January 20, 2026

A huge thank you to our community sponsors who make the Employee of the Month something truly special. We appreciate the support of Sodexo Food Service & Facilities, the Millard Public Schools Foundation, and Millard's DJ's Dugout!

The Board of Education Student Showcase recognizes students with outstanding achievement in school-sponsored academics, athletics, and activities. Showcase awards are provided by the Millard Public Schools Foundation.

If you think your next grocery store run is big, consider Millard's! The Board of Education received the Food Service report last night from Millard's food service partner, Sodexo. Here are some cool facts about Millard's kitchens:

Millard serves more than 17,000 meals a day.
The district goes through more than 1,200 gallons of milk a day.
Millard's milk and dairy is supplied locally by Hiland Dairy.

Millard Public Schools has been honored by Mentor Nebraska and Omaha Mayor John Ewing as one of their 25 Champions of Mentoring in celebration of Mentor Nebraska's 25th anniversary. Thank you to all the adults in Millard taking extra time to make a child's life better.

When curriculum materials are updated, the community is invited to review the materials our staff has selected to support the Millard Education Program. The two curriculum areas currently receiving new materials are preschool through 12th grade English Language Arts and 9th through 12th Grade Child Development. You are invited to visit with staff and explore these materials during one of two open houses.

The dates are Tuesday, February 17th, and Thursday, February 26th. The time for both nights will be 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., and the location will be the Ron Witt Support Services Center, 13737 Industrial Road, Omaha, NE. We look forward to welcoming you!

Congratulations to our staff doing amazing things!

Upchurch STEM coordinator and math interventionist, Gina Wiitanen, has been selected as the 2026 Nebraska Agriculture in the Classroom Teacher of the Year, a statewide honor recognizing exceptional integration of agriculture into classroom learning.

Tony Gentile has been selected as the principal of Disney Elementary School.
Josh Duncan has been selected as a the principal of Willowdale Elementary School.

We congratulate the following staff who will be retiring at the end of the year!

Julia L. Kolander – World Language Teacher at Millard North High Schools
Janelle S. Van Riesen – First Grade Teacher at Disney Elementary School

We welcome the following teacher to Millard in this school year:

Angela J. Henry – Special Education Teacher at Millard North High School

We welcome the following teachers to Millard for the coming school year:

Trinity A. Weers – English Learner Teacher for Millard Public Schools
Katie A. Markvicka – Language Pathologist for Millard Public Schools
Kourtney J. Caniglia – Physical Education Teacher at Kiewit Middle School
Maggie C. King – Computer Teacher at Andersen Middle School
Kyle A. Young – Science Teacher at Millard North High School

New Year Cheer, Bring your backpack here!

Back Row, left to right: Lisa Schoenberger, Vice President; Justin Curtis, Secretary; John Schwartz, Superintendent; Mike Kennedy, Board Member; Amanda McGill Johnson, Board Member

Front Row, left to right: Linda Poole, President; Stacy Jolley, Treasurer