Category Archives: Community

The board of education is asking community members, parents and staff to take the following survey. This survey will give stakeholders the opportunity to share their thoughts on strengths/challenges of the district, as well as desired attributes for the new superintendent. The deadline for completion of the survey is January 23. Thank you for your input!

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HSPS2026

Hay Springs Public School is accepting applications for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 school years for the positions of:

• Varsity Football Head Coach
• Activities Bus Driver
• Route Bus Driver

Hay Springs Public School is an excellent class D2 school district 20 miles east of Chadron, NE on HWY 20. Hay Springs Public School takes pride in its academics and activities. The school operates on a four day week (M-Th) throughout the year. We have an active and supportive school board and enjoy tremendous support from our community.

If you have an interest in any of these positions, please contact Mr. Clear at the following:

George Clear, Superintendent
Hay Springs Public School
P O Box 280
407 N Baker St
Hay Springs, Nebraska 69347
george.clear@hshawks.com
308-638-4434 (p)

Hay Springs Public School District is an equal opportunity employer.

Invitation to Participate in Research on Four-Day School Weeks

Dear Parents and Guardians,

You are invited to participate in a research study titled “Rethinking the School Week: Parent Perceptions of Four-Day Schedules in Rural Midwest School Districts.” The purpose of this study is to better understand parents’ views and experiences related to four-day school week schedules in rural communities.

Participation in this study is completely voluntary. If you choose to participate, you will be asked to complete a brief online survey that takes approximately 5–10 minutes. The survey will ask about your general perceptions of the four-day school week and include some basic demographic questions (for example, whether your child receives special education services or free/reduced-price lunch).

Your responses will be anonymous and no personally identifying information will be collected. Your decision to participate, or not, will have no effect on your child’s education or your relationship with the school, teachers, or administration.

If you are interested in learning more or would like to participate, please click the link below to review the informed consent form and begin the survey:

Parent Survey

If you would like to copy and paste this link into your web browser, this method works as well.

https://doane.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0IJTGtrGVntf1s2

If you have any questions about the study, please feel free to contact:
Tim Heckenlively
Principal Investigator
timothy.heckenlively@doane.edu

Thank you for considering this opportunity to share your perspective.

Sincerely,
Tim Heckenlively
Principal Investigator
Doane University

Penny War results:
Pre K: +20.86
Kind. +8.23
1st +14.70
2nd -52.35
3rd -136.75
4th +60.37
5th +149.81
6th +12.99
7th +116.62
8th +19.01
Sophomores +23.00

The pizza party winners are the 5th-grade class!! Congratulations! The fifth-grade class collected $267.01 in positive money and had $117.20 in negative money. They had the highest amount collected in both the initial positive money and the total money.

Big congratulations to our elementary and 7th grade for winning the hot cocoa bar!

A huge thank you to the kids and their parents for donating their extra change to this event! We will be presenting the food bank with $800 this year!

Last year, we had many parents help donate for this event. This year, I tried to make it easier if you would like to donate to the hot cocoa bar. Here is a wish list link. https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/1YYVF8FKQIMG3?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_ggr-subnav-share_G76Y7CA2PKANFY2HXWZ0

The items bought will be shipped directly to the school. If you would like to donate differently, please email nichole.marcy@hshawks.com. We appreciate all the help and generosity!!

Results from the first few weeks of the Penny Wars!

PreK – positive $.86
K – positive $13.56
1st – grade positive $16.89
2nd – grade negative $ 85.98
3rd – grade positive $36.37
4th – grade negative $3.46
5th – grade negative $5.12
6th – grade positive $2.05
7th – grade positive $38.50
8th – grade positive $7.21
9th – grade $0
10th – grade positive $20
11th – grade $0
12th – grade $0

THE GREAT PIZZA & HOT COCOA WAR – FINAL WEEK!

The battlefield is set… the stakes are high… the cheese is melty.

Scores so far:

• Elementary: $67.68 (slightly over-caffeinated but determined)
• Middle School: $47.76 (strategically plotting with math skills)
• High School: $20 (the underdogs, fueled by hope and leftover lunchables)

Only ONE WEEK left! Who will rise victorious and claim the ultimate prize: ALL THE PIZZA & A HOT COCOA BAR

Rumor has it the 7th graders have recruited a secret weapon: extra cheese. Will Elementary’s stealth tactics win the day? Can High School pull a last-minute comeback using advanced eye-roll strategy?

Remember: even in the heat of battle, it’s for a good cause… because nothing says “holiday spirit” like donating AND devouring pizza.

Choose your side… the war is real.

The collected money goes to the food bank as a donation!