The highlight of my week is talking with our students.
I am in awe of everything they’re learning, accomplishing and building for their futures.
On Feb. 1 and 2, more than a thousand Omaha Public Schools students will gather on the stage of the Holland Performing Arts Center for band, orchestra and choir concerts.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Omaha Public Schools All-City Music Festival.
Throughout each decade and across multiple venues, this annual event has celebrated vocal, instrumental and orchestral student musicians. Alumni have moved on to teach in our schools and perform professionally. Even for those who do not pursue music as a career, our programs inspire a lifelong appreciation for the arts.
Thank you to the dedicated staff who make it all possible.
This event, at this scale and on the Holland stage is unique. Students, families and staff gathering downtown for the festival is a special part of being in Nebraska’s largest and most diverse school district.
We invite you to join us. You will hear the debut of original music, brought to life by our extraordinary young people. I know it will bring you joy.
Matthew Ray
Superintendent
Omaha Public Schools
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All-City Music Festival Celebrates 75 Years of Student Excellence | |
South High senior William Nommensen drags the bow along the strings of his cello, practicing the notes on the sheet music in front of him. With the 75th Annual All-City Music Festival around the corner, his excitement grows to play on the stage at the Holland Performing Arts Center in February.
“I’ve participated in the festival since the sixth grade,” said Nommensen. “The audience will hear this beautiful music put on by choirs and the orchestra of Omaha Public Schools.”
The All-City Music Festival showcases the hard work and preparation of the top-performing band, choir and orchestra students from each of our district schools.
“It’s an opportunity that takes them out of the classroom and into the real world,” said Georg Getty, Northwest High music teacher. “We create an experience for students to work with high-level clinicians in a high-level place.”
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While the All-City Music Festival takes place during the first weekend of February, preparation began much earlier. Auditions in December started a two-month-long journey for teachers and students in our district. South High orchestra and music theory teacher Mindy Zimmerman says students learn responsibility throughout this process.
“The students are responsible for learning their parts on their own,” said Zimmerman. “This is an opportunity for our students to reach above and beyond what they might experience at the school level.”
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All-City participants only rehearse together three times before the festival begins, which means much of the practicing is done on the students’ own time. To help with this, Getty provides his students with practice resources, including practice tracks to listen to at home or during their free time.
“Wherever they are, they can pull out their sheet music, put in their earbuds or speaker system, sing along with the equipment and listen to their part,” said Getty. “We do whatever we can to allow them to be successful and give them the tools they need to dig into these songs.”
Northwest High sophomore Luis Resendiz Vallejo prepares to return to the All-City stage for the first time since the seventh grade. He’ll be performing as a tenor with the high school choir.
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“The students have worked hard towards this, and the pieces we’re performing mean something,” said Resendiz Vallejo. “I wanted to do this because I thought it would be a great experience, and I’m excited to see people from other schools and get to sing with them.”
Nommensen says he’s also looking forward to sharing the stage with more than 1,000 Omaha Public Schools students.
“I’m excited to see the other cellists I’ve become friends with from other schools again,” he said. “It’s all of the best musicians in our district coming together to play, and it’s fun to work with others so dedicated to their instruments.”
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The festival is held over two days. Instrumental music performances start at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 1. The choirs will perform on Sunday, Feb. 2, at 2 p.m.
“Audience members are going to see talented students from all across our district, from all walks of life, coming together to make art, to make music and to make life-changing experiences,” said Zimmerman.
Don't miss the chance to watch our students in action—get your tickets now!
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Composers Create Original Music for Milestone Event | |
Composer and conductor Marques L.A. Garrett, Ph.D., was thrilled to work with Omaha Public Schools again for one of the nation's longest-running K-12 public school music festivals. Dr. Garrett is an associate professor of choral studies at the University of North Texas. He previously taught at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. In 2020, he conducted the choir at the All-City Music Festival.
"It's just an honor whenever someone asks me to work with a choir or to write a song for them," said Dr. Garrett. "I know so many teachers at Omaha Public Schools, and I'm looking forward to being back in Nebraska with folks who mean a lot to me."
Omaha Public Schools asked Dr. Garrett to compose a piece set to a poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar, "With the Lark." The Omaha Public Schools high school choir will perform the composition, which is inspired by new beginnings.
"I can recognize beauty, and that's what this poem is," said Dr. Garrett. "I try to make music that feels natural for the singers and think about how we speak words and our natural rhythms."
Ford hopes festival attendees will leave with a new appreciation for the arts and music.
"I hope they have a refreshed sense of, 'Wow, I've never heard anything like this before," he said. "And they see a different component of classical and what it has been for a long time."
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Inside Omaha Public Schools Instrument Repair Shop
Duo keeps student musicians’ tools in working order
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Cesar Gomez plays the clarinet he's been repairing, surrounded by shelves of woodwind, brass and string instruments. He checks each key to ensure they no longer stick. The clarinet is one of Gomez's most challenging projects yet at the Omaha Public Schools instrument repair shop, where he's an intern.
"I might mess it up a bit, but that's just part of the learning process, and I just keep going until I finish all the way through," said Gomez, a South High senior. "This gives me an important role, and it's nice knowing people rely on me."
Gomez works alongside Dave Fletcher, Omaha Public Schools instrument repair technician. Together, they fix hundreds of instruments yearly at the small shop inside the Career Center.
"I like having a mentor for such a niche subject," said Gomez. "Knowing that Omaha Public Schools has someone here makes it amazing because I feel like I've been given an opportunity that not many can have."
The partnership and keeping everything in working order is rewarding for Fletcher and Gomez.
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"It allows me to share my craft, and the neat thing about Cesar is that he's truly interested in it," said Fletcher. "I'm taking him through the beginning of things. We started on the clarinet, then moved to dental work on trumpets and removing stuck slides and valves."
Christine Rabino, an Omaha Public Schools music teacher, brings her students' instruments to the repair shop. Our district provides instruments for students at all grade levels participating in their school band. Fletcher says the workshop receives more than 2,000 instruments per school year.
"It's nice because we have so many instruments that a majority of the kids use from Omaha Public Schools," said Rabino. "Dave gets them repaired quickly so we can get back to doing music and not just sitting there without an instrument."
Gomez is happy to contribute to that. After high school, he hopes to attend Western Iowa Tech to continue his education in a band instrument repair program.
"Music is a big part of my life," said Gomez. "I've always found tinkering around with things to be interesting, so I gravitated towards this naturally."
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FAFSA Requirement for Class of 2025 Families | |
This month brings an important deadline for families of high school seniors. Jan. 21 through 24 is FAFSA week in Omaha Public Schools. FAFSA stands for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
Completing the form or opting out is now a graduation requirement in Nebraska.
“For FAFSA, it was pretty simple," said Liam Murphy, Burke High senior. "I already had an account made a few weeks before it opened, and then I just sat down with my family, and we got it all knocked out in about an hour.”
Seniors who submit their FAFSA by Jan. 31 will be entered to win gift cards or other prizes. Visit ops.org/counseling to learn more.
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Board Welcomes New Members and Elects Officers | |
The Omaha Public Schools Board of Education welcomed two new members this month.
Ms. Kimara Snipes and Ms. Gini Magnuson took the oath of office during the Jan. 6 meeting. Ms. Snipes represents Subdistrict 9, and Ms. Magnuson represents Subdistrict 5.
The board also elected Ms. Jane Erdenberger as president and Ms. Snipes as vice president to serve for the 2025 calendar year.
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School Selection Applications Due Jan. 31
An important deadline is approaching in the School Selection process. All applications must be turned in by Jan. 31.
Families of students in the final grade at their building (transition grade) received an email with a link to complete their school selection for the 2025-26 school year. Students in non-transition grades can get a paper application from their school's counseling office.
Middle and high school open houses allowed families to visit each school this month. Several open houses take place in the days ahead. To see a full schedule and read more about the School Selection process, visit our website.
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Kindergarten Roundup in Full Swing at Omaha Public Schools
Kindergarten Roundup began this month for Omaha Public Schools families, with events scheduled at each neighborhood school through the end of January.
This is a time for incoming families to visit their future school and meet the staff. Our district wants to ensure that students have a smooth transition into kindergarten.
Kindergarten Roundup dates and times are posted on our website, ops.org.
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Our Community Opportunities section is our digital bulletin board where families can find information about upcoming events and activities available in our area. New flyers are posted at the beginning of each month. This month's flyers include:
- Upward Sports Soccer League Registration
- MAC Foundation Scholarships
- Ralston Girls Softball Registration
- Hillside Little League Registration
- Aim For The Stars Summer Camp Registration
- The Hispanic Community Health Initiative Annual Health Fair
Omaha Public Schools provides this opportunity for outside organizations for the benefit of our families. It does not endorse any business, product or service.
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… to the Omaha Public Schools athletes selected for the 105th All-Nebraska football team.
- Ike Ackerman, Central High
- Connor Cook, North High
- Tyson Terry, North High
- Maxwell Clark, North High
- Darion Jones, North High
…to Alyx Roth and Quentin Kennedy of Bryan High for having their artwork chosen for the Superintendent’s Holiday Card.
… to Larry Martin, North High head football coach, for being named the Tom Jaworski Head Coach of the Year from the 2024 Omaha Metro Football Coaches All-Conference Team.
… to Dan Hempel, North High assistant football coach, for receiving the 2024 Omaha Metro Football Coaches All-Conference Team Jerry Ball Assistant Coach of the Year Award.
… to the Westview High dance team for placing first at the UDA Nebraska Regionals dance competition.
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Omaha Public Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex (including pregnancy), marital status, sexual orientation, disability, age, genetic information, gender identity, gender expression, citizenship status, veteran status, political affiliation or economic status in its programs, activities and employment and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following individual has been designated to accept allegations regarding non-discrimination policies: Superintendent of Schools, 3215 Cuming Street, Omaha, NE 68131 (531) 299-9822. The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies: Director for the Office of Equity and Diversity, 3215 Cuming St, Omaha, NE 68131 (531) 299-0307. | | | | |