Welcome to the 2020-2021 school year!
It is an honor and a privilege to be starting my second year as the principal of Lewis & Clark Middle School.
This school year will be a great opportunity for the Lewis & Clark staff and students to live up to our namesake as the Trailblazers. The 20-21 school year will be an adventure that we will all endure together with the new format of learning. We will hold true to the Tradition of Excellence at Lewis & Clark and the commitment to ensure that everyone is treated with respect. We promise to provide a positive and caring school experience so that students feel known, loved, and inspired.
You may have already noticed the new addition being built on the Southwest corner of the building. It is scheduled to be completed by the end of the 2021 summer. The new addition will include 13 classrooms, a nurse’s office, the main office, and the new front entrance. Next will be the completion of the remodel of the old main office and nurse’s office into two new classrooms.
With the uniqueness that this year holds, I am confident that Lewis & Clark staff and students will portray the global citizenship portrayed through the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program. The Lewis & Clark staff will work hard to provide rigorous, multidisciplinary instruction contributing to the larger community. Staff will strive to establish life-long learners who are productive citizens and will develop intercultural understanding and respect.
Education is a joint venture between school and home. Parents are a vital part of the Lewis & Clark community. I look forward to working with you and developing a relationship that will assist in the growth of your children. I encourage any questions, comments, or concerns that may arise throughout the year. Please feel free to visit Lewis & Clark, contact your child’s teacher, our office, and me. I hope that every child has a rewarding, positive, and successful experience at Lewis & Clark.
Dr. Tyree Sejkora
531-299-9681
The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.
To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment.
These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their difference, can also be right.
Each Trailblazer student is assigned to an interdisciplinary team at the time they begin attendance at Lewis and Clark. Students on each team have the same set of teachers for mathematics, language and literature, individuals and societies and science. These teachers, along with a special education teacher, meet daily to coordinate plans for instruction in order to support learning in all courses, to develop and monitor strategies to help individual students improve their achievement and to enhance their own professional knowledge and skills. Research and experience have demonstrated that interdisciplinary teams have a positive impact upon the academic achievement of all students.
Academic Teams at Lewis and Clark include:
Grade 6
Navigators
Grade 7
Pathfinders
Corps of Discovery
Grade 8
Pioneers
Pride
Grade 7 & Grade 8
Lewis and Clark Middle School has a variety of unique programs. These include:
International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program
An IB education is the result of a dynamic interaction between IB learners (who), teaching and learning in the IB (how), global contexts for teaching and learning (why) and the pursuit of significant knowledge and understanding (what). The IB MYP provides a framework of academic challenges that encourages students to embrace and understand the connections between traditional subjects and the real world while becoming critical and reflective thinkers.
Contact: Mr. Burke Behne, burke.behne@ops.org
Focus Program
Lewis and Clark Middle School is an authorized International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (IB MYP) School. Students participating in the Focus Program have access to all classes in the MYP, as well as the extra value standards of leadership, technology, and communication. The Focus Program is available to all students in the Learning Community.
Highlights of the Focus Program at Lewis and Clark Middle School:
Contact: Mrs. Lisa Tingelhoff, lisa.tingelhoff@ops.org
Gifted and Talented Education
The gifted and talented curriculum and the grade level curriculum align, reflecting our commitment to the differentiation of instruction. Teachers adapt the curriculum and instruction to meet the needs of all learners. By using pre-assessments, the classroom teachers identify their students' ability and readiness levels.
Contact: Mrs. Melissa Shrago, melissa.shrago@ops.org
Trailblazer After School Program
We offer free after school programming for all students at Lewis and Clark with the goals of improving student learning, school attendance, and school performance. Community partners and certified teachers deliver programming on-site to the students. These programs are tied to the school day curriculum and focus on academics, STEM, recreation, nutrition, art, and cultural activities.
Contact: Ms. Tracy White tracy.white@nereform.org
Trailblazer Athletics
Students at Lewis and Clark Middle School are encouraged to become student-athletes. To participate students must have a current physical and insurance on file, sign the middle-level athletic contract, and participate in concussion testing. Students can participate in the following sports:
Contact: Mr. Tom Robertson, thomas.robertson@ops.org
Lewis and Clark Middle School
School Improvement Plan
ACHIEVEMENT AREA
2018 - 19 ACHIEVEMENT
2019 - 20 ACHIEVEMENT
NSCAS Mathematics
24%
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NDE cancelled the 2019 - 2020 NSCAS assessment; therefore, there are no results to report.
NSCAS English/Language Arts
34%
NSCAS Science
36%
Behavior:
Number of behavioral referrals
By Spring 2021, there will be a decrease of referrals by 10%.
Climate:
Staff Moral and Trust
By Spring 2021, staff moral and trust will increase to 70%.
Professional Development Focus Areas
1.) Top 10 Procedures and Routines
2.) Advanced Questioning Techniques (QAR)
3.) Advanced Graphic Organizers
4.) International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program
Lewis and Clark Middle School was named after explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, leaders of the 1804-1806 Corps of Discovery - the first overland United States expedition to the Pacific Coast and back. The Corps traveled the Missouri River, having their first council with Native Americans just north of present day Omaha.
The school opened in 1960. At that time, students chose the name "Trailblazers" and the colors blue and white.
On May 6, 1975 much of the school building was destroyed in a tornado in which a total of three people perished and some 287 homes were destroyed. (See National Weather Service photo at right.)
Almost one year later classes resumed in a remodeled, improved and air-conditioned facility.
During the Summer of 2012, Lewis and Clark Middle School with its partner school, Central High School, became authorized International Baccalaureate Middle Yeas Program Schools. Together they are the second IB MYP in the state of Nebraska.
The students at Lewis and Clark Middle School voted for this logo:
When Lewis and Clark Middle School became an authorized IB World School, we modified our logo to:
Today approximately 870 sixth, seventh and eighth graders attend Lewis and Clark, a school known for its tradition of academic excellence!
At Lewis and Clark Middle School an IB World School, we value our diversity. The following is our current demographic breakdown for the 2019 - 2020 school year.
Additional student data are as follows:
We would like to thank the following businesses and organizations that support our school through the Adopt-A-School Program: