Congratulations to all of the Lincoln Public Schools staff members who received educator awards from the Foundation for Lincoln Public Schools. For more information on the awards, please visit the Foundation?s website.

In 2017, the Lincoln Board of Education approved a three-year pilot program in partnership with the Indian Center to provide academic support and an incentive for Native American students to graduate from high school. Part of that incentive included giving eligible seniors an eagle feather to wear on their graduation cap as a reward. Now in it's third year, communications coordinator Mindy Burbach sat down with Lincoln Northeast High School senior Alan Acoya on the last day of school to talk about his accomplishments and how receiving the eagle feather to wear at graduation impacted him. Below is the transcript of their conversation:

A history teacher at Lincoln East High School has been awarded a James Madison Fellowship, one of only 53 awarded nationwide. Alise Pape can use the $24,000 prize toward earning an advanced degree that includes a concentration of courses on the history and principles of the U.S. Constitution.

Nearly 40 students who participated in the Lincoln Public Schools Vocational Opportunity in Community Experience (VOICE) program were presented with their high school diplomas Monday night during a graduation celebration held at Bryan Health Medical Center.

The theme at Yankee Hill Education Center this school year has been ?Decide, commit, succeed.? ?I couldn?t think of a better example of that than these 11 graduates here today,? said Erik Witt, Yankee Hill principal, as he addressed the 2019 graduating class on Friday. He was speaking in the Yankee Hill gymnasium that was standing-room only, filled with friends, family and educators brimming with pride.

The American Psychological Association (APA) and its Board of Education Affairs (BEA) has honored Belmont Elementary School for its ability to adapt to the needs of students while ensuring the highest standards for their achievement, engagement and social competence.

The 13 graduating seniors from the Lincoln Public Schools Arts and Humanities Focus Program presented their capstone projects last week, the culmination of four years of creative growth and academic exploration.

Lincoln Public Schools is proud to announce the following LPS students received these national recognitions and honors during the 2018-19 school year:

Lincoln Southwest High School won its ninth title in a row at the Nebraska Science Olympiad, held April 27 at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln East Campus.

Flexural Strength, Elasticity and Occupational Uses for Starch Based Plastic. Distribution and Diversity of Forb Species from Eastern to Western Nebraska. How did British Policies and Weapon Advancements Affect India in the 19th Century? Fossil Diatom Evidence from Miocene Sea-ice Development in the Southern Ocean. Those were just a few of the mind-blowing research topics explored in depth by seniors at the Lincoln Public Schools Science Focus Program this year. They presented their findings May 2 at the annual Senior Research Night, held at the program?s home at the Lincoln Children?s Zoo.

Lincoln Southwest High School has been named one of the top 100 schools in the country for teaching financial literacy.

Jacque Rush was named the 2019 Scottish Rite Distinguished Teacher of the Year, a prestigious award presented annually to a Lincoln Public Schools teacher. It comes with a cash prize of $7,500, donated by the local chapter of the Scottish Rite organization.

The non-profit organization Civic Nebraska will recognize Keziah McIntosh, a fifth-grader, and Matviy Yarmolyuk, a third-grader, during an awards banquet Thursday night. They?ll receive the Outstanding Student Leaders award and will be among eight community leaders honored at the Strengthening Democracy Awards event, to be held at the DelRay Ballroom.

Lincoln East High School Principal Sue Cassata has been named the Region 1 Nebraska State Association of Secondary School Principals? Secondary Principal of the Year.

Educare Lincoln, located adjacent to Belmont Elementary School, hosted an open house and community reception on Wednesday. The event featured tours of the facility, live entertainment and demonstrations, as well as plenty of opportunities for visitors to learn more about Educare?s work to offer high-quality, data-driven learning opportunities to students from birth to age five.The event was part of the multi-day Educare Learning Network meeting hosted by Educare Lincoln. The meeting brought together roughly 300 early childhood education leaders from across the country for three days of collaboration and presentations.

Two Lincoln Public Schools educators have been chosen to serve on the National Art Education Association (NAEA) Board of Directors - a rare if not unheard of accomplishment for one school district. Lorinda Rice, LPS curriculum specialist for visual art, and Bob Reeker, K-5 visual art specialist and technology leader at Elliott Elementary School, began serving on the 14-member board in March at the NAEA National Convention in Boston.

A group of girls at Culler Middle School are shattering the stereotype that teenagers usually only think about themselves. Members of the Culler Girls Group meet weekly for 45 minutes and not only discuss issues and topics in their lives, but also think of ways they can help the community. Right now they?re in the middle of collecting donated personal items and cleaning supplies for Nebraska flood victims. They?re also making blankets to donate.

A trio of Moore Middle School students started with a relatively modest idea: Organizing a book drive for elementary schools throughout the city, particularly those with a high percentage of students who come from low-income families. The service learning project would be part of their participation in Destination Imagination, a national nonprofit organization that encourages student innovation and community service through state and global competitions. From there, the idea grew...and grew...and grew.

The Lincoln STEM Ecosystem has just been selected to join the STEM Learning Ecosystems Community of Practice, SLECoP. In a highly competitive process, Lincoln STEM Ecosystem was named one of 15 new ecosystems selected to join the global movement devoted to dramatic improvement in how students learn.