Encouraging students to return to their communities

Watching rural Nebraska communities lose population prompted two University of Nebraska at Kearney faculty members to work with five high schools to identify strengths and weaknesses in rural Nebraska towns.

Peter Longo and John Anderson, political science professors at UNK, are teaching students about citizenship through community and school improvement projects. Through surveys and discussions, the students are learning about their own towns and schools. The results should help students to determine their hometown's strong points and areas for improvement. City and school leaders can use the results to implement changes that might draw students to return as adults, Longo said.

"The challenge remains to uncover ways students may someday return to their communities, or similar communities, and continue to make positive impacts to greater Nebraska," Anderson said.

Students from five Nebraska high schools are participating in the project: Minden, Wakefield, Eustis-Farnam, Southern Valley, and Firth-Norris.

James Reed teaches a modern problems class at Southern Valley High School in Oxford, Neb. His students are working with UNK, have decided to pursue a school improvement project and will select from three ideas:

• Add a school activity such as debate, soccer, tennis, dance or a reading club.
• Create a student store for students to buy school supplies and snacks.
• Offer a pep bus to transport students to away sporting events.

"When we get the results from the survey, we will focus on one area to present a plan to the school board for approval," Reed said. "I think this process has helped students see what's possible. One comment I have consistently heard from students is 'Anything productive takes a lot of work."'