(Peru, Neb.) Fifty-three Peru State College (PSC) graduate students enrolled in the college’s Master of Science in Education program have been awarded forgivable loans for 2010-11 by Nebraska’s Enhancing Excellence in Teaching Program (EETP).

The program is part of the Excellence in Teaching Act passed by the Nebraska Legislature and signed into law on April 22, 2009. Eligible students may apply on an annual basis (for up to five years) for loans in an amount of no more than $175 per credit hour for the hours to be taken. The credit hours must be part of an approved graduate teacher education program.

The loan will be forgiven if the borrower successfully completes the graduate teacher education program for which he/she received the loan. Beginning after the first two years of teaching full-time in Nebraska following completion of the graduate teacher education program, the loan(s) received will be forgiven in an amount up to $3,000 per year. If teaching in a local school system that is classified as very sparse or in a school building that meets the high poverty guidelines established by the Nebraska Department of Education in the year(s) in which loan forgiveness commences, the loan(s) received will be forgiven at a rate of up to $6,000 per year.

PSC Dean of Graduate Programs Dr. Greg Seay said, “We are very pleased that Peru State had such a large number of students receive this award. It is an enormous benefit to teachers who work so hard every day to educate Nebraska’s youth. We’re thankful that our graduate students will have the opportunity to apply for this financial benefit for years to come.”

To be considered for an EETP Loan teachers must be:

• Employed as a certificated teacher to teach in an approved or accredited school in Nebraska.
• A resident Nebraska student (or if enrolled in a privately funded eligible institution, would be deemed a resident student if enrolled in a state-funded eligible institution).
• Enrolled in an eligible institution in an approved graduate teacher education program; and majoring (completing a degree) in:
  • a shortage area, or
  • curriculum and instruction, or
  • a subject area in which a secular teaching endorsement is already held (program must include some coursework that leads to improved teaching skills), or
  • a subject area that will result in an additional secular teaching endorsement which the superintendent of the school district or head administrator of a nonpublic school believes will be beneficial to the students of the school district or school.

Following is an alphabetical list (by hometown) of students who have been selected for the program:

Ashland
Megan Laune

Bellevue
Jamie Crane    
Erin Draft       
Kathy Harms  
Lindsey Kordash       
Meighan Neill
David Starke  
Brynn Waddell          

David City
Robert Scheffler

Elkhorn
Melissa Sides 
Ty Wisdom    

Fairbury
Sabrina Wanamaker

Fairmont
Sheila Lauby

Fort Calhoun
Kyle McMahon          

Fremont
Leslie Hunke

Hastings
Jeremy Houghtelling
Jill Houghtelling         

Hebron
Kroll, Joyce

Kearney
Darrel Branz   
Michaela Brooks        

LaVista
Deck, Samantha

Lincoln
Jason Rushing

Louisville
Katrina Lutes
Kristin Lutes

Murdock
Laura Rikli     

Norfolk
Christopher Begeman

Omaha
Melissa Daharsh         
Kristi Fangman          
Rebecca Ferris
Maybell Galusha        
Mandie Hamaker       
Tyler Hammond         
Emily Hartley 
Jennifer Hupka           
Bonnie Jones  
Cheris Kite     
Kelly Kurz     
Christina Luehrs         
Michelle Mahan         
Tristan Manasek         
Kyle McCright           
Amy Miller     
Jamie Short    
Thomas Siske 
Jacquie Welch

Papillion
Eric Olson      
Daniel Wilson

Plattsmouth
Julie Meisinger

Tecumseh
Judi Borrenpohl         
Kelli Dorsey   
Jeffrey Robeson         

West Point
Katie Wilson

York
Shannon Gocke

For additional information about the program, visit http://www.nde.state.ne.us/neteachered/ or contact Danielle Lotspeich at the NDE at 402-471-2783 or PSC Dean of Graduate Programs Dr. Greg Seay at 402-872-2283 or gseay@peru.edu.