Chuck Morgan, the longtime Lincoln East teacher with the snow day crystal ball, is retiring after 26 years.
But his over 6,600 followers on Twitter have no need to worry: the geography and history teacher has no plans to stop his snow day predictions.
Morgan, East High's longtime girls soccer coach, is somewhat of a folk hero on social media, where his predictions at @weather4us became the stuff of legend to students with a penchant for snow days.
"They're either really happy with me, and there's been a few times where I've been wrong and, boy, I'm chump change at school," Morgan said, laughing. "But that's all part of the fun."
He has no actual influence on the decision to call off school -- a committee makes that decision -- but Morgan said Superintendent Steve Joel is a fan of the Twitter account and encouraged him to keep it up in retirement.
Morgan's interest in weather started as a kid, and when he became a teacher, he would often share his weather predictions at school. Then in 2011, students encouraged him to take his weather calls to the masses on social media.
The Twitter account took off.
"I've built a fan base," he said. "These kids really rallied behind me."Â
Morgan said the timing was right for his retirement after over two decades at East. Substitute teaching may be in the cards, but first Morgan is looking forward to traveling and spending time with family -- he has five grandchildren -- and hopes to catch up on yardwork, too.Â
The 66-year-old never set out to become a teacher in his 40s after a stint in the military and time spent working various odd jobs, including at a skiing business and galvanized steel plant.Â
Morgan decided to pursue education and started out teaching middle school at Lincoln East when it was still offered there before transitioning to high school.
It's the kids, he says, he'll miss most, especially the shy students with whom he enjoyed striking up conversations. He'll miss the staff there, too — from his fellow teachers to the administration and custodians.
"It's been a great journey," he said. "Nothing beats being a teacher."
Last year was especially busy for Morgan. LPS used all five snow days built into its schedule, including several during February's cold snap that brought historic low temperatures to Lincoln.
So, what about next year?
"It's so hard to predict," Morgan said. "But I would safely bet we would probably see three snow days."Â
After-school program
If your student is enrolled in summer school this year, they can enroll in afternoon programs offered through Lincoln's Community Learning Centers free of charge.
The program is available to K-12 students enrolled in summer school, which is held weekday mornings in June. If you're a parent who can't pick up your student after the morning summer school classes or a student just looking for something else to do, you can stick around for CLC classes in the afternoon, many of which are centered around STEM and the outdoors.
The classes are being paid for with a grant from Beyond School Bells, a local organization committed to providing after-school opportunities for students.
In a typical year, the programming is only offered at Title I schools, said CLC director Nola Derby-Bennett.
But with summer school being offered to all K-12 students this year, it made sense to expand the district's afternoon offerings.Â
"It keeps students in that mental school mode," Derby-Bennett said.
The CLC classes are offered throughout the summer — not just during June — but are only free of cost as a wraparound option with summer school.
Derby-Bennett said there are about 1,500 students taking part in free programming this summer and enrollment is still open.
Parents can contact their children's school for more information.
Year to remember
The Class of 2021 will go down in history, mostly because of what it missed over the past year, said Lincoln High principal Mark Larson.
"I can't imagine being 16 years old and being confined to my house, isolated from my friends and not being able to do so many of the things that I loved," said Larson at Friday's graduation ceremony at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
A pandemic is nothing new for Lincoln's oldest high school, however.
In October 1918, students at Lincoln High were forced to leave the classroom as the Spanish flu spread.
No Zoom back then, Larson noted. Students were simply sent home.
But even with the availability of virtual learning over a century later, the Class of 2021 showed the same perseverance and gained a lot to replace what was lost, Larson said. Â
Grit. Resilience. An unwavering belief that whatever life throws at you, you can take it.
*Ìý2,790. Graduates who moved the tassels on their mortarboards during ceremonies at Pinnacle Bank Arena over the Memorial Day weekend. Kudos to them.
*Ìý3.5 million. Number of minutes teachers and students in LPS spent on Zoom per day in the height of the pandemic. Looks like remote learning will be a thing of the past for many, however.
*Ìý73. Days until the first day of school. But who's counting?
"When you're in the air you feel like you're flying," said eleven-year-old Eric Howerter of Lincoln as he finds tubing off a plastic ramp on the slopes of Holmes Lake Park to be an eye-opening experience on Friday, Feb. 22, 2013. Howerter and many others - young and old - used their snow day off from school to enjoy themselves sledding, tubing and snowboarding.
On a day barely fit for man or beast, Charlie Augustyn (right) of Lincoln and Maggie, his Gordon setter/Springer spaniel mix traverse the blustery and snow-covered landscape of Holmes Lake Park on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2014. Maggie was looking to do more exploring while Charlie wanted to retreat back to the warmth of his car in the parking lot on the right.
The misery of Tuesday's snow lead to the mirth of Wednesday's sledding down Holmes Lake Dam for seven-year-old La-Jaydua (cq) Phillips and her uncle Demetrius Stephens on Feb. 5, 2014. A smaller than usual group of sledders braved the bracing wind to enjoy a moment of fun on the slopes.
Nine-year-old Evan Merrell (front) and his friend Louis Helms, 9, engage in bit of sledding on a snow day off from school on the slopes of Holmes Lake Dam on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2014. A smaller than usual group of sledders braved the bracing wind to enjoy a moment of fun.
Casey Hoffer of Lincoln does a good deed for the day as he helps clear the sidewalks for Southview Christian Church on February 2, 2016, following an overnight snow storm which blanketed the area.
Snow kept them from attending school, but keep couldn't keep youngsters like James Hanson from hitting the slopes at Holmes Lake Dam on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019, at Holmes Lake Park. Two to four inches of snow was forecast for the Lincoln area on Tuesday.
Connor Von Busch and Grace Bellavia walk back to the shore of Holmes Lake after sliding down the dam and onto on the frozen-over, snow-covered surface on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019, at Holmes Lake Park. Two to four inches of snow was forecast for the Lincoln area on Tuesday.
The lights say "red," but the weather says "SNOW, SNOW, SNOW" as pedestrians cross eastbound on Q Street at the intersection of N. 10th Street on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019.
Despite the modest accumulation of snow, Levi (top) and three-year-old Murphy Wertz of Lincoln enjoy a sledding adventure down Holmes Lake Dam on Friday, Jan. 17, 2020. Lincoln area schools closed for the day which allowed young and old to partake of snow-related activities.
Cohen Behrens enjoys a ride down the snowy hill as he chased by Captain, a one-year-old Cockapoo who belonged to another group of sledders on Thursday, April 16, 2020, at Holmes Lake Park. Cohen was sledding the freshly fallen snow with his brother Cole Sharping who was waiting at the bottom for him.
Snow falls at Nebraska State Capitol, Thursday, April 16, 2020. Lincoln saw some snow showers Thursday afternoon, with overnight new snow accumulation around 1 to 2 inches, according to National Weather Service.
Graham Perterson, 10, (left) and Max Booher, 10, climb the hill with their sleds for another ride on Monday, March 11, 2013, at Holmes Lake in Lincoln.Â
Max Booher, 10, (left) and Graham Peterson, 10, flail down the hill on their sleds on Monday, March 11, 2013, at Holmes Lake in Lincoln. 4/2/2013 pg 1B Max Booher, 10, (left) and Graham Peterson, 10, sled down the hill on March 11 at Holmes Lake in Lincoln. March 2013 tied for the 18th snowiest on record and most of the snow fell on March 10: 5.5 inches.
Tara Johnson and her daughter, Bayla, slide down the sledding hill on Monday, Feb 2, 2015 at Pioneers Park. The hill was recently name one of the top ten sledding hills in America by USA Today.
Snow days are fun days as local residents revel in the flaky precipitation in local parks or around the city.
"When you're in the air you feel like you're flying," said eleven-year-old Eric Howerter of Lincoln as he finds tubing off a plastic ramp on the slopes of Holmes Lake Park to be an eye-opening experience on Friday, Feb. 22, 2013. Howerter and many others - young and old - used their snow day off from school to enjoy themselves sledding, tubing and snowboarding.
FRANCIS GARDLER, Journal Star
On a day barely fit for man or beast, Charlie Augustyn (right) of Lincoln and Maggie, his Gordon setter/Springer spaniel mix traverse the blustery and snow-covered landscape of Holmes Lake Park on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2014. Maggie was looking to do more exploring while Charlie wanted to retreat back to the warmth of his car in the parking lot on the right.
FRANCIS GARDLER, Journal Star
The misery of Tuesday's snow lead to the mirth of Wednesday's sledding down Holmes Lake Dam for seven-year-old La-Jaydua (cq) Phillips and her uncle Demetrius Stephens on Feb. 5, 2014. A smaller than usual group of sledders braved the bracing wind to enjoy a moment of fun on the slopes.
FRANCIS GARDLER, Journal Star
Nine-year-old Evan Merrell (front) and his friend Louis Helms, 9, engage in bit of sledding on a snow day off from school on the slopes of Holmes Lake Dam on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2014. A smaller than usual group of sledders braved the bracing wind to enjoy a moment of fun.
FRANCIS GARDLER, Journal Star
Casey Hoffer of Lincoln does a good deed for the day as he helps clear the sidewalks for Southview Christian Church on February 2, 2016, following an overnight snow storm which blanketed the area.
FRANCIS GARDLER, Journal Star
Snow kept them from attending school, but keep couldn't keep youngsters like James Hanson from hitting the slopes at Holmes Lake Dam on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019, at Holmes Lake Park. Two to four inches of snow was forecast for the Lincoln area on Tuesday.
FRANCIS GARDLER, Journal Star
Connor Von Busch and Grace Bellavia walk back to the shore of Holmes Lake after sliding down the dam and onto on the frozen-over, snow-covered surface on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019, at Holmes Lake Park. Two to four inches of snow was forecast for the Lincoln area on Tuesday.
FRANCIS GARDLER, Journal Star
The lights say "red," but the weather says "SNOW, SNOW, SNOW" as pedestrians cross eastbound on Q Street at the intersection of N. 10th Street on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019.
FRANCIS GARDLER, Journal Star
Despite the modest accumulation of snow, Levi (top) and three-year-old Murphy Wertz of Lincoln enjoy a sledding adventure down Holmes Lake Dam on Friday, Jan. 17, 2020. Lincoln area schools closed for the day which allowed young and old to partake of snow-related activities.
FRANCIS GARDLER, Journal Star
Cohen Behrens enjoys a ride down the snowy hill as he chased by Captain, a one-year-old Cockapoo who belonged to another group of sledders on Thursday, April 16, 2020, at Holmes Lake Park. Cohen was sledding the freshly fallen snow with his brother Cole Sharping who was waiting at the bottom for him.
FRANCIS GARDLER, Journal Star
Maren Scow (L), 12, and her neighbor Allison Ernst, 13, gain speed on the sledding ramp at Pioneers Park on Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2019.
GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star
Snow covers the Rock Island Trail as a runner and their dog make their way toward the Penny Bridges on Monday, Jan. 13, 2020.
GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star
Dennis Patel removes snow at a parking lot at the 2700 block of O Street, Friday, Jan. 17, 2020.
JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
Zoe Hutton, 3, is busy making a snow angel while his father Aaron Hutton is busy shoveling snow at 500 block of Danville Drive, Friday, Jan. 17, 2020.
JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
Snow falls at Nebraska State Capitol, Thursday, April 16, 2020. Lincoln saw some snow showers Thursday afternoon, with overnight new snow accumulation around 1 to 2 inches, according to National Weather Service.
JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
Graham Perterson, 10, (left) and Max Booher, 10, climb the hill with their sleds for another ride on Monday, March 11, 2013, at Holmes Lake in Lincoln.Â
Journal Star file photo
Max Booher, 10, (left) and Graham Peterson, 10, flail down the hill on their sleds on Monday, March 11, 2013, at Holmes Lake in Lincoln. 4/2/2013 pg 1B Max Booher, 10, (left) and Graham Peterson, 10, sled down the hill on March 11 at Holmes Lake in Lincoln. March 2013 tied for the 18th snowiest on record and most of the snow fell on March 10: 5.5 inches.
KRISTIN STREFF, Journal Star
Jerry Chopak, 10, from Tatum, TX takes a rest from sledding on Monday, March 11, 2013, at Holmes Lake in Lincoln.
KRISTIN STREFF, Journal Star
Reed Zuspan, 8, wipes snow off his face Sunday, Dec. 24, 2017, at Holmes Lake Park.
KAYLA WOLF, Journal Star
Tara Johnson and her daughter, Bayla, slide down the sledding hill on Monday, Feb 2, 2015 at Pioneers Park. The hill was recently name one of the top ten sledding hills in America by USA Today.