Fantastic Fishing: Yankee Hill students reel in educational benefits at fishing tourney

May 28, 2025

Yankee Hill Education Center students snagged lifelong learning moments on their educational lines this spring during a fishing trip to Holmes Lake Park.
 
Yankee Hill anglers caught confidence, happiness and social skills during their first appearance in the annual Lincoln Public Schools Fishing Tournament. They learned how to attach lures and bobbers to their lines, search for high-potential fishing spots and fine-tune the talents of patience, flexibility and innovation by the water.
 
Yankee Hill senior Nino said it was “a pretty cool experience” to travel to the fishing tournament for the first time. He was looking forward to reeling in a fish before the end of the day.
 
“They’re allergic to my rod,” Nino said with a smile. “They just run away.”
 
Nino said it was a good feeling to have an opportunity to be with his friends at the lake. He and other students met both academic and behavior requirements to earn their chance at fishing success.
 
“It feels really rewarding for all of the work that we’ve put in, especially as seniors, to be able to come out and do something to show that we’re being decent and can actually accomplish things in life,” Nino said.
 
Yankee Hill Principal Amanda Shonka-Shanahan said the fishing trip was part of a yearlong effort to provide Positive Student Outings (PSOs) for the Yetis. All Yankee Hill students who met the “Positive” rating on the school’s behavior scale were eligible to participate in the fishing tournament. Student Government members have also gone swimming in Northwest High School’s pool, competed in mini-golf and laser tag games, visited the F Street Community Center and helped at the Clyde Malone Community Center.
 
“This year at Yankee Hill, we have made an intentional focus on providing positive opportunities for our students to experience events in the community, both in and outside of LPS,” Shonka-Shanahan said. “For the majority of our students, these are new experiences. As students progress through our program and meet academic and behavioral goals, they gain leadership and skills that demonstrate they can be successful outside of our building.”
 
Brandon Prater, a student advocate at Yankee Hill, has led the PSO initiative this year. He worked with LPS K-12 Health and Physical Education Curriculum Specialist Matt Avey and Nebraska Game and Parks Commission members to arrange Yankee Hill’s spot in the tournament. Dan Reichert, a behavioral interventionist at Yankee Hill, said Prater’s efforts paid off when students arrived at Holmes Lake Park.
 
“We’ve been talking about it, talking about it, talking about it, pumping the kids up and pumping the staff members up, and finally this morning the day came,” Reichert said. “The students got on the bus, the staff got on the bus, we rolled up, and the kids are having a blast right now.”
 
Reichert, a 17-year veteran, said the educational benefits of the trip became clear within the first 15 minutes by the water. He watched students absorb lifelong lessons in real time as they tackled different fishing obstacles.
 
“I’ve had two or three kids say, ‘I don’t like this pole!’” Reichert said. “Well, let’s try a different lure, let’s try a different pole, let’s try one with a bobber, let’s try one at the bottom of the water. Just those skills that they’re working on right now will carry them on later into life when they eventually start working after they get done with high school.
 
“If their boss is saying, ‘Hey, you need to do something this way,’ it’s like, ‘Oh yeah, let me try doing something a different way.’ Just learning those life skills, I mean, that’s what it’s all about.”
 
Wyatt learned about the importance of inventiveness and seizing opportunities when he spotted a slow-moving fish along the edge of the water. He first tried to drop his line near the fish to encourage it to take a bite, but it wasn’t interested in his lure. He then laid down his pole, walked to the shoreline and stuck his fingers into the lake.
 
Wyatt’s hands-on approach proved to be a winning strategy, as he triumphantly raised his catch high in the air for everyone to see.
 
“I did it!” Wyatt shouted. “I caught it with my bare hands!”
 
Reichert said the fishing trip also strengthened bonds between students and staff members. He said those personal connections will help everyone in many ways at school. Instead of viewing teachers only through the lens of a person handing out tests or making project assignments, students can realize that their instructors can relate to them and want the best for them.
 
“It’s super important for the kids just to see the teachers outside of the classroom so they understand that we’re humans also,” Reichert said.
 
Shonka-Shanahan said she would like future groups of Yetis to net the same educational experiences that Nino, Wyatt and other Yankee Hill students have had this year.
 
“Students who have gone on these outings report feeling joy, a sense of pride and community, and self-worth, and we continue to see their academic and behavioral skills grow,” Shonka-Shanahan said. “These Positive Student Outings are now embedded in our building culture and we look forward to seeing what else we can do next year!”

Student Wellbeing and Outcomes is one of the key strategic areas in our 2024-29 Strategic Plan. 

Want to learn more about the 2024-29 LPS Strategic Plan? Visit our website at https://home.lps.org/strategicplan/. 
 
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