Aug 21, 2017 | News
A rapidly growing school district such as Elkhorn’s often creates change and, at times, uncertainty when it comes to athletics classification. Particularly during this time of the school year, questions begin to stir about this topic, specifically, “when will we move to Class A?” In order to provide as much clarity as possible at this time, please review the below considerations and variables that are used when determining athletics classifications:
- Activities are broken up into sports according to each school’s enrollment numbers for grades 9-11.
- Each fall, schools in the state of Nebraska, are required to report their grade 9-11 figures to the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) on the last Friday in September.
- The NSAA waits for the official publication of this report from the NDE, using these figures to compile a rank-by-size order for their annual classification report. These figures are traditionally available near the end of December.
- Once the figures are available, the NSAA then uses this rank order to establish classification for each sport and event they sponsor.
- These numbers are used for classification of schools for the following year (i.e. numbers turned in to the NDE in September 2017 will be used for classification for 2018-2019 school year).
According to NSAA rules, each activity has a different number of schools that make up their classifications and divisions. This is mostly due to the number of schools participating, and “history” over time. Every sport is on a one year cycle except for football, which follows a two-year cycle.
32 school in Class A 28 schools in Class A 26 schools in Class A _ Split # A&B One Class
B & G Track Football (2 year Cycle) B & G Tennis Swimming
B & G Golf Volleyball (All others in B)
Wrestling Softball
Baseball
B & G Basketball
B & G Soccer
B & G Cross Country
Classification Change – One change that will be implemented beginning in the fall of 2018 includes football being classified by the number of boys in grades 9-11 in a school. A school with 425 or more boys, will now be considered Class A for the following two year scheduling cycle. More information on how this change will affect both ESHS and EHS will follow.
Elkhorn South and METRO Conference Transition – Due to the numbers turned in during the 2016-2017 school year and the 9-11th grade enrollment numbers given to the NDE, a classification change was anticipated due to the thought that ESHS would become larger than both North Platte and Norfolk, moving ESHS into Class A in every sport. In actuality, both North Platte and Norfolk districts grew proportionally, allowing ESHS to remain in Class B (in the larger sports with 28 teams) for the 2017-2018 school year.
Because the METRO Conference had already accepted ESHS for the fall of 2017, that agreement will be honored and ESHS athletics will move to the METRO Conference, an athletics-only conference, beginning with the 2017-2018 school year. With the move to the METRO Conference, ESHS will be competing against mostly Class A competition, as well as some Heartland Athletic Conference (HAC) and Eastern Mid Conference (EMC) Schools. The METRO consists of the following 18 schools from 7 different districts:
| OPS |
Millard |
Papillion LaVista |
Bellevue |
Elkhorn |
Archdiocese |
Westside |
| Benson |
Millard South |
Papillion LaVista |
Bellevue East |
Elkhorn South |
Creighton Prep |
Westside |
| Burke |
Millard North |
Papillion LaVista South |
Bellevue West |
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Marian |
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| Bryan |
Millard West |
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| Central |
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| North |
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| Northwest |
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| South |
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In conclusion, no change in classification is anticipated for the 2017-18 school year. However, projections conclude that all ESHS sports will likely be in Class A for the 2018-2019 school year. We anticipate that the enrollment numbers for ESHS that will be turned in to NDE in September 2017 will be approximately 955 students in grades 9-11. Last year, North Platte turned in 900 and Norfolk turned in 902. Interestingly, North Platte and Norfolk’s numbers included grades 9-12, and the change will require that only grades 9-11 (for football only) be submitted in 2018. Therefore, it is projected that ESHS would be larger than both previously mentioned districts in the 2018-2019 school year. Knowing that there are moving variables and classification happens by season, the following conclusions can be drawn from current projections:
- 2017-18 School Year
- Class B – Football, Volleyball, Softball, B&G Basketball, B&G Soccer, B&G XC, Baseball, Boys Tennis
- Class A – Swimming, B&G Track, B&G Golf, Wrestling, Girls Tennis
- 2018-19 School Year
- Class A – All athletic programs
- 2019-20 School Year
- Class A – All athletic programs
Elkhorn High School Conference Affiliation and Classification: There are no plans for Elkhorn High School (EHS) to change conferences due, in part, to the likelihood of a third high school in the near future which will result in splitting EHS into two Class B high schools. There are also no anticipated changes to athletics classifications for EHS in the 2017-2018 school year. However, given the change in how classification is determined for football, with it being determined by number of boys in grades 9-11, it is projected the EHS will be Class A for football for the 2018-2019 school year. Knowing that there are moving variables and classification happens by season, the following conclusions can be drawn from current projections:
- 2017-2018 School Year
- Class B: All athletic programs
- 2018-19 School Year
- Class A: Football, B&G Track, B&G Golf, Wrestling, B&G Tennis
- Class B: Volleyball, Softball, B&G Basketball, B&G Soccer, Cross Country, Baseball
- 2019-2020 School Year
- Class A: All athletic programs
If you have any questions or concerns regarding this information, please contact Mark King (EHS) at 402-289-4239 or mking1@epsne.org or Roger Ortmeier (ESHS) at 402-289-0616 or rortmeier@epsne.org.
Feb 23, 2017 | News
A mandatory meeting will be held for all parents and interested students (currently in 8th-11th grade) on Monday, March 13nd at 6:30 p.m. in the EHS lecture hall. If your parents can not attend, but you would still like to try out please speak with Barb Schmidt or Anna Beard.
Tryout prep clinics will be April 3rd through April 6th, with tryouts on Friday, April 7th at 4:00 p.m. All tryout clinics will be held in the main gym. Please see practice schedule below:
- Monday, April 3rd: 3:45-5:15 p.m.
- Tuesday, April 4th: 3:45-5:15 p.m.
- Wednesday, April 5th: 3:45-5:15 p.m.
- Thursday, April 6th: 3:45-5:15 pm
- Friday April 7th- Tryouts begin at 4:00 p.m., please arrive at 3:30
Feel free to call Barb Schmidt at 402-289-4239 with any questions. We are very excited about the upcoming season and hope to see you cheering on the Antlers!
Barb Schmidt & Anna Beard, Elkhorn High School Cheer Coaches
Jan 4, 2017 | News
The new District and Building websites are now live so please take a moment to check them out! Below are a few items to make note of:
- All websites are now mobile friendly and automatically adjust to whatever device you’re using.
- All information will be accessible through an improved navigation structure and all content will remain searchable.
- Quick links on the front page will provide more efficient access to information commonly accessed.
- The staff and student login links have moved from the top right corner to the top left corner of the district website.
- The Technology website has been eliminated and all of its content has been merged into the Teacher Resources website.
- The content from the High School Activity websites can now be found under the “Activities” menus on the High School websites.
If you would like to be able to access any of the Elkhorn Public Schools websites directly from the home screen on your mobile device, please follow the listed steps:
Apple
- Open the web browswer and go to http://www.elkhornweb.org
- On the bottom of the screen, click “Share Now” (square with arrow) and click “Add to Home Screen”
- Click “Add”
- The website will now be featured as an “App” link on your home screen
Android
- Open the web browser and go to http://www.elkhornweb.org
- In the top right hand corner, click “More Options” (three vertical dots) and click “Add to Home Screen”
- Click “Add”
- The website will now be featured as an “App” link on your home screen
The above directions can be followed for any of the EPS websites, including the main district website and all building sites.
Jan 1, 2017 | News
GOOGLE SITES
Google has made a recent change to Google Drive. In the past, the district did not allow the option for students to create websites via Google due to privacy concerns and the fact that these websites could have been accessed by anyone on the Internet. With the recent change, we now have the ability to allow students to create websites as a part of class projects, with the assurance that these sites will only be shared within the district. Students will now be able to create websites just like any other Google Drive resource (Docs, Sheets, Slides). We see this change to Google Sites as a great, new educational resource for EPS students and staff. Google Sites will be available to students after 2/1/2017.
Dec 15, 2016 | News
For the Fifth Consecutive Year the Elkhorn Public Schools District was Placed on the College Board’s 7th Annual AP® District Honor Roll for Significant Gains in Student Access and Success
433 School Districts Across the U.S. and Canada Are Honored
The Elkhorn Public Schools District is one of 433 school districts in the U.S. and Canada being honored by the College Board with placement on the 7th Annual AP® District Honor Roll. To be included on the 7th Annual Honor Roll, the Elkhorn Public Schools District had to, since 2014, increase the number of students participating in AP while also increasing or maintaining the percentage of students earning AP Exam scores of 3 or higher. Reaching these goals shows that this district is successfully identifying motivated, academically prepared students who are ready for AP.
According to Superintendent Steve Baker, “Receiving this recognition, now for the fifth consecutive year is reflective of the culture our staff has worked to create. One of our goals is to constantly raise the academic bar for all students, and our students have consistently demonstrated that they are up to the challenge.” Baker added, “Participation in AP courses and exams increases student success in college and allows students the opportunity to save in college expenses.”
The Elkhorn Public Schools District has a K-12 enrollment of 8,400 students with two high schools. Since 2010 AP enrollment has more than tripled and the number of AP exams taken at both high schools has quadrupled. These results are credited to the increase in course offerings and the culture of rigor at Elkhorn Public School District High Schools.
National data from 2016 show that among black/African American, Hispanic, and Native American students with a high degree of readiness for AP, only about half are participating. The first step to getting more of these students to participate is to give them access. Courses must be made available, gatekeeping must stop, and doors must be equitably opened. The Elkhorn Public Schools District is committed to expanding the availability of AP courses among prepared and motivated students of all backgrounds.
“Congratulations to all the teachers and administrators in this district who have worked so tirelessly to both expand access to AP and also to help students succeed on the AP Exams,” said Trevor Packer, the College Board’s head of AP and Instruction. “These teachers and administrators are delivering real opportunity in their schools and classrooms, and students are rising to the challenge.” Helping more students learn at a higher level and earn higher AP scores is an objective of all members of the AP community, from AP teachers to district and school administrators to college professors. Many districts are experimenting with initiatives and strategies to see how they can expand access and improve student performance at the same time.
In 2016, more than 4,000 colleges and universities around the world received AP scores for college credit, advanced placement, or both, and/or consideration in the admission process.
Inclusion on the 7th Annual AP District Honor Roll is based on a review of three years of AP data, from 2014 to 2016, looking across 37 AP Exams, including world language and culture. The following criteria were used.
Districts must:
- Increase participation/access to AP by at least 4% in large districts, at least 6 % in medium districts, and at least 11% in small districts;
- Increase or maintain the percentage of exams taken by black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, and American Indian/Alaska Native students; and
- Improve or maintain performance levels when comparing the 2016 percentage of students scoring a 3 or higher to the 2014 percentage, unless the district has already attained a performance level at which more than 70% of its AP students earn a 3 or higher.
When these outcomes have been achieved among an AP student population in which 30% or more are underrepresented minority students (black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, and American Indian/Alaska Native) and/or 30% or more are low-income students (students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch), a symbol has been affixed to the district name to highlight this work.
