Inside Gomez Heritage Elementary, fourth grader Aleyda Velazquez works with her classmates to carefully thread a string through a handmade drum. The activity ties into a book they’re reading during the Completely Kids program, giving students a hands-on way to bring the story to life.

“I think the program is important because we get to learn a bit more and advance,” said Velazquez.

Velazquez is one of 175 Gomez Heritage Elementary students who attend Completely Kids, a nonprofit offering before and after-school programming centered on academics and enrichment. She says the program continues learning in new and fun ways.
“It’s different activities every day,” she said. “One day it could be about mental health, skateboarding or showing us how to fix bikes. On math days, it’s what we learned during the school day. It’s not just random math.”

Rocky Parkert, Gomez Heritage Elementary principal, emphasized the value of the partnership, saying the program aligns lessons with our Moonshot goal – every student reading on grade level by 2030. 

“We have that academic collaboration on how to support students to meet the Moonshot,” said Parkert. “It’s great to work with the Completely Kids staff to support after-school or before-school students with what they’re learning during the regular school day.”

Collective for Youth helps connect partners, like Completely Kids, to Omaha Public Schools. For 18 years, our district has collaborated with the nonprofit to offer students high-quality experiences. Today, its programs reach 41 schools in our district.

“As we see how the Moonshot keeps moving forward, we want our resources and training opportunities to make sure staff in these programs feel confident in helping with this mission,” said Megan Addison, Collective for Youth executive director. “Our role is to make sure the partnerships are in place so the principal can have the level of trust they need to work with the partners running the programs every day.”

Other community organizations, like the 100 Black Men of Omaha, offer tutoring and mentoring services in our district. They plan to expand their reach with a weekend program at Monroe Middle beginning in January. The new model focuses on literacy and math.

“We're strategically making sure that the items we put in place are helping students achieve that growth in their literacy skills,” said Christopher McCroy, 100 Black Men of Omaha executive director. “Our certified teachers know the skill sets and markers that students need to be meeting, and they’re incorporating them into the lesson plans.”

These are a few of many community partnerships that play a role in helping our students succeed. From family engagement events to after-school programs and mentor services, Omaha Public Schools is proud to work alongside the community.

“The children and youth in this community are always at the core of everything we do, and Omaha Public Schools shares that same vision,” said McCroy. “As a partner of the district that is focused on uplifting our youth not only academically, but also socially and in their career paths, the 100 Black Men of Omaha are 100 percent behind that.”