The Seward Public School Board recently received praise for its accomplishments throughout the past year.
The school board was given the Board of Excellence Award at the Nebraska Association of School Board's regional meeting in York on Sept. 15.
School board president Ryne Seaman said to win the award, a board is measured on criteria including its involvement in curriculum development and strategic planning and the outreach it does within the district and the community.
Just three school boards in the state received the distinction this year, Seaman said.
“There is a bit of a bar that you have to achieve annually to receive it,” he said. “We just really appreciate the involvement from all six members.”
The board consists of Seaman, Jana Hughes, Shawn Svoboda, Jill Hochstein, Paul Duer and Danielle Shipley.
Seaman said the award shows the board's ability to work together and put differences aside in order to make decisions that best suit students and staff.
“We come from a diverse background. We don't agree on necessarily everything but we have a great working relationship,” he said. “We bring our opinions to the meeting but see other points of view from fellow board members to make the best decision possible. We really appreciate everyone's openness when we're discussing topics.”
The award is given each year and is based on the board's work the year prior. Seaman said the Seward board has won it before, but this time was especially important given the landscape of education in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We started with in-person learning in August of 2020 with the hopes we'd make it to Christmas and we ended up finishing the year (in-person),” he said. “It takes the commitment of administrators, teachers, students and staff to achieve that.
“It's extra rewarding to receive this award as part of the overall efforts of the district last year.”
Seaman said that while the board appreciates the award, it is just one part of what makes a successful school district. He said the award is a credit to the district as a whole and should be celebrated as such.
“You can't be an outstanding school board without having an outstanding school district,” he said. “It's simply a reflection on the outstanding school district we have.”
