When asked if she was ready for the new school year at Lincoln View Elementary, parent Britnye Wheeler's response was "So ready!"
It wasn't just a classic tongue-in-cheek eagerness to have kids back in school. Through intentional feedback sessions in early planning conversations about opening Lincoln View, Wheeler already felt invested in the Lincoln View Leopard community. She attended several meetings to discuss the boundary changes between Prairie Queen Elementary and Lincoln View.
"I was able to express my concerns or my opinions on the boundaries, get perspective from the other parents that attended, and also be able to ask questions to Dr. Rikli and the other board members that were there," Wheeler remembers. "So I thought that was really valuable that they were able to have us included."
New Lincoln View parent Joe Stanieich-Burke also got involved in early planning processes by participating in the discussion to develop the new school's mascot.
"It was really fun to get a peek behind the curtain and see what was being planned and get our input of what mascots we liked," he notes. "My favorite part about sitting in that room was listening to the kids get involved. Because, of course, parents showed up with their constructive feedback, but then watching the kids get super involved and have really insightful feedback was just really fun and engaging to listen to."
Digital Bonus
Stanieich-Burke enjoyed the experience, but expressed how he has felt his voice has been valued since "day one" as a parent in the district. "I feel like the Papillion La Vista school district has done a good job engaging families and collecting our feedback," he explains. "And so for me, it was just another box that I could check to say, 'They're listening again, and they're letting us get involved.'"
Stanieich-Burke's son Callum, a second grader this year, didn't favor the leopard among the mascot choices, but still admits it's cool. While seeing the school for the first time and jumping between colorful tiles in the hallways, Callum said he liked the new playground, and also appreciated the familiar spaces of the gym and music room.
Wheeler's three daughters — third grade twins Melanie and Macy and fifth grader Baylee — also noticed how Lincoln View felt a lot like Prairie Queen, but "backwards." All three agreed that they enjoyed the colors in the new building, the big classrooms, and the playground features.
The Stanieich-Burkes like the neighborhood location of Lincoln View, a priority in Papillion La Vista Community Schools. In the summer, they started practicing their walk to the school.
"We know a lot of the families, so seeing them walking their kids to school or walking home from school I think is just going to be a very great experience for us as a family," Stanieich-Burke considers.
For Callum, Melanie, Macy, and Baylee, there was one clear, standout thing to look forward to: seeing old friends and making new ones. Some things don't change, no matter the environment.
"I was PTO at Prairie Queen, and I'm continuing PTO at Lincoln View," says Wheeler. "And I think it's so fantastic to be able to start up a new school and gain those relationships with the school, with the staff, with [Principal] Mrs. Thompson, and be able to collaborate with other parents and start our own new traditions at Lincoln View."