Latest news with #NortheastCommunityCollege
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Yahoo
Siouxland schools revamp GTL program
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — An agreement between Wayne State College, Northeast Community College, and South Sioux City Community School will help students participate in the district's Gateway to Learning Program. The alternative high school is designed to support students who may have challenges within a traditional school setting. The project helps students succeed, but positions the program to help even more high school students. 'We couldn't be more excited to have our alternative education students relocate to a college center where, every day, they walk through the doors of a college center and have greater access to pursue their post-high school plans. And so that is a game changer for our kids, and we couldn't be more excited,' said the superintendent of South Sioux City Schools, Dr. Rony Ortega. Local college officials say the partnership with the school district will assist in enhancing their current offerings for their programs. 'It just makes perfect sense that we use our resources efficiently and we remove those barriers, the barriers of space, the barriers of access in this process,' said Janet Lebeza of Wayne State College. The existing GTL program is currently housed at 1000 West 29th Street. At the college center, the program will have 5 rooms and a corridor. President of Northeast Community College, r. Leah Barrett, said 'to be able to come here as high school students and then just in the flip of a switch, get to be here as a college student, taking classes and finding a way to really learn what they want to do and what they want to live their life doing.' Story continues below Top Story: Recent incident at Sac County Jail highlights need for new facility Lights & Sirens: Suspect shot at during pursuit in stolen vehicle, Dakota Co Sheriff says Sports: Champions Chat: West Sioux boys soccer Weather: Get the latest weather forecast here Barrett also said that while the arrangement of the program with colleges might seem new, this isn't the first time this style of partnership has been implemented. In the press release, she said, 'Welcoming the GTL program to the College Center is a great step to building pathways to higher education for young people who may not have been college-bound. The students will have the benefit of stepping into a college facility every day for high school classes as well as multiple opportunities to participate in dual enrollment courses from Northeast and Wayne State.' The students in the new GTL high school will have new opportunities, one of which is welding. According to the release, the students will take welding and general education courses at the College Campus and finish their remaining high school requirements on Fridays or outside of the typical school day. Students will have access to tuition-free content because of Northeast's free Early College program. Students will be responsible for their own textbooks, course fees, and tools. And, according to the release, this is where the new partnership needs assistance. Students may need help paying for textbooks, course fees, and tools. The director of the South Sioux City Extended Campus said that students who participate will graduate in May with a high school diploma and a welding diploma. She also said, 'We do not want these expenses to be a barrier to students, and therefore we are committed to securing sponsorships and in-kind donations to ensure a successful launch.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Construction will cause partial closure on Norfolk Avenue
NORFOLK, Neb. (KCAU) — Water main work will close a small section of Norfolk Avenue beginning June 16. The water main work is related to the anticipated Northeast Community College iHub Building. Norfolk Avenue between North 7th Street and North 8th Street will be temporarily closed with two-way traffic maintained through the work zone. Work on the north side is expected to begin on June 16 and be completed by June 19. Crews are expected to start work on the south side on June 23 and complete it by June 26. Story continues below Top Story: Community remembers Alicia Hummel 10 years after her murder Lights & Sirens: Venue change motion for Bloomfield double homicide case pending Sports: Huskers baseball drops NCAA opener to Oklahoma in 7-4 defeat Weather: Get the latest weather forecast here Caution is advised when traveling through the area. For questions, the City of Norfolk Engineering Division asks you to contact (402) 844-2020. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Norfolk Robotics team becomes world champions
NORFOLK, Neb. (KCAU) — High school robotics has grown in popularity in recent years. Now, some teams are gaining respect for their skills not only nationally, but internationally, that's the case for one team from Norfolk. The program has gained popularity in the Siouxland area since the Rebel Robotics team became world champions. Officials with the Northeast Community College said the team competed at the First Tech Challenge World Championship in Houston, where they won the Inspire Award. 'This year we were second place in Nebraska. We moved on to the world championship where we managed to place first out of every single team in the world,' said Emmett Haake, the team captain and designer. 'It was a super exciting deal.' 'When they when they announced our name worldwide. It was just a surreal feeling. It's just something we've been working towards for so long,' said Nicholas Miller, the team's fundraiser. 'We've worked really hard, though, and I'm really proud of everybody,' said Braden Jensen, the team's fundraiser. The team out performed over 9,000 other teams by having their robot complete a task in under three minutes. 'Our robot achieves that by we have this claw that has four different little fingers so the claw reaches way out into the pit, grabs the sample, and then it brings the sample back. And then this hand here is open. So released as a sample. Then right there, the hand is able to grab it, and then the hand is attached to a set of linear slides that are able to extend way up into the air and then deposit the sample into the basket,' said Haake. The team said, there's so much more than robotics, adding, they participate to improve their skills needed later when they join the workforce. 'It's all about learning, and especially with the business. I never thought I'd be into business. And so getting to learn these skills to learn to talk in front of people comfortably is just something I've loved doing,' said Miller. 'There's aspects for everybody. There's finding mentors. There's fundraising there's robot building. There's programing. There's something for everybody,' said Jensen With their recent win, the team from Norfolk becomes the United States lone entry in another international competition, coming up in October of 2025. 'In a competition called, 'First Global' where every single country will be sending one team to compete down in Panama City. So we're incredibly excited about that. Super excited to be here representing the entire country from Norfolk, Nebraska,' said Haake. For more information on the team and how to join, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Students, educators tout benefits of funding dual enrollment classes in high school
Dual enrollment programs are helping Nebraska high school students earn college credit and in some cases associates degrees before graduation. Shown is the downtown Lincoln campus of Southeast Community College. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner) LINCOLN – Soon after beginning her studies at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, McKenzie Murphy, then 19, applied for a part-time job. She had graduated from high school only a few months earlier, but Murphy's application also read 'graduate, associates degree, Northeast Community College.' Her interviewer didn't believe that someone so young could have a two-year college degree. 'Oh my gosh, when did you graduate?' Murphy was asked. In May of 2023, Murphy received her diploma from Bancroft-Rosalie High School. But because she had participated in a state dual enrollment program, she also earned a college degree by taking college-level classes while in high school — classes that came with both college and high school credits. During her last semester of high school, Murphy took 21 credit hours of such dual enrollment classes, completing a lot of general education courses normally taken at colleges or universities, but also learning about investing. 'I like to stay busy,' she said. This year, more than 20,000 Nebraska high school students at more than 200 schools across the state are taking dual enrollment classes, with hundreds each year, like Murphy, graduating with two diplomas when they finish high school. Students, including those home-schooled or in private schools, get discounted tuition when taking the classes. In two areas of the state, tuition and books are free, those served by Omaha-based Metropolitan Community College and Norfolk-centered Northeast Community College. But the future affordability of the program for families statewide is being threatened by a reduction in funding. The $5 million a year from the federal pandemic-related American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) is going away, leaving only $3 million a year in state funding remaining. On Thursday, several administrators of community colleges and Nebraska high schools joined a student and a representative of the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry in testifying in favor of state legislation to keep the program affordable for high school students and their families. It would provide an additional $21 million over the next two years to continue. Supporters of the additional funding praised the program as jump-starting student higher education, which they said leads to higher rates of college enrollment and earlier graduation. It also gets students into the workforce sooner, in high-need jobs like welding, teaching and health care, and is a proven way to reverse the 'brain drain' exodus of educated young people from Nebraska. 'This maybe has been the most successful higher education partnership with K-12 education and business in all my years in education,' said Randy Schmailzl, the long-time president of Metropolitan Community College, which had nearly 9,000 dual enrollment students this year. Mark Shepard, the superintendent of Fremont Public Schools, said the program had helped boost a local career and technical education program that has trained 200 student welders over the past nine years. Seventy of those trained are now working in well-paying, high-demand jobs in the state, he said. 'We view these programs as a true game changer for our state,' Shepard said of the technical training offered in Fremont through dual enrollment. Murphy, whose family lives in Walthill, said she could not have taken the classes she did if she had been required to pay full tuition, which is $108 per credit hour at Northeast Community College. At her high school, students have taken 790 credit hours of tuition-free dual enrollment classes this year with eight of the 18 members of the senior class on track to graduate with community college associate degrees, according to Jon Cerny, superintendent at Bancroft-Rosalie. At Millard Public Schools, 2,200 students took dual enrollment classes last year, earning 26,000 credits. Superintendent John Schwartz said that added up to just short of $2 million in tuition that families didn't have to pay. The result, the two educators told members of the Legislature's Appropriations Committee, is that students complete college sooner and with less debt, and are able to graduate earlier and join the Nebraska workforce. 'It's hard to find a better program that supports young people and our economy,' said Michael Johnson of the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce, who called the state's shortage of workers 'the number-one barrier to economic growth in the state.' 'This program presents a win-win-win opportunity for all of us,' said State Sen. Jason Prokop of Lincoln. His proposal, Legislative Bill 173, would provide $10 million for the dual enrollment program in 2025-26 and $11 million the following year. Prokop said it exceeds the $5 million a year in ARPA funds that are going away because that money hasn't covered all costs of the program, which are nearing $20 million a year. He said funding also hasn't kept up with the 65% increase in students taking the courses. 'This program produces a pipeline of skilled labor that Nebraska employers desperately need,' the senator told the committee. LB 173 wasn't included in the preliminary budget recommendations of the Appropriations Committee, which is now taking testimony on its proposed budget. Senators are seeking to close a budget gap, leaving little funding for new spending. Omaha State Sen. Christy Armendariz, a member of the committee, praised the program. But more than once, she asked whether other funds — rather than state taxpayer money — might be found to finance the dual enrollment program, or whether it could be more focused on families who could not afford to pay the tuition. An official with Northeast Community College said that institution doesn't have the funds to continue to offer free tuition on its own, and would have to start charging students. Schmailzl said that when Metro used to offer the classes at 50% of full tuition, it 'cut a lot of people out.' Shepard, the Fremont superintendent, said that 40 some businesses have contributed to the vocational programs in his district, but that ending free tuition, or having students fill out a waiver to get a tuition break, would present barriers. The Appropriations Committee took no action on the bill after the public hearing on Thursday. It received 70 online comments in support of the bill and no opposition. Murphy, the UNO student, wasn't able to attend the public hearing. She's working three part-time jobs as she pursues her pre-medicine degree in hopes of eventually becoming an ophthalmologist. Besides saving money and getting a jump start on her university studies, she said dual enrollment and the rigors of college classes forced her to get more organized. She made a daily list of what she needed to get done each day. It also helped her get hired. 'When you see someone who graduates with an associate degree, they realize that's a hard-working person, Murphy said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Students, educators tout benefits of funding dual enrollment classes in high school
Dual enrollment programs are helping Nebraska high school students earn college credit and in some cases associates degrees before graduation. Shown is the downtown Lincoln campus of Southeast Community College. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner) LINCOLN – Soon after beginning her studies at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, McKenzie Murphy, then 19, applied for a part-time job. She had graduated from high school only a few months earlier, but Murphy's application also read 'graduate, associates degree, Northeast Community College.' Her interviewer didn't believe that someone so young could have a two-year college degree. 'Oh my gosh, when did you graduate?' Murphy was asked. In May of 2023, Murphy received her diploma from Bancroft-Rosalie High School. But because she had participated in a state dual enrollment program, she also earned a college degree by taking college-level classes while in high school — classes that came with both college and high school credits. During her last semester of high school, Murphy took 21 credit hours of such dual enrollment classes, completing a lot of general education courses normally taken at colleges or universities, but also learning about investing. 'I like to stay busy,' she said. This year, more than 20,000 Nebraska high school students at more than 200 schools across the state are taking dual enrollment classes, with hundreds each year, like Murphy, graduating with two diplomas when they finish high school. Students, including those home-schooled or in private schools, get discounted tuition when taking the classes. In two areas of the state, tuition and books are free, those served by Omaha-based Metropolitan Community College and Norfolk-centered Northeast Community College. But the future affordability of the program for families statewide is being threatened by a reduction in funding. The $5 million a year from the federal pandemic-related American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) is going away, leaving only $3 million a year in state funding remaining. On Thursday, several administrators of community colleges and Nebraska high schools joined a student and a representative of the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry in testifying in favor of state legislation to keep the program affordable for high school students and their families. It would provide an additional $21 million over the next two years to continue. Supporters of the additional funding praised the program as jump-starting student higher education, which they said leads to higher rates of college enrollment and earlier graduation. It also gets students into the workforce sooner, in high-need jobs like welding, teaching and health care, and is a proven way to reverse the 'brain drain' exodus of educated young people from Nebraska. 'This maybe has been the most successful higher education partnership with K-12 education and business in all my years in education,' said Randy Schmailzl, the long-time president of Metropolitan Community College, which had nearly 9,000 dual enrollment students this year. Mark Shepard, the superintendent of Fremont Public Schools, said the program had helped boost a local career and technical education program that has trained 200 student welders over the past nine years. Seventy of those trained are now working in well-paying, high-demand jobs in the state, he said. 'We view these programs as a true game changer for our state,' Shepard said of the technical training offered in Fremont through dual enrollment. Murphy, whose family lives in Walthill, said she could not have taken the classes she did if she had been required to pay full tuition, which is $108 per credit hour at Northeast Community College. At her high school, students have taken 790 credit hours of tuition-free dual enrollment classes this year with eight of the 18 members of the senior class on track to graduate with community college associate degrees, according to Jon Cerny, superintendent at Bancroft-Rosalie. At Millard Public Schools, 2,200 students took dual enrollment classes last year, earning 26,000 credits. Superintendent John Schwartz said that added up to just short of $2 million in tuition that families didn't have to pay. The result, the two educators told members of the Legislature's Appropriations Committee, is that students complete college sooner and with less debt, and are able to graduate earlier and join the Nebraska workforce. 'It's hard to find a better program that supports young people and our economy,' said Michael Johnson of the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce, who called the state's shortage of workers 'the number-one barrier to economic growth in the state.' 'This program presents a win-win-win opportunity for all of us,' said State Sen. Jason Prokop of Lincoln. His proposal, Legislative Bill 173, would provide $10 million for the dual enrollment program in 2025-26 and $11 million the following year. Prokop said it exceeds the $5 million a year in ARPA funds that are going away because that money hasn't covered all costs of the program, which are nearing $20 million a year. He said funding also hasn't kept up with the 65% increase in students taking the courses. 'This program produces a pipeline of skilled labor that Nebraska employers desperately need,' the senator told the committee. LB 173 wasn't included in the preliminary budget recommendations of the Appropriations Committee, which is now taking testimony on its proposed budget. Senators are seeking to close a budget gap, leaving little funding for new spending. Omaha State Sen. Christy Armendariz, a member of the committee, praised the program. But more than once, she asked whether other funds — rather than state taxpayer money — might be found to finance the dual enrollment program, or whether it could be more focused on families who could not afford to pay the tuition. An official with Northeast Community College said that institution doesn't have the funds to continue to offer free tuition on its own, and would have to start charging students. Schmailzl said that when Metro used to offer the classes at 50% of full tuition, it 'cut a lot of people out.' Shepard, the Fremont superintendent, said that 40 some businesses have contributed to the vocational programs in his district, but that ending free tuition, or having students fill out a waiver to get a tuition break, would present barriers. The Appropriations Committee took no action on the bill after the public hearing on Thursday. It received 70 online comments in support of the bill and no opposition. Murphy, the UNO student, wasn't able to attend the public hearing. She's working three part-time jobs as she pursues her pre-medicine degree in hopes of eventually becoming an ophthalmologist. Besides saving money and getting a jump start on her university studies, she said dual enrollment and the rigors of college classes forced her to get more organized. She made a daily list of what she needed to get done each day. It also helped her get hired. 'When you see someone who graduates with an associate degree, they realize that's a hard-working person, Murphy said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
