant difference being made in public school advocacy with the #ilovepublicschools movement. Nebraskans have always been proud of our public schools, but often we were not telling the stories happening here. It may have been because educators were too busy, too humble, or possibly because these things are “happening every day in public schools”, they didn’t realize how special the work really was. We are now telling the stories and encouraging others to tell their stories, too.

There are truly amazing things happening every day in our public schools all across the state. Now is the time to tell these great stories.

Dr. Keith Rohwer: Public education advocacy has become more relevant to communities and schools as we have made visits and presentations as part of the NCSA Ambassador program. People see the value of advocating for schools in an effort to educate people about the progress that is being made each and every day. They realize the importance of their roles in advocating for our public schools.

Wendell: There have been many memorable moments, but I have to say I am so very excited about our future teachers and educators. I love meeting with student education associations in the colleges and seeing the talent, enthusiasm and dedication of these young people who are learning to become teachers.

Kyle McGowan: Schools in Nebraska continue to provide excellent educational opportunities. The ambassadors have crisscrossed the state to share what’s taking place every day.

I believe our mission and theme has become more recognizable due to the number of requests we’re receiving.

Q: Because of the amazing work of I Love Public Schools, schools are embracing the role of storytellers. Has it been neat for you, as former superintendents, to watch that movement really take off on social media platforms?

Rohwer: The I Love Public Schools movement has pushed awareness of public schools and advocacy to a whole new level. The social media platforms have enabled many individuals and groups to share their stories. On Twitter, there are daily connections being made regarding the tremendous work of schools and the students that are served.

McGowan: Schools have always worked to communicate what’s taking place within their district. However, incorporating social media into the communication equation compared to previous methods of print and meetings is a similar to the difference between a horse and buggy and the space shuttle.

Q: Do you have a memorable moment or visit from the last three years?

McGowan: One of the most unique visits/presentations I had was in Hastings, where I met with a Kiwanis group which included the superintendents from Hastings, a bordering school and a parochial school. All three work well together and support the mission to cooperate as they educate children in the region.

Rohwer: The opportunity to travel the state, to visit schools and communities, and to talk with educators has provided me with several chances to see the tremendous work being done by teachers and students. Two such opportunities that come to mind are the Conestoga Breakfast Club and Randolph’s Cardinal Cam Industries.

Q: What has you most excited for the future?

Rohwer: The continued progress and experiences of the students in our public schools. Our kids are very talented and capable of achieving greatness. Being able to see and tell about those stories greatly adds to the future of the NCSA Ambassador Program.

Wendell: The future of public education in Nebraska is very bright. It has been most rewarding to see groups outside education join with educators to support our public schools. Together, we can accomplish anything.

McGowan: As Nebraska continues to focus on economic development and how businesses and people can be attracted to our state, I look forward to the time state leaders start highlighting the quality educational opportunities available. ■

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TITL E H E RE

Contact NPSA to schedule an NCSA ambassador to attend a workshop, group meeting, civic meeting, region meeting, or faculty meeting.

Follow us:

 @NEadvantage  Facebook.com/Nebraska-Advantage

The Nebraska Public School Advantage The NPSA works in collaboration with the Nebraska Council of School Administrators (NCSA) to promote the amazing success stories within our Nebraska public schools. The NCSA Ambassador Program was created to share the success of our public schools and encourage others to contribute their stories.

We collect and highlight these multifaceted success stories and travel to all corners of the state to collect and promote these stories both big and small taking place in our public schools.

We focus on stories of exemplary leadership and innovative education practices to educate, motivate and inspire educators and the communities they serve.

The transformational power of public education is no secret to those who work within it, but it can go unnoticed outside the classroom. Please help us share and promote the wonderful things happening in our public schools.

 www.Nebraska-Advantage.org www.NCSA.org

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Nebraska Safety Center Mick Anderson andersonmd@unk.edu West Center, 220E Kearney, NE 68849 308-865-9393 www.unk.edu/offices/ safety_center OnToCollege John Baylor john@ontocollege.com P.O. Box 30792 Lincoln, NE 68503 402-475-7737 ontocollege.com

TeamMates Mentoring Program Humanex Ventures DeMoine Adams Angelina Cunning dadams@teammates.org angelina.cunning@humanexventures. 6801 “O” Street com Lincoln, NE 68510 2900 So. 70th Street, Ste. 100 877-531-8326 Lincoln, NE 68506 www.teammates.org 402-486-1102 humanexventures.com TRANE Dave Raymond Insuring Success dave.raymond@trane.com Ty Christensen 11937 Portal Road tchristensen@insuringsuccess.com La Vista, NE 68128 1406 Veterans Drive, Ste. 216 402-452-7762 Elkhorn, NE 68022 trane.com/omaha 402-960-5387 UNANIMOUS insuringsuccess.com Will Hays will@beunanimous.com Modern Images 8600 Executive Woods, Ste. 300 Bradley Cooper Lincoln, NE 68512 brad@champshots.com 402-423-5447 13436 So. 217th Street beunanimous.com Gretna, NE 68028 402-991-7786 misportsphotography.com National Insurance Steve Ott sott@nisbenefits.com 9202 W. Dodge Road, Ste. 302 Omaha, NE 68114 800-627-3660 nisbenefits.com Nebraska Liquid Asset Fund Barry Ballou balloub@pfm.com 455 So. 11th Street Lincoln, NE 68508 402-705-0350 nlafpool.org

Awards Unlimited Tim Moravec tmoravec@awardsunlimited.com 360 SW 27th Street Lincoln, NE 68522 800-950-3553 www.awardsunlimited.com Johnson Controls Jason Peck 14238 Hillsdale Circle Omaha, NE 68137 308-708-9479 Jason.peck@jci.com www.johnsoncontrols.com NE Public Agency Investment Trust Becky Ferguson P.O. Box 82529 Lincoln, NE 68501 402-323-1334 Becky.Ferguson@ubt.com www.ubt.com Renaissance Heather Mills 2911 Peach Street Wisconsin Rapids, WI 55494 800-338-4204 ext. 4712 heather.mills@renaissance.com www.renaissance.com Software Unlimited, Inc. Corey Atkinson caa@su-inc.com 5015 S. Broadband Lane Sioux Falls, SD 57108 605-361-2073 su.inc.com

BRONZE SPONSORSHIP BVH Architecture Cleveland Reeves creeves@bvh.com 440 N. 8th St. Lincoln, NE 68508 402.475.4551 bvh.com Kearney Visitors Bureau Sarah Focke sfocke@visitkearney.org PO Box 607 Kearney, NE 68848 800-652-9435 visitkearney.org

University of Nebraska High School Charlotte Seewald cseewald@nebraska.edu 206 South 13th Street, Suite 800 P.O. Box 880226 Lincoln, NE 68588 402-472-1922 highschool.nebraska.edu

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