Students close the book on a busy summer of learning

Roughly 160 seniors from Lincoln Public Schools completed their graduation requirements by finishing six weeks of summer school on Thursday - and none were happier than Buay Gatluak, now a proud alumnus of Lincoln East High School.

He and his fellow graduates received their diplomas at Lincoln North Star High School, where the majority of summer school courses were held for students in grades nine through 12. Gatluak described the big day as the end of one chapter and the beginning of another.

“I’m very excited about my future,” he said, proudly wearing a blue graduation robe. “I appreciate the support from everybody because there was a point in time when I didn’t know that anyone supported me.”

In addition to his family, he pointed to one person in particular: LPS Student Advocate Bill Bryant. “He really motivated me. He’s probably one of the biggest motivators that I’ve ever had.”

Like the new graduates, Thursday was a special day for Bryant.

“I’m as excited for them as I would be my own biological children,” he said.

More than 1,700 LPS high school students attended summer classes throughout the city. The overwhelming majority of them used summer school as a way to earn additional credits outside the traditional school year. Course offerings included oral communications, geoscience, economics and government and politics. 

But summer school wasn’t only for high school students. 

Roughly 1,500 students in kindergarten through eighth grade attended summer school across the city - taking everything from math and writing to engineering design and culinary foundations. LPS provided early childhood services for more than 100 children ages birth to five in 11 preschool classrooms in all corners of the city. And for the 21st year, the LPS Summer Technology Program challenged students in grades four through eight to expand their problem-solving skills and creativity.

Photos of the 2019 summer school graduates are available here.

---