August 2024

BALANCING LIFE - SERVING - MAKING A DIFFERENCE!

For Bridget Backer '18 her time at Concordia taught her the valuable life skill of balancing school work, friendships, activities, and volunteering. "Being the size it is, students have the opportunity to try things, even things that they may not naturally gravitate towards. Without a doubt, I wound up involved in many activities I otherwise never would have even tried," she said.

Bridget attended Creighton University and studied Biology, Public Health, and Anthropology. She had her eyes set on medical school from a young age so after graduation, she crossed Dodge Street to begin medical school at UNMC. She is now in her third year with graduation in sight for June 2026. She does not have a specialty picked yet, but she has thoroughly enjoyed her small-town rotations in O'Neil and Kearney. She is thankful to be at the stage of her schooling that gives her the opportunity to spend time with her patients and hopes to find a specialty that will allow her to have that personal connection.

While at Concordia, Bridget was involved in band, Envirothon, sports, the musical, and more! She was on the 2016-2017 volleyball team that won State and holds that memory dear, "taking down previously undefeated Malcom stands as a HUGE highlight in my volleyball career." Being Coached by Dan Yaksich and Kiley Hanson was a powerful part of the experience as well, "They saw fit to not only train us to be good volleyball players but also molded us into individuals who respected competition and viewed our teammates as the ones we knew to lean on," she recalls. Her time spent on the Envirothon team also holds a bucket load of special memories. Coach Mike Ellis will forever stand as a giant role model in Bridget's life. She shared, "He taught me how to work hard in the classroom and how to contribute to a team, but most of all, how to love Jesus in thought, word, and deed. The Mr. Ellis you saw at Concordia was the same Mr. Ellis you saw outside the walls of the school. He is a man of consistency and character. The care he (and his wife) offered us students on Envirothon trips made a lasting impression on me."

Servant leadership is also something that Bridget feels she witnessed in the shadow of Godly role models during her high school years. "I know that I am who I am because of those who poured into me, even if it was instruction on how to become a better writer or how to solve physics problems. The teachers at Concordia understand that education is their job, but demonstrating and modeling Jesus is their mission," she said. Bridget referred to a quote she recently heard, that reminded her of her past teachers and professors, from AW Towzer, "We all must do worldly jobs, but if we do them with sanctified minds, they become offerings to God." She is living that motto out as she continues her education and is involved regularly in serving others. Bridget attends Coram Deo Church and volunteers there in the two-year-old program. She is also involved, as a Bible study leader, with Youth for Christ, which includes several current Concordia students. Bridget also enjoys the beauty of God by spending time hiking and climbing in Colorado, and she has checked seven of the fifty-eight mountains off of her list so far-----keep climbing and growing Bridget!

Alumni Business Directory

We are planning to add a new feature to our school website that will include a directory of businesses that are run by Concordia Alumni. This is your chance to advertise what you do with your school family. Many times people ask us if we know of alumni who do plumbing, decorating, painting, woodwork, investing, accounting, and so on. If you are interested in this opportunity, please complete the form in the link below.

Alumni Sightings

It has been wonderful to see some faces from the past volunteering at Concordia recently.

Several alumni helped with the boys' basketball camp: Karsten Mathsen '22, Quientan McCafferty '24, Zach Kulus '22, and Brock Olson '22. We also were so pleased and blessed to have the help of Sue Hoppen, Faith Hoppen '10, and Karly Ridder '17 who came out and helped sort our huge uniform order that takes place each year before school begins. Thank you all for your time and efforts!

Check out this sighting of Concordia Alumni and their children who are currently attending Concordia Omaha. Alumni from L to R: Jenny DiGiorgio Carlson '05, Charista Zehnder Baye '06, Danielle David Cornell '06, Matt Mueller '09, Kate Hannemann Mueller '09, Tori Stuhr Hughes '10 and Natalie Kesar Rehbein '10.

Greta Gieseke comes to us from Faith Lutheran High School in Las Vegas, NV where she taught for 12 years. She will be teaching Spanish classes and her hometown is Lincoln, NE.

Julia Bloom will be teaching Theology, Civics and World History. Julia is also from Lincoln, NE orginally but she has been teaching in Maryland for the last three years.

Tina Kratz is has two beautiful daughters who attend Concordia, but now she is a member of the faculty. Tina will be teaching numerous classes at the 6th grade level.

We are so happy to welcome back Becky Gudmundson Jeseritz! She was blessed to stay home for seven years with her children but is now going to be teaching again! Becky will be working in the Academic Success Center.

Alumni Jenny DiGiorgio Carlson '05 is back at Concordia! Jenny will be teaching 3rd grade in the Academy. She also has two children who also attend Concordia.

Sarah Love is joining the faculty full-time this year. Last year she worked part-time as an aide. This year Sarah is teaching a 2/3 Ignite classroom. She has four children at Concordia and is married to Nic Love.

Anne Klappenback comes to us from Christ Lutheran School in Lincoln, NE. She will be teaching 2nd grade this year. Anne has four wonderful children with her husband Kirby who works at Concordia University, Seward.

Upcoming Events

Don't miss this exciting event! On Friday, August 23rd will be holding our Grand Opening and the annual football scrimmage! There will be tours, food trucks, and more. It will be a wonderful celebration of what God has done at Concordia Omaha!

First Day Back New Spaces!

The first day of classes started on August 14th with 676 students in our newly refurbished spaces and expanded campus! We give God all the glory for the blessing of these new classrooms, hallways, and offices!

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Alumni Updates

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Concordia Lutheran Schools of Omaha admits students of any race, color, national or ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.