SHS Senior, Christian Fields has been selected the May Youth Rotarian by the Seward Rotary Club and honored at the May 4^thRotary Club meeting.  He was introduced by Rotarian Anita Foor and she shared is accomplishments and honors from his various activities while attending Seward High.  He was presented with a Rotary Banner, mementos and a Rotary Book Scholarship and will be a finalist for the Youth Rotarian of the Year.  Christian is the son of Dr. Josh and Jamie Fields of Seward.

Christian is a member of the Seward High National Honor Society and maintains a GPA of 3.75.  He is consistently on the SHS Honor Roll and enjoyed many Advanced Placement and College Classes while attending Seward High, such as AP Calculus or AP US History.  He is a loyal member of the SHS Ambassador Program and often called to represent SHS at various functions or give tours of the school to visiting teachers, parents or students. 

Christian loves athletics and played SHS Football all four years and was awarded the Varsity Letter.  He played Outside Linebacker and Wide Receiver for the SHS Bluejay Football team.  Christian played for the SHS Basketball team 2018-2020 and Baseball 2018-2020 as an Outfielder and the SHS Golf team 2022. He also played for the American Legion Baseball team for two years in the summer.  

He is a leader in the Seward High Future Business Leaders of America and served as an officer for three years.  He participated and was recognized at various State FBLA Competitions and Contests during his high school career.  He also enjoyed working with the Seward Rotary Club representatives as one of the FBLA representatives on the July 4 and Christmas Home decorating contests. He is proud to be Microsoft Exel and Word Certified and enjoyed the Stock Market Challenges in Personal Finance Class and FBLA.

His summer employment has varied over the summers, including Detassiling for Sloup/Throell Company, and Rouging for Rich Eber Company.  He also mows various lawns in his neighborhood as well. 

His is a member of the Seward United Methodist Church in Seward, a voice for youth in their congregation and active in their Godparent program.

Christian plans to attend the University of Nebraska in Lincoln and study in the field of Business Administration.

His hobbies include golfing, boating, fishing and being in the Great Outdoors.  He also enjoys following the Stock Market.  

His “Service Above Self” activities centered around the many community service opportunities over his high school career with the FBLA program, as he led several of the food drives, the blood drives and the annual Children’s Christmas Toy Drive-sponsored by the SHS FBLA.  He was also a key volunteer at the local Youth Camps for football, baseball and basketball at SHS.

Christian will be honored again at the SHS Honors Night in May, where the Seward Rotary will announce the Youth Rotarian of the Year.  He is the last Youth Rotarian for the 2021/2022 school year.  The Seward Rotary plans to continue the program next year.

Click on the link below to access the newsletter.

https://www.smore.com/60j9c-sps-spring-newsletter

The Board of Education has set the calendar for the 2022-2023 school year.  To aid in your planning, click on the link below to view the calendar.

2022-2023 School Calendar

https://sites.google.com/sewardschools.org/sps-covid-19-data-dashboard/home

Below you will find more information about ESSER III funds provided to school districts across the nation. The list below is the allowable expenditure categories. The categories highlighted below are the areas that Seward Public Schools intend on using the funds allotted.  Seward Public Schools has been allocated $860,890 and has until fall of 2024 to expend these funds.  The goal of these funds is to help support students without having recurring costs to the district after the ESSER III funds are gone. If you have any suggestions regarding the use of these funds, please contact Dr. Josh Fields, Superintendent, at Josh.Fields@sewardschools.org

ESSER, passed as Section 18003 of the CARES Act in March 2020; ESSER II, passed as Section 313 of the CRRSA Act in December 2020; and ARP ESSER (ESSER III), included in Section 2001 of the American Rescue Plan Act, H.R. 1319, provides billions in funding for state and local educational agencies to spend on allowable activities to respond to COVID-19. ESSER is its own, separate, flexible program intended to assist with the COVID-19 response. ESSER I, II, & III funds must be tracked separately.

The ESSER III funding has the same allowable activities as the ESSER I and ESSER II funds; however an LEA must reserve not less than 20 percent of its total ARP ESSER allocation to address learning loss through the implementation of evidence-based interventions, such as summer learning or summer enrichment, extended day, comprehensive afterschool programs, or an extended school year programs, and ensure that such interventions respond to students’ academic, social, and emotional needs and address the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on underrepresented student subgroups.

LEAs may use their ARP ESSER funding on the following allowable activities under the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act:

1. Administration – 10% administrative cap, includes indirect cost rate charged against direct costs. Reference.

2. Any activity authorized by the ESEA of 1965, IDEA, AEFLA, and Perkins. Note: McKinney-Vento was not included as an allowable use under ESSER III ARP Act.

3. Coordination of preparedness and response efforts.

4. Providing principals and other school leaders with resources necessary to address the needs of their individual schools. Note: Not included in ESSER III/ARP Act.

5. Activities to address the unique needs of low-income students, children with disabilities, English learners, racial and ethnic minorities.

6. Developing and implementing procedures and systems to improve the preparedness and response efforts of LEAs.

7. Training and professional development for LEA staff on sanitation and minimizing the spread of infectious diseases.

8. Purchasing supplies to sanitize and clean the facilities of a LEA, including buildings operated by such agencies.

9. Planning, coordinating, and implementing activities during long-term closures.

10. Purchasing educational technology (including hardware, software, and connectivity) for students who are served by the LEA that aids in regular and substantive educational interaction between students and their classroom instructors, including low-income students and children with disabilities, which may include assistive technology or adaptive equipment.

11.  Providing mental health services and supports.

12. Planning and implementing activities related to summer learning and supplemental after-school programs.

13. New ESSER II Addressing learning loss among students, including low-income students, children with disabilities, English learners, racial and ethnic minorities, students experiencing homelessness, and children and youth in foster care, of the local educational agency, including: 1. Administering and using high-quality assessments that are valid and reliable, to accurately assess academic progress and assist educators in meeting students’ academic needs, including differentiating instruction.

    1. Implementing evidence-based activities to meet the comprehensive needs of students.

    2. Providing information and assistance to parents and families on how they can effectively support students, including in a distance learning environment.

    3. Tracking student attendance and improving student engagement in distance education.

14. New ESSER II School facility repairs and improvements to enable operation of schools to reduce the risk of virus transmission and exposure to environmental health hazards, and to support student health needs.

15. New ESSER II Inspection, testing, maintenance, repair, replacement, and upgrade projects to improve the indoor air quality in school facilities.

16. New ESSER III Development of strategies and implementation of public health protocols that align with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance on reopening and operating school facilities to maintain the health and safety of students, educators, and other staff. CDC Guidance can be found at: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Operational Strategy for K-12 Schools

17. Other activities that are necessary to maintain the operation and continuity of services in LEAs and continuing to employ existing staff of the LEA. Any entity that receives funds under the Education Stabilization Fund shall, to the greatest extent practicable, continue to pay its employees and contractors during the period of any disruptions or closures related to COVID-19.

Updated at the February 14, 2022 BOE meeting on the plan and the use of funds as a discussion item. Feedback was provided on adding more money to our Mental Health Supports along with changes to the dollar amount per NDE of $870 to the total budget.