Gothenburg Public Schools - Excellence is an Expectation

After an extraordinary career spanning more than three decades, we are honored to celebrate the retirement of Mrs. Barb Hicken! Mrs. Hicken grew up in Iowa and pursued her passion for teaching at Kearney State College (UNK), later earning her master’s degree from Wayne State College. She began her teaching career at 81R, a small country school, before spending 12 impactful years teaching in Lexington. Eventually, she became a proud Swede, leaving a lasting mark on countless lives in our community. Mrs. Hicken comes from a rich line of educators, including her mother, her sister, and many aunts and uncles. They all shared a commitment to shaping young minds, and this legacy of teaching has undoubtedly inspired Mrs. Hicken's own remarkable journey. When reflecting on her career, Mrs. Hicken shared that the relationships she built with her students have been her greatest joy. She will deeply miss the many moments and memories spent with her students and colleagues. In her well-deserved retirement, Mrs. Hicken looks forward to spending quality time with her family, attending her grandkids’ activities, and exploring new hobbies... with crafting at the top of her list! Thank you, Mrs. Hicken, for the profound impact you've had on so many lives! We wish you all the best in your retirement! 🥳🌟👏

After a remarkable career in both education and coaching, Mr. Roger Koehler is hanging up his teaching hat... again. A proud graduate of Wausa High School, Mr. Koehler went on to attend Northeast Community College before earning both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Mr. Koehler began his teaching journey at Gothenburg High School in 1985, where he taught for 33 years before retiring the first time in 2018. However, his love for education and his Swede pride brought him back to the Gothenburg Business Department, where he embraced a second chapter as a teacher for 5 more years. Throughout his career, Mr. Koehler has left an incredible mark in the classroom and on the field, court, and track. He has coached football, basketball, track, cross country, and, most recently, served as the Head Boys Golf Coach. His dedication and leadership have inspired countless students and athletes over the years. When reflecting on his career, Mr. Koehler shared that his greatest joy has been witnessing the success of the student-athletes he’s had the privilege to teach and coach. He’s also cherished the camaraderie with his fellow business teachers and the daily interactions with students and staff. Mr. Koehler and his wife, Julie, are incredibly proud that both of their children chose careers in education! Logan is teaching at Norris, and Kylie will be teaching at Minden this fall after teaching for several years at Kenesaw. Mr. Koehler looks forward to part-time work, plenty of time on the golf course, and continuing his role as a football referee with his local crew. Thank you, Mr. Koehler, for your years of service, your unwavering dedication, and the lasting impact you’ve made on so many lives. We wish you all the best in your well-earned retirement! 🌟👏

Happy National Speech- Language Pathologist Day!! Especially to our very own Erin Feather, Tatum Cool, and Taylor Junker. You are all amazing!!!

🚨 Surplus Alert! Our shop has recently listed a variety of items available to the public. Don’t miss out—check out what’s up for grabs! 🔧🪑🖥️ ➡️ https://bit.ly/4jj31aw #SurplusSale

After 37 years of dedication, passion, and service, Mr. Tim Peterson is retiring! 🎉 Mr. Peterson graduated from Gothenburg High School, earned his degree from UNL (and also played football for the Huskers), and then taught at Greeley and SEM before coming back to Gothenburg. Over the years, Mr. Peterson has taught History and P.E. and also helped out the district by serving in a short-term role as Junior High Principal. He has also dedicated many years to coaching basketball and track. When asked about his career, Mr. Peterson shared that he measures success in the “daily victories” of his students. He takes pride in helping them discover their potential... especially those who didn’t enjoy P.E. at first but ended up looking forward to going to P.E. class! In retirement, Mr. Peterson looks forward to spending more time with family, playing lots of golf, and refereeing football. He also plans to substitute teach! Thank you, Mr. Peterson, for the profound impact you have made on the lives of so many, and we wish you all the best in your next chapter of life. Congratulations! 🌟👏

Good afternoon… This is Josie Floyd, Elementary Principal at Gothenburg Public Schools calling with some final information about tomorrow’s Elementary Track and Field Day.  We are expecting warm weather tomorrow so please remember the sunscreen and a water bottle for your child. Placing your child’s name on the water bottle would be greatly appreciated.  They will be able to refill it throughout the day. We are hoping that everyone had the chance to look at the slip of paper that came home on Friday listing the events your child has signed up for.  Please bring that slip of paper with you to the Track and Field Day (or take a picture of it with your phone) so you have a quick reference throughout the day. We ask that you have your child to the track at 8:45 a.m. tomorrow morning.  Kindergarten through 3rd graders will start the day with their running events and students in 4th through 6th grade will start the day with their field events.   If your child is participating in running events, you are welcome to sit in the bleachers for the best view of the track as your child will sit with you until their specific event is called.   When your child’s running event is called over the announcements, they will report to the WEST gate to enter the track (the west gate is the gate closest to the outside concession stand).  When they are done running they will exit the track through the EAST gate (closest to the high school parking lot).  We ask that once you send your child to the WEST gate, that you please stay in the same location until they are done running… so they can find you again :) Please note that no parents will be allowed on the track or track infield at any point during the day.  This includes the high jump area.  The reason for this is because while one section of the elementary is doing field events, the other section will be doing running events.  Therefore we cannot have spectators on the track and / or crossing the track.  If you have a student who will be high jumping, you will be able to watch the high jump from the west fence line (near the long jump bleachers).  Thanks for understanding.   We will do our very best to make LOTS of intercom announcements throughout the day that will let everyone know when students should report to their events.  Please listen carefully anytime you hear an announcement being made as there will be a lot going on at one time tomorrow. As mentioned previously, we encourage you to bring a picnic lunch with you to the track and field day or purchase a meal from our Gothenburg PTA.  Hot Dogs and Walking Tacos will be available.  Although we should have a nice lunch break from 12:00 to 12:45 p.m. (or even a bit longer), we do not feel this is enough time for you to venture downtown or do drive-through.  You are welcome to spread out on the west practice football field or even venture over to Ehmen Park.   If your child returned the bottom portion of the track note (a few weeks ago) indicating that they would like a sack lunch made by the school, that sack lunch can be picked up just inside the community building doors (near the cafeteria).  This is also where everyone can access the bathrooms throughout the day. If your child is being supervised by school staff (as indicated on the slip of paper you returned to the school previously), you may drop your child off to school at the “normal time” (7:55 a.m.) through the main door of Dudley.  We will have staff ready to greet them.  These same students will then return to the elementary building after the track meet and will be dismissed at normal time (3:30 p.m.) unless checked out by a parent prior to that time. One final reminder… there will be no access to the school building throughout the day (except to use the bathroom and have access to drinking fountains).  The Junior High and High School students will have a normal school day so we will need to keep their building as safe as possible.  Because of this, we encourage you and your family to dress in layers, wear sunscreen and to bring a water bottle. If you need to reference this information again, you can find it on the school’s Facebook page, as well as the school website. We look forward to seeing you all tomorrow and can’t wait to have our ENTIRE Swede Family on campus tomorrow.  It’s going to be a GREAT day!

Dudley Track & Field Day - May 12th This is information regarding the Kindergarten through 6th Grade Track and Field Day to be held on Monday, May 12th. The meet will start promptly at 9:00 AM. Please have your child to their first event by 8:45 AM. Students do NOT need to come to school (or check into their classroom) prior to 8:45 AM. As the schedule shows below, Kindergarten-3rd Grade students will complete their running events in the morning and their field events in the afternoon. 4th-6th Grade students will complete their field events in the morning and their running events in the afternoon. The afternoon session will begin @ 12:45 p.m. If your child has an adult family or friend supervising him / her for the day, it will be their responsibility to get to each event on time. As you may notice, there is not a specific time that each event is scheduled to begin. The schedule is “rolling” which means once an event is finished, that grade level will then rotate to the next event. It is imperative that you pay attention to what event your child's specific grade level is participating in (or stay close to cheer on other classmates) in order to guarantee that your student arrives at their next event on time. Students are all bringing home a schedule of events today. This piece of paper will show each event that he / she signed up for, as well as where those events will be located around the track and field area. If you have any questions please email me at bryson.mahlberg@goswedes.org

It’s been so much fun celebrating our incredible teachers this week for Teacher Appreciation Week! 🎉 We are truly grateful for the impact they make on our students every single day — with their hearts, their passion, and their commitment to helping every child grow. A special shoutout to Alli Scholting for the fun banners that we were able to place in both lounges! 💛 #TeacherAppreciationWeek #ThankATeacher #GratefulForOurSwedes

🌟 Wish Day at Dudley Elementary was May 1st 🌟 May 1st marked a special celebration at Dudley Elementary—Wish Day and the culmination of our 15-day Reading Adventure with students and families! 📚✨ To celebrate the journey, every student wrote a meaningful wish and linked it with their grade-level peers to form colorful paper chains. On May 1st, classes gathered around a tree on the south playground (maybe RED) to take a photo with their chains of wishes! The paper chains will be proudly displayed near each classroom on pallet trees handcrafted by Mr. Bartels' talented students. 🌳💫 We hope our families enjoyed reading this story together and sharing in the joy of reading and dreaming with their children. 💭❤️ Thank you to all our Dudley readers and families for making this adventure so special! 💛 #BeHereBeYouBeASwede #DudleyWishDay #ReadingAdventure #SwedePride #DudleyElementary

🌟 Teacher Appreciation Week | May 5th–9th 🌟 This week, we celebrate the heart of Gothenburg Public Schools — our incredible teachers and staff! Every day, they go above and beyond to inspire, support, and guide our students. Now is the perfect time to say thank you and share just how much their efforts mean to you! Let’s come together as a school community and shower our staff with some much-deserved SWEDE APPRECIATION! ➡️ Use our Positive Teacher & Staff Referral Form which is always available on our District Webpage or click on the link below, to recognize any member of the SWEDE staff who has made a difference. (bit.ly/3QCFsxP) 💬 Your kind words will be shared directly with them by an administrator — because kindness deserves to be celebrated. Let’s fill this week with gratitude, positivity, and heartfelt praise. Together, we can lift up those who lift up our kids every single day. #SwedePride #TeacherAppreciationWeek #SwedeAppreciation #ThankATeacher

🌟✨ A huge thank you to Flatwater Bank for making it possible for our Swede Branch 6th Grade Tellers to attend Stellar Teller Day on the UNK Campus on May 1st! It was an incredible day of learning, fun, and leadership! Our students were inspired by author and speaker Julia Cook, who shared powerful lessons and stories that will stick with these young leaders for years to come. 📚💡 Congratulations to our 2025 Stellar Teller—Abigail Scott from Swede Branch! We are so proud of you!

Dudley Elementary 2nd Graders had a fun-filled, learning experience at Kennedy Landscape, where they were introduced to many species of trees, learned how to plant flowers, and how to care for them. Keep 🌸 blooming and growing 🌺 these last few weeks of school!

🎉 It’s a Double the Fun Fist Bump Friday at Dudley! 🎾👟 We’re excited to welcome the Girls' Tennis Team and Boys' Track Team as our special greeters! Thanks for helping us start the day with smiles, high fives, and Swede spirit! 💙💛 #FistBumpFriday #BeASwede #SwedePride

Happy School Principal's Day to two of the best! GPS is lucky to have Mr. Ryker and Mrs. Floyd. Thank you for your leadership!

Guess what today is at Dudley Elementary? It is WISH DAY! If you have been following along with our One School One Book "Wishtree", you know what we are talking about. All students and staff will be writing their wish and placing it on a tree at the end of our day! We hope you have enjoyed this reading journey with your family! #2025

“Smiles, learning, and lots of Swede pride—just another great day at Dudley!”

🎶👏 Shout out to our amazing Choir and Band! 👏🎶 This evening’s performance was nothing short of unforgettable—there were tears, goosebumps, and even a few moments of laughter. Huge thanks to Mr. Johnson, Mrs. Phillips, and our incredibly talented students for sharing your gifts and creating such a powerful evening of music. Your hard work, heart, and harmony continue to make us proud! 💛🎼 #SwedePride #GPSMusicMagic #StandingOvation

Please join us in celebrating Mrs. Cindy Moore on her well-deserved retirement from Gothenburg Public Schools! 🎉 Mrs. Moore graduated from Gothenburg High School, earned her degree from UNK, and has taught at Malcolm, Maxwell, Yutan, and Southern High School in Wymore. She has been a pillar of commitment and dedication to Gothenburg Public Schools for the past 17 years, teaching both math and science! She has also coached volleyball, basketball, and track, facilitated the school's social media accounts, and can be seen running the score clock or keeping book at a junior high or high school game. When reflecting on her career, Mrs. Moore shared that she always woke up excited to go to school. She cherishes the relationships she has built with her students and treasures those special moments when former students return to share their journeys and successes. She also noted how just a simple smile or friendly hello from a student could brighten her busy day! Thank you, Mrs. Moore, for the profound impact you have made on the lives of so many, and we wish you all the best in your next chapter of life. Congratulations! 🌟👏

🏦 Swede Branch Bank Update! 🏦 Wednesday, April 30th will be the final day to make a deposit at the Swede Branch Bank for this school year! Our student bank tellers have been amazing — growing their skills and providing great service all year long. We love giving our Dudley students the opportunity to learn about financial responsibility. It's been awesome to see so many young "Swede investors" building their savings one deposit at a time! 💰 Their future looks bright (and well-funded)! It’s been a fantastic year, and we’re excited to continue with Year #3 next school year. Thank you for supporting the Swede Branch Bank!

🎉 Camp Dudley Invitations Are on In The Mail! 🎉 Invitations for Camp Dudley (our summer school program) have been sent home in the mail! Students were recommended by staff to attend this fun and beneficial opportunity. This year, Camp Dudley will run July 7–25, Monday through Friday, from 8:00–11:00 AM. We’re excited to have a great team ready to facilitate a fantastic three-week program for our students! 📬 Please return the bottom portion of the invitation to help us with planning and preparation. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to your child’s teacher or Mrs. Floyd. We can't wait for a wonderful July together at Camp Dudley! 🌟