Lefler Middle School physical education teacher Jeff Pappas had an idea earlier this month to turn a negative - all of that snow that fell on Lincoln - and turn it into a positive: a cross-country skiing unit for his eighth-grade classes.

Students in Amber Oligmueller?s sixth-grade family and consumer science course at Moore Middle School were treated to a pretty sweet baking lesson recently. They not only created their own signature donuts, they also had their donuts judged by Moore?s school resource officer, Lincoln Police Officer Alan Pickering. His top five choices were forwarded to Hurts Donut, a donut shop in downtown Lincoln, who then picked the top two student-made donuts.

Photos from the Zoetis-LPS-GSK Science Fair

Cody Thatcher is definitely not a vocal music teacher. 'I can't sing at all,' said the seventh-grade social studies teacher from Schoo Middle School. What he can do is teach history - and teach it very creatively. Thatcher is known among students, colleagues and parents for incorporating history lessons into parody versions of popular songs. Under the alias DJ Thatch, he writes the lyrics, records the songs, then posts them as YouTube videos with the lyrics displayed on the screen while the song plays.

Lincoln?s Community Learning Centers (CLCs) offer students from Lincoln Public Schools the opportunity to participate in about 520 after-school clubs per week, spread out among all 26 CLC sites. Nearly all of these clubs are made possible through community partnerships and volunteers. There?s no better example than the Construction Club at the Arnold Elementary School CLC.

Fifth-graders in Tabi Zimmerman?s art class at Rousseau Elementary School recently finished what is traditionally a favorite project among her students: the creation of personalized plaster masks.

With all the discussion about enrollment growth in Lincoln Public Schools and planning for future facility needs, an eighth-grade algebra class from Park Middle School has its own prediction: Plan for a new middle school in the year 2100. That was one of many findings and predictions made by the students in teacher Jordan Neukirch?s fifth-period differentiated algebra class as part of a three-day project in which they analyzed enrollment data for LPS middle schools.

Saratoga Elementary School hosted Community Learning Center (CLC) staff on Saturday for a hands-on training session on the new Think, Make, Create mobile makerspace labs.

Sarah Gergen?s eighth-grade science students at Irving Middle School are learning about measuring the motion of objections - speed, velocity, acceleration - as well as electromagnetic energy and the electromagnetic spectrum. On a recent afternoon, they witnessed a real-world application of those lessons, thanks to a surprise visitor to their classroom.

The Lincoln Public Schools Science Focus Program will soon have a new home, still located inside the Lincoln Children?s Zoo but with additional classroom space and science labs that will allow the program - known as the Zoo School - to accommodate more students and expanded curriculum. Construction of the 15,000-square-foot facility continues to progress, with the hope that graduating seniors can spend time in the new space before the end of the school year. If that?s not possible, the facility will open for the 2019-20 school year.

Every year, elementary students within Lincoln Public Schools have the opportunity to create a banner that will be displayed throughout the community, a work of art not only meant to highlight students? creativity but also to shine a light on what makes their school special. This year, for the first time, students at Don D. Sherrill Education Center are creating a banner. It?s titled ?Coco and the Stars,? and it combines a painting of the school?s therapy dog - Coco - with a backdrop of stars - the school mascot.