While Lincoln’s brand-new Standing Bear High School still has construction equipment in the parking lot and an unfinished auditorium, students filled the halls for the first time Monday morning, bringing an air of anticipation with them.
Only freshmen were in attendance on the first day, but the sophomores will join them Tuesday. Together, the 321 students make up two of the first classes that will graduate as Standing Bear Grizzlies — something historic, said Trisha Lind, the associate principal at Lincoln's newest high school.Ìý
Classes at Lincoln Public Schools picked back up for the school year with elementary, sixth- and ninth-grade students in classrooms across all 71 schools. This year, LPS added its eighth high school, as Standing Bear opened at 70th Street and Saltillo Road to help accommodate growing enrollment in the district.Ìý
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The whole first day of school felt lively, Lind said, with high energy and excitement bursting from each student and staff member.
“Having students come in for the first time, it was incredible,†Lind said. “Seeing their faces, they were excited — with big smiles — to be a part of it.â€
Standing Bear Associate Principal Trisha Lind
Students ended their first day with a scavenger hunt sending them throughout the building to different areas of the school. Later, the freshman members of the band and cheer squad made their debut at a pep rally where the class took its first pictureÌýtogether and clapped along to the Grizzlies’ new fight song.Ìý
Jane Black, a member of the 2027 graduating class at Standing Bear, was in awe when she walked through the doors on her first day of high school Monday morning.
“I was thinking, 'Wow, I'm actually doing this, this is actually happening,'†said Black, who runs cross country. “A few years ago, this just didn't exist, so just being able to walk through those doors and be like, 'This is actually very amazing.'â€
Black said she's happy to start her high school career without the presence of juniors or seniors and finds comfort in knowing all of her peers are attending a new school, too, she said.
“That's really comforting for me because it's a fresh start and everyone's starting over, so I'm not the only one that's nervous or trying to fit in or anything,†Black said. “Not having the pressures of having upperclassmen being here is really nice just because we get to make traditions and things that haven't been in place yet.â€
The building itself is nearly identical to Lincoln Northwest, which opened last fall, and cost about $62.5 million. The school boasts a lengthy list of new spaces and learning opportunities, including collaborative classrooms, a rooftop garden, state-of-the-art sports complexes and an area dedicated to a partnership with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Business.Ìý
Lind hopes the students take away more than just the excitement of new facilities, but a sense of community and tradition, too.
“We're really excited to start a brand-new school with freshmen and sophomores,†Lind said. “It's going to allow us to really establish and have them be a huge part of establishing some of those rituals and routines and a big part of the culture.â€
Lind, Principal Sue Cassata and others at Standing Bear worked throughout the summer to ensure the school was student-ready by the start of the year and strived to honor the school’s namesake, Chief Standing Bear. By doing so, Lind said she hopes they can help create a unique environment for their students.
“We really wanted to have our students have a sense of belonging here at Standing Bear High School, our staff to have a sense of belonging here, and our community and our families,†Lind said.
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