Standing Bear students prepare for strong year of growth at school

August 9, 2024

The happy conversation between Standing Bear High School students Sunny and Aysha matched the mood of hundreds of people in the building this summer.
 
The two incoming freshmen joined scores of students, parents and guardians at Standing Bear’s Readiness Day event. Many new Grizzlies gained their first glimpses of a site they will call their educational home for the next several years.
 
Sunny and Aysha laughed as they talked with each other at a table near Standing Bear’s library. They will be part of a school that will see dramatic growth in the 2024-25 academic year. Standing Bear had 334 freshmen and sophomores in the hallways last spring. More than 615 students in grades 9-11 have already enrolled in courses for this fall.
 
“I’m excited,” Sunny said. “There are going to be new classes, new friends, a new community and new opportunities.”
 
“I think there are going to be a lot of new opportunities being a freshman,” Aysha said. “We’re going to have new experiences and new classes, and I think the future is pretty exciting.”
 
Standing Bear junior Ella and her mother Kim smiled as they left one of the check-in tables in the cafeteria. Students and families at Readiness Day talked with Standing Bear teachers and counselors about the upcoming academic year. They also sat down for their official school photos, shopped at the student apparel store and discovered where many of their classrooms will be.
 
Ella said she was looking forward to starting the school year. She and her peers will be mentors and role models to younger students who are joining the Grizzlies family.
 
“It’s a big role to play,” Ella said with a smile.
 
Ella transferred to Standing Bear from another Nebraska district when the school first opened last fall. Kim said both she and her daughter have been pleased with the decision. Ella made many new friends, had a successful academic year and enjoyed playing on the school’s softball team.
 
“She had a really positive year last year,” Kim said. “She had a lot of opportunities that the staff and administration gave her, a lot of opportunities for leadership. So, that’s been a great experience for her.”
 
Standing Bear Principal Sue Cassata said she has been proud of the way students like Sunny, Aysha and Ella have handled constant change in the building. The school featured only freshmen and sophomores last year to help students and staff make a smooth transition to the new campus. There will be three grades at Standing Bear this year and all four grades in 2025-26.
 
“I told the staff when we started that the reality is that every year for the next three years, we’re going to be opening a brand-new building,” Cassata said. “It’s exciting to be a part of.”
 
Cassata said the larger enrollment will impact the high school in many ways. Standing Bear’s staff will increase from 34 to 49 people this year to accommodate more students and class offerings. There will be more cars in both parking lots with the increased number of sophomores and juniors on campus, and upperclassmen will provide additional leadership in both academic and extracurricular activities.
 
The extra voices will also make the hallways louder than last year, which Cassata said is a positive sign for Standing Bear’s future.
 
“The reality of it is that we’ve created a space and a climate and a culture where students found success,” Cassata said. “They feel welcomed as a part of something and more people are wanting that. So, I feel really good about it.”
 
Ella said she and her friends are embracing those changes. She was one of five sophomores on Standing Bear’s 14-person softball team last year, which played only junior varsity games. This season’s roster will include all three grades, which means there will be enough players for both junior varsity and varsity squads.
 
Standing Bear offered only junior varsity schedules in team sports last year, but varsity-level games will take place for everyone in 2024-25. Performing arts activities such as choir, band, orchestra and theater will have a larger number of participants, and students involved in academic groups like Future Business Leaders of America will have experience on their resumes. The Nebraska Business Focus Program will also offer additional courses in its second year of existence.
 
“There’s definitely a lot of excitement,” Ella said.
 
Sunny and Aysha both felt Standing Bear would have the same type of positive environment that they experienced at Lux Middle School. Aysha is planning to take part in cross country, track and field and Hope Squad this year, and Sunny would like to participate in Hope Squad and cheerleading.
 
“I think it will be fun getting to have a lot more people in the building this year,” Sunny said. “It’s going to be nice. There were a lot of people at Lux, but here there are going to be older students and a lot of different classes. It’s going to be fun cheering for Standing Bear too.”
 
Cassata said those happy moods were why she was counting down the minutes until the school doors open at Standing Bear.
 
“I love the start of school,” Cassata said. “I love the routine of school. I’m looking forward to getting kids in the building.”
 
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