Lincoln Southeast High School Jazz Band is seeking $1,500 in donations (plus cost reimbursement) to purchase professional-quality jazz saxophone mouthpieces for our students. These mouthpieces are essential for developing authentic jazz tone, projection, articulation, and stylistic flexibility—elements that cannot be fully achieved on standard concert equipment.

Not all of our students are able to afford professional-quality equipment, and one of our core goals at Southeast is to remove financial barriers so that every student has access to the tools they need to succeed. By investing in school-owned mouthpieces, we can ensure that all of our saxophonists—regardless of personal financial circumstances—have the opportunity to develop the sound and skills required for high-level jazz performance.

Our Jazz Band is highly visible throughout the community, performing at local middle schools, the historic Pla Mor Ballroom, the UNO Jazz Festival, and the NSBA State Jazz Competition. These performances allow our students to serve as ambassadors for Lincoln Southeast while gaining meaningful real-world experience as musicians. Your support will have a direct and lasting impact on our students’ musical growth and the quality of performances our community enjoys.

Thank you for your consideration,

Seth Burk

Director of Jazz Bands

Lincoln Southeast High School 

Lincoln East won the Nebraska state competition for We the People, a mock congressional hearing, demonstrating our expertise in the Constitution. In April, we will be traveling to Washington, D.C. to compete in the national competition against schools from across the country. Students are responsible for the cost of the trip to Washington, D.C., so we are asking for financial aid to help offset the cost for individual students.  Last year, Lincoln East had a unit win a top unit award for the nation!

The We the People competition is a simulated congressional hearing in which students "testify" before a panel of judges acting as members of Congress. Students demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of constitutional principles and have opportunities to evaluate, take, and defend positions on relevant historical and contemporary issues.  Requesting $14,000 plus cost reimbursement.

Rousseau fifth-grade students have an incredible opportunity coming at the end of their elementary school years.  Fifth graders will go to the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha.  For many of our students, this will be a first visit to the Omaha Zoo.  They will be tasked with three engaging and enriching projects to extending learning both in and beyond our classroom.  

First, students will select an animal found at the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo and analyze the animal's adaptations and the ecology of the animal's natural habitat.  They will create a presentation about their animal using Google Slides to share with peers.  

Secondly, students will design an animal board game to play, including information from a presentation about adaptations, natural habitat, and their animal's unique characteristics.  Students will present their information on Google Slides before other peers to play their games to test the peer's knowledge of the animal.  

Finally, after learning from a local guest engineer about math skills needed when completing an engineering project, students will design a unique and creative zoo using area, perimeter, and other math and research skills.  

We are requesting funds for  admission for students to the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo.  This trip builds lasting memories, and it also allows students to observe the animal they researched while experiencing a zoo and analyzing the layout and features of a zoo. 

Requesting $1,000 plus cost reimbursement.