Mission StatementThe Nebraska Middle Level Education Association is dedicated to the advocacy of young adolescents and growth of middle level education. Pursuant to this mission, the organization is committed to educating the public concerning characteristics and special needs of middle level students, providing support, research and professional networking to middle level educators, and promoting middle level education.
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SupportWe know that middle level education is important. Bringing together teachers, administrators, and academic personnel, we seek to build a coalition which supports and promotes middle level education.
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ResearchNMLEA is the state level organization of the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE). We work to share the latest ideas and trends in middle level education, serving not just as advocates but as promoters.
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Professional NetworkingFrom nationally recognized speakers to breakout sessions with Nebraska educators, ESU's, and many others from all corners of education across the state, our yearly PDI is Nebraska's largest middle-level focused event.
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For more information on our national parent organization: The Association for Middle Level Education, please visit www.amle.org
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Mary Jo Leininger
Current Position: Principal of PreK – 8 St. Joseph School, York, Nebraska. Middle Level Experience – Middle school teaching experiences include teaching math and science. Prior to my current position, I served as the middle school principal at Norris, Firth, Nebraska for 13 years. |
Josephine Zbylut-Birky
Middle level is special because everyone -- students and teachers -- work together as a team. We are all real and unique and sometimes the students can be honestly "blunt -- they say it as it is." Middle level is "my happy place!" I am currently a Student Engagement Specialist and have 49 years in education, including 13 years Elementary Teacher, 19 years Middle Level Teacher, and 16 years High School Leadership. |
Desiree' Teahon
Current Position: Assistant Elementary Principal & Curriculum Director Middle Level Experience: I taught 6-8th grade special education for 9 years at Aurora Middle School, and now I currently work with middle school teachers in the development and execution of their curricular areas. |
Chandra
Diaz DeBose Director of Middle Level Education and Assistant Professor in Teacher Education at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. While teaching content is exhilarating, I love guiding students through this major developmental time in their lives. They are changing physically, cognitively, and socially & emotionally all while shaping their identities. My experience includes 13 years as a middle school math educator and 3 years as a professor of middle level education. |
Victoria Lentfer
Dr. Victoria Lentfer is author of Keep Calm and Teach: Empowering K-12 Students with Positive Classroom Management Routines. She is an education instructor at the University of Nebraska Omaha, where she teaches classroom management and middle level courses. Dr. Lentfer offers professional learning for new teachers and veteran teachers in the area of classroom management. She has more than 20 years of experience providing instructional support and teaching in urban, suburban, and rural districts, and extensive work with incarcerated youth. |
Kristen Wilton
Current Position: 7-12 ELA, Speech & One-Act, Shelby-Rising City I have spent over 20 years in education in three different districts, and while my class assignments have changed over time, one constant is that I have always taught middle school. I love the middle grades, and watching the immense growth the kids make during this time is incredible! Where else besides middle school do you get to have so much fun while learning? |
Claudia
Perales-Garcia This is my 5th year teaching in the Lincoln Public Schools district. I am currently teaching 8th grade Social Studies and 7th/ 8th AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) at Park Middle School. The first four years I taught English as a Second Language and am currently missing it so much! I learned to be flexible and adaptable in the ELL program, as well as many skills that I still utilize in my Social Studies classes. I enjoy learning new ways to teach students content that is interactive and engaging. My favorite compliment about being a middle grade level teacher is "you must be crazy to teach middle school" because I sort of am and I love it! |
Andy Parizek
Current position - Principal - Ralston Middle School - Ralston, NE - Before becoming the principal at the middle school he served as a 7-12 English/ Language Arts teacher, middle school team leader and middle school Assistant Principal/ Activities Director. Mr. Parizek has presented at both the state and national level discussing the impact of developing a strong building culture for staff will in turn help improve the practice of academic progress monitoring for students to ensure high levels of learning. He was recognized by NMLA (Nebraska Middle Level Academy) as the Outstanding Principal of the Year in 2017. |
Erika Hiemstra
Current position: Assistant Principal, Columbus Middle School I am currently in my 8th year of education. I have spent every year in the middle school setting and I wouldn't change it for the world! I was previously a music educator in Shelby-Rising City Public Schools and Elkhorn Public Schools. I always knew that I wanted to be an educator that served as many people as possible. Being a music educator and now an administrator has given me that ability. I love being able to grow in my profession through the growth of students and staff. Plus, being in the middle school environment, you get to share the craziest stories! |
