Author: hopepierce

FPS Board of Education Approves 2019-2020 Budget

The Fremont Public Schools Board of Education approved the 2019-2020 budget of $66,725,864. The district’s overall budget is increasing by 2.69 percent.

School board members learned the district will save $2.7 million over a 20-year period from refinancing Build America Bonds and also approved a half-cent property tax levy increase in the Special Building Fund.

Board members approved the budget on Monday night with no speakers during a public comment period.

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7th Grade Outdoor Day

Today 7th graders at Fremont Middle School spent the day outside at Johnson Lake for their annual Outdoor Day. 7th graders worked in their teams to accomplish tasks pertaining to the outdoors in core subjects. During their math time, students counted paces around the walking path of Johnson Lake to calculate the total distance. During science, students studied made leaf rubs to study leaf veins and identified trees. Students wrote used poetry to describe the outdoors and how it makes them feel. Students created a map of Johnson Lake as a part of their social studies curriculum. The day is put together by science teacher, Alisa Beam. She works with Nebraska Game and Parks and the Lower Platte NRD to set up several presentations with students. Beam says, “Outdoor day is all about getting kids outside and exposing them to a variety of aspects of the world around them. They get many hands-on experiences such as riding on a tractor to plant trees, flying a drone, feeling furs from Nebraska Game and Parks. My favorite part is getting to see students fish for the first time and how excited they get when they catch their first fish! I also love hearing the stories from students about putting the worm on their hook for the first time or taking the fish off the hook and how many they caught! It is a great experience many of the students have never done before and one they will always remember!”

Fremont Schools Partner for Community Radio Project

FPS, Trinity & Bergan have new radio communication systems

Fremont, Neb. – (August 1, 2019) Fremont Public Schools is pleased to announce the completion of a new two-way communication radio system connecting Fremont Public Schools, Archbishop Bergan Catholic Schools and Trinity Lutheran Schools. The project aims to improve communication between school buildings, school districts and first responders in the event of an emergency. 

This project was designed, specified, procured and implemented by Kevin Kavan and Cliff Huss.  Kavan serves as coordinator of district security and Huss is the director of information services for Fremont Public Schools. “We are excited to be involved in a project of this magnitude. It fully integrates all school buildings in the city of Fremont with safety and security communications as well as daily building communications” stated Kevin Kavan. “This project is an example of collaboration between public and private partners and exemplifies the community’s commitment to keeping our schools and families safe,” said Cliff Huss of the project. The new communications system incorporates a direct radio link to the Fremont/Dodge County 911 Call Center, which can be utilized in emergency situations.

All of the Fremont Public Schools elementary school buildings, Archbishop Bergan Catholic Schools and Trinity Lutheran Schools will be receiving a new base station and handheld radios. Johnson Crossing Academic Center, Fremont Middle School and Fremont High School will have new base stations and reprogrammed hand-held radios. Administrators from FPS, Trinity and Bergan recently attended a training session with First Wireless and Fremont/Dodge County 911 Call Center to become familiar with the new radio system.

The majority of the $101,296.53 cost for the project was funded by grants from the Fremont Area Community Foundation, the Fremont Public School Foundation and the Willis Foundation.  Archbishop Bergan Catholic Schools and Trinity Lutheran Schools were 100 percent grant funded, with the total cost for FPS being $24,988.44. “Several events of this past school year highlighted the importance of communication beyond cell phones and telephones. The insertion of grant proceeds from these great community-minded foundations allowed this project to move from concept to reality,” stated Kavan.

For the past 16 years, groups of local kids have spent a week out of their summer trying their hand at becoming inventors.

This year, another 80 little inventors are spending a week immersing themselves in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) curriculum with a specific focus on invention at Camp Invention being held at Clarmar Elementary School.

Camp Invention is a nationwide summer camp program sponsored by the National Inventors Hall of Fame that uses hands-on lesson and activities to promote STEM learning.

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At the beginning of the school year, all of the Bell Field Elementary teachers were to create a project for the kids that represented their passion outside of school. Miss Wiese’s passion is to introduce careers to students at a young age. She believes there’s a lot of stress about going to college but sometimes college is not for everyone. She doesn’t want students to feel like they are being frowned upon for going to a trade school or a career instead of taking the college route. “I think that some of the basic skills of fixing things or doing stuff with your hands are overlooked and are important for life in general,” she states. This week the third-grade classes are going to Fremont High School to create marker boards in the industrial technology department with Mr. Cunnings. When the students get to the high school they get to pin together a wood frame, nail the frame and sand down rough edges. They get to see why sanding is important and see a power tool to cut wood. When students are finished they will go back to their classrooms at Bell Field and paint their projects.

Fremont High School Names New Head Boys Basketball Coach

Fremont, Neb. – (May 13, 2019) Fremont High School is excited to announce Joe Tynon as the new head boys basketball coach. Tynon is replacing Mark Williams, who was recently named the Career Technical Education Coordinator for Fremont Public Schools.

Tynon comes to Fremont from Nebraska City Lourdes Central Catholic where he was the Activities Director and Middle School and High School Boys Head Basketball Coach. Tynon has been with Lourdes Central Catholic since 2006. During his tenure, he has had over 200 career wins, five state tournament appearances and three state championships.

In addition to his role as Head Boys Basketball Coach, Tynon will also be an instructor in the physical education department at Fremont High School. Activities Director Scott Anderson states, “Fremont High School is excited to hire a coach with the experience and proven record that Coach Tynon will bring. His enthusiasm for the game is contagious and will provide positive opportunities for our students and athletes.”

Final action on this recommendation will take place at the next Fremont Public Schools Board of Education meeting.

On Thursday, May 9, Fremont Public Schools held the second annual Graduation Walk. The Graduation Walk is a new tradition where our high school seniors don their caps and gowns and take a walk down memory lane at their elementary schools. This is a great opportunity for younger students to look up to their role models and for teachers and staff to congratulate the students that sat in their classrooms years ago. This event wouldn’t be possible without the organization of Michelle Schleicher, Scott Jensen and Kevin Eairleywine. Take a look at the video to see some highlights of the day.

Today some of our kids at Washington Elementary and Linden Elementary that were affected by flooding, received free shoes and comfort kits. Students were able to get these wonderful gifts through great community partners:
Fremont Area United Way
First National Bank of Omaha
Guilliatt & Associates
Julia Cook
Shoe Sensation

Thank you so much for helping our students! #fpstigerpride

Read more about this donation here. 

FHS shows off newest 3-D printer

For the fourth straight year Fremont Public Schools has expanded its educational toolbox with help from Big Red Keno’s Science and Math Program.

During a Chamber Coffee event on Friday, school officials showed off a recently acquired 3-D printer that was purchased through a $7,500 grant from the Big Red Keno Program.

Fremont High’s newest 3-D printer—which brings the FPS’s inventory of 3-D printers to seven—will help to advance it’s already robust career technical education programs.

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