NELIGH – Educational Service Units (ESUs) in Northeast and North Central Nebraska have been awarded a grant to further their distance learning capabilities.
USDA Rural Development Nebraska State Director Maxine Moul visited Neligh recently to present officials of ESU #8 a certificate recognizing the $287,442 grant to upgrade its distance learning equipment between 30 schools and Northeast Community College. It is part of $1.2 million in funding awarded to several ESUs in the state.
Moul said the grant will allow students to be able to take advance placement classes, dual credit classes, and job skills training. “It is essential to expand distance learning so as to expand education to our students. It is with great pleasure Rural Development is able to assist in the ESU’s distance learning efforts,” she said. “The ability of this particular grant to help students in these ESUs gain college credit through Northeast Community College is another wonderful advantage of distance learning. It’s great to see how this opens the world to our children.”
“ESU #8 is honored and humbled to receive this grant. This will be a benefit to all districts involved and Northeast Community College, said Bill Mowinkel, ESU #8 administrator. “We applaud the efforts of our own Molly Aschoff and Mary Gurney in the preparation and submission of this grant application. Thanks also goes out to USDA Rural Development in recognizing the need to extend and expand educational opportunities to rural Northeast Nebraska.”
Aschoff, who serves as the distance learning coordinator for ESU #8, said this grant will also reach schools in ESU #17, which includes schools in Ainsworth, Bassett, Cody-Kilgore, Springview and Valentine, as well as Knox County schools served by ESU #1. “We have students here in Neligh taking classes through the Manhattan School of Music in New York City. We also had eleven local Vietnam veterans here send a program out to our schools this past fall on Veterans Day.”
Aschoff said distance learning technology has also allowed everyone from local day care providers to dental hygienists get their service and continuing education hours. “The equipment is not only for our schools, we reach out to our communities a well. There are no longer boundaries thanks to distance learning,” she said.
“We appreciate the work of the staff of ESU #8 in successfully obtaining this grant,” said Dr. Michael Chipps, president of Northeast, who was also on hand for Moul’s presentation. “This is really a wonderful opportunity for us to grow and expand our operations with the schools you serve. Thank you for including us in the great work you continue to do.”