Dear Panther Families and Community,
Hello,
I am truly honored to be selected as the 2026 NRCSA Outstanding Superintendent. This recognition is not about one person—it reflects the strength of our entire school and community. I am thankful for our Board of Education and their leadership, as well as our staff, students, families, and community members who make Hershey Public Schools such a special place. Thank you for your continued support and trust in our schools.
As we celebrate this honor, we are also looking ahead to the future. We are excited to welcome Lyndsey Douglas as the new 7–12 Principal for the 2026–2027 school year. Ms. Douglas brings strong experience in leadership, curriculum, and school improvement. She cares deeply about building a positive school culture and helping students succeed. She currently serves as Director of Elementary Teaching & Learning at North Platte Public Schools and has also been a building principal. We are excited to have her join the Panther family.
We are also pleased to welcome Brent Bauer as our new 7–12 Assistant Principal and Activities Director for the 2026–2027 school year. Mr. Bauer brings experience in leadership, teaching, and coaching. He most recently worked at Alliance High School and has also served in Ogallala and Wisner-Pilger. He enjoys helping students grow in the classroom and through activities. We look forward to the positive impact he will have on our school.
April is also an important month for our students. Please note that there will be no school on Friday, April 3 and Monday, April 6. Standardized testing will begin for students in grades 3–8 in Reading and Math. Students in grades 5 and 8 will also take a science test. In addition, juniors will take the ACT and sophomores will take the PreACT on April 8. We encourage families to make sure students get a good night’s rest and come ready to do their best. These tests help us understand how students are doing and how we can better support them.
We would also like to congratulate the newest members of Hershey’s National Honor Society. Mrs. Cynthia Elliott, NHS sponsor, held the induction ceremony on March 30. We are proud of all of the new inductees and their commitment to scholarship, leadership, service, and character. Congratulations to each of you on this outstanding achievement.
Spring activities are now in full swing. Thank you to everyone who helped with the Hershey/St. Pats Track Meet. It takes many people to make an event like this successful, and we truly appreciate your help. Thank you also to Mr. Madison and our coaches for their flexibility and hard work, especially with the weather challenges.
As we move through the fourth nine weeks, there are many chances to support our students. We encourage you to attend events and cheer on our Panthers as they finish the year strong.
As always, please call or stop by if I can help in any way.
Thank you, and have a great month!
Educationally,
Mrs. Jane Davis
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Hershey Fine Arts Compete in District and Local Competitions in Speech, Art, Chorus and Band |
Jane Davis earns NRCSA 2026 Outstanding Superintendent Award |
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Hershey Public Schools is proud to announce that Superintendent Mrs. Jane Davis has been named the 2026 Outstanding Superintendent by the Nebraska Rural Community Schools Association (NRCSA).
“Mrs. Davis’s leadership reflects a deep commitment to students, staff, and the Hershey community,” said Steve Koch, Board President of Hershey Public Schools. “This recognition is well deserved and speaks to the positive impact she has made not only in our district, but across rural Nebraska.”
Mrs. Davis shared, “I am truly honored and grateful for this recognition. I want to thank Board President Steve Koch and our entire Board of Education for their leadership and support, as well as our dedicated staff, students, and community. This award reflects the work we have done together to support our students and strengthen our school and community.”
Mrs. Davis has served as superintendent since 2012 and brings over 40 years of experience in public education. Under her leadership, Hershey Public Schools has earned two AQuESTT Excellent ratings and Cognia’s Value-Driven Award.
Key accomplishments include leading a successful $18 million bond project, expanding Career and Technical Education programs, and securing over $1.8 million in competitive grants. She has also strengthened mental health and special education services, enhanced school safety through partnerships with the regional 911 center and strengthened Early Childhood Education with the addition of a Transition to Kindergarten program.
Mrs. Davis was recognized at the NRCSA Spring Conference in Kearney on Friday, March 20th.
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Hershey National Honor Society Inducts 13 New Members!! |
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On Monday, March 30, 2026, Hershey High School proudly inducted a new group of outstanding students who exemplify the pillars of scholarship, leadership, service, and character into the Hershey chapter of the National Honor Society!
Please join us in celebrating our 2026 inductees:
Ella Duckworth, Gage Gartrell, Ellie Hampton, Abigail Hiatt, Landon Kennicutt, Adilynn Moore, Ryan Murphy, Rylee Reitz, Samuel Sachtjen, Layla Sanchez, Oaklie Walton, Braislee Wilson, and Sophie Winter.
We are incredibly proud of these students and their commitment to excellence both in and out of the classroom.
A special thank you to our NHS sponsor, Mrs. Cynthia Elliott, as well as the officer team for their leadership and preparation in the celebration of this event!
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Mrs. Allan's 4th Grade Class - Kindness Club |
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HERSHEY, NE — A culture of kindness continues to grow at Hershey Public Schools, thanks to the efforts of students in Mrs. Allan’s classroom and their student-led Kindness Club.
The club, led by student president Jerome, was inspired by a guest speaker who visited the school two years ago and shared a powerful message about the importance of kindness. That message stuck—and from it, the Kindness Club was born with a mission to spread positivity throughout the school and community.
Many students and staff may already recognize the club from its schoolwide recycling initiative launched last year. This year, the group has expanded its efforts with several creative and meaningful projects designed to make a difference both inside and outside the school.
Earlier this year, Kindness Club members showed their appreciation for local veterans by creating red, white, and blue bracelets and writing heartfelt cards for those who attended the school’s Veterans Day Program. During the holiday season, students extended their kindness to the community by decorating Christmas placemats for residents at a local nursing home—spreading cheer and connection during a special time of year.
In February, the club placed handmade bookmarks inside library books. Each bookmark included a special note inviting students to take an Accelerated Reader (AR) test after finishing the book and then visit Mrs. Allan for a small treat. The project not only encouraged reading but also added an element of surprise and joy for students across the school.
March has brought even more excitement with the club’s “Lucky Duck Project.” A colorful hallway display featuring a duck pond showcases student reflections on why they feel lucky to be part of Hershey Public Schools. In addition, small paper ducks are being hidden throughout classrooms and hallways. Students who find a duck are invited to write one reason they feel lucky to be a Panther. These entries will be collected for a drawing, where 20 students will win a St. Patrick’s Day rubber duck.
Looking ahead, the Kindness Club hopes to wrap up the school year with a community service project supporting local animal shelters. More details will be shared soon, and the group encourages everyone to get involved.
Through each of these efforts, the Kindness Club is making a meaningful impact—reminding everyone that simple acts, like a smile, a helping hand, or a kind word, can make a big difference.
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Ellie Hampton and Ella Becher Earn Awards at Local Art Show |
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Hershey Public Schools is proud to recognize NINE of our Advanced Art students whose incredible work was featured in the All-Area High School Art Exhibit at the Prairie Arts Center (North Platte, NE) throughout the month of March!
Additionally, we are excited to celebrate two outstanding award winners:
Ellie Hampton (Sophomore) – 1st Place, 2D Miscellaneous for her print “Free”
Ella Becher (Junior) – 3rd Place, Painting for her piece “Window to the Soul”
Congrats to Mrs. Stenger and these great Panther artists! Your creativity, dedication, and artistic expression represent Hershey so well. We are proud of each of you for sharing your talents with our community!
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L to R: Ellie Hampton and Ella Becher |
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REMINDER: Changes Coming to the ACT in 2026 — What Hershey Students & Parents Should Know. |
As Hershey High students continue preparing for college and scholarship opportunities, it’s important for families to be aware of ACT changes rolling out for the 2025 calendar year through spring 2026. The ACT (American College Testing) is a standardized exam used by many U.S. colleges in admission decisions, and strong scores can strengthen an application and may help students qualify for merit-based scholarships. Currently, the ACT includes four subject tests—English, Math, Reading, and Science—with an optional Writing (essay) section.
ACT, Inc. is introducing an “Enhanced” ACT in phases beginning in April 2025. The updated version will be about 75 minutes shorter and will include 44 fewer questions, giving students more time per question and reducing testing fatigue. Another major change is that the Science section will become optional, similar to how the Writing section works today. In addition, the Composite score (1–36) will be calculated using only English, Math, and Reading. If a student chooses to take Science, that score will be reported separately and will contribute to a STEM score. The Math section will also change from five multiple-choice options to four, and students will still be able to choose either paper-and-pencil or digital testing (at participating sites). The new format begins with national digital ACT testing in April 2025, expands to paper/Saturday tests in September 2025, and then rolls out to school-day ACT testing in spring 2026.
These updates are designed to make the ACT more flexible, less stressful, and more modern by allowing students more choice, shortening the test, and offering digital options that better reflect how students learn and test today. Families can help students prepare by staying informed about which test dates use the new format and planning ahead. All juniors will take the state-mandated ACT on April 8, 2026, and sophomores will take the PreACT on the same date.
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Purchase your HPS Activity Pass - Information Below
Activity Passes are available to purchase for the 2025-2026 season. Family passes are available for the entire year, or just the fall and winter seasons. You can also buy a single adult pass or a single student pass. Please see more information below:
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Debit/Credit Card Payments |
Hershey Public Schools will be accepting debit and credit card payments. Cards may be used for admission to games, concessions, purchases at the team store, and other miscellaneous office items that are tied to the Activities Account. Please note that standard processing fees will apply. This system is not connected to the online lunch program.
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The Hershey Panther Team Store will be opening in the next few weeks and will feature T-Shirts, Polos, 3/4 zips, Sweatshirts, Hoodies and Hats! The Team Store accepts our new electronic payment methods! Show your team sprit with some new panther gear!
Please watch for our digital online store in the coming weeks!
The link to the store is HERSHEY TEAM STORE
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Digital Citizenship-AI Message |
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This “Misinformation Madness” bracket is a great way to show students how many different forms misinformation can take online. From viral TikTok “facts” to AI-generated photos and deepfake videos, the graphic highlights how easy it is for false or misleading information to spread. It also shows that misinformation is not always obvious—things like misused statistics, fake quotes, or clips taken |
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out of context can seem believable at first. By comparing these different types in a bracket format, students can think critically about which ones are most harmful and why. This activity encourages discussion, awareness, and better decision-making when students are consuming or sharing information online. Go Panthers! |
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April Activities Director Newsletter
All Spring activities are underway and competing for the 2026 Hershey Panthers! Spring weather hasn't been bad at all, knock on wood! Although, it is Nebraska, so we’ll see how it goes. Moves, cancellations and postponements may come into play and we will keep Panther Nation informed in such cases. Good luck to all spring activities.
BOYS GOLF is teeing it up at the Amherst Invite the 2nd of this month. The guys have been making the most of the weather, getting out on the course, driving range and putting greens. The fellas will be home on the 16th of this month, teeing at Rivers Edge GC at 10:00 AM. The golfers have better numbers hittin’ the links this year for the Panthers.
GIRLS TENNIS has been competing the last week or so with matches at NP and McCook. Girls are having fun. The ladies will be home on the 1st of April at Madison MS serving at 3:00 PM. The gals have 11 players on the court this year and are looking to improve each day.
BOYS/GIRLS TRACK started the season at the UNK indoor meet on the 21st of March and had a good day. The kiddos were here at the Hershey-St. Pats Invite last Saturday the 28th of March. The kiddos got their first outdoor marks of the year and will be looking to improve on those marks as they continue to practice and compete. The tracksters are doing just that at the Buffalo Bill Invite in North Platte at 10:00 AM on the 2nd of this month. The Mike Troxel Invite will be the next home meet for the Panthers on the 25th of April at 10:00 AM. Numbers are great for the track teams with 55+ athletes.
JH TRACK is off and running! The team kicked off practice in the last week of March and is gearing up for their first competition on April 15th at the Hershey-St. Pats JH Invite, starting at 10:00 AM right here in Hershey. We’ve got great participation this season with 30+ athletes out for JH Track—excited to see this group grow and compete. Good luck this season, Panthers!
SPEECH team competed in a very tough district this year, facing two teams that went on to perform exceptionally well at the state meet. While we didn’t have any state qualifiers, Lillian Fuchser had an outstanding performance, placing 5th in both Extemp and Persuasive—just narrowly missing a trip to state. We’re incredibly proud of the entire team for their hard work, growth, and strong showing throughout the season. Great job, Panthers!
Mr. Madison - Activity Director
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Calendar Event Information
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It is important that you are viewing the Hershey Event Calendar in the correct app on your mobile device. In order to see updates on your cell phone when activities change, please utilize Google Calendar on your Device, this will ensure that you are seeing the updated information. Events | Hershey Public Schools
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