Harvest Hills Elementary

This week in math, first graders are creating and completing their own graphing project. They created a question with choices and gathered data from their peers today.

Mrs. Schram's 4th graders worked with electrical energy this week! They created a switch to keep their circuits running.

The elf in Miss Beeson's first grade classroom needed some serious writing help! The first graders got to the job right away teaching about handwriting and spelling skills.

Dr. Kendra Schneider Named New Director of Special Education
Gretna, NE – December 9, 2025

Gretna Public Schools is thrilled to announce Dr. Kendra Schneider as the new Director of Special Education, effective July 1, 2026, following Paul Duin’s retirement. Dr. Schneider has served as Assistant Director since 2021, leading program supervision, compliance, and professional learning initiatives.

“I’m extremely excited to serve as the Director of Special Education for Gretna Public Schools,” Dr. Schneider said. “Paul Duin has been an incredible mentor, and I’m honored to build upon the strong foundation and high-quality programs established by him and Deb Siemers, the previous Director of Special Education. I look forward to working alongside our talented special education team, collaborating with families, and ensuring every student receives the support they need. Gretna Public Schools’ commitment to excellence in special education is evident, and I’m eager to contribute to our continued growth and success.”

Superintendent Travis Lightle added, “We are excited to announce Dr. Schneider as our new Director of Special Education. Her leadership over the last five years has led to positive changes in our district, and our department’s retention rate remains the envy of the state because of it. Dr. Schneider’s experience and genuine dedication to Gretna Public Schools make her the ideal person to continue advancing our programs.”

Dr. Schneider brings more than 20 years of experience in special education and also serves as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. She holds a Doctorate and two Master’s degrees from the University of Nebraska and is actively involved in statewide initiatives advancing special education.

A huge thank you to the Harvest Hills PTO for putting together indoor recess carts! For those cold days we can't go outside due to low temperatures, these new fun games keep our spirits high!

Kindergarteners at Harvest Hills began their celebration of Holidays around the world!

Third graders had fin with the beautiful snow on the playground!

Get ready for the cutest Turkey Traps you've ever seen! First graders in Miss Beeson's class got creative and came up with some ingenious ideas to catch those sneaky turkeys!

A huge thanks to Ms. Sughroue and the 5th graders for helping us pull off our annual staff Turkey Bowling. We had so much fun watching the teachers compete for our traveling turkey trophy in the halls and a final bowl-off in the gym!

Kindergarten classes explored fall movement with scarves in music class this week!

The preschoolers had an amazing time celebrating Thanksgiving with a delicious family feast! It was a wonderful opportunity for the little ones to share the joy and spirit of gratitude with their loved ones.

We had an amazing Family Book Night with Mrs. Hergott, focusing on emotional regulation practices. Her dedication and care for our Harvest Hills families truly shined. Thank you, Mrs. Hergott, for all your hard work!