Southern Nebraska Register
St. Peter School
St. Peter School in Lincoln celebrated the blessing of a new playground for children ages 2 to 5 April 10.
Father Eric Clark, pastor of St. Peter Parish, blessed the addition, with students, faculty, staff, school families and School Family Association officers gathered to participate. They were joined by Mother Margaret Mary of the School Sisters of Christ the King, Father Mark Cyza from the Diocesan Education Office and Amber Thelen and Jen Brown of Spirit Catholic Radio.
“Although we have a great playground area, our school community desired something more appropriate for our early elementary grades,” explained principal Curt Feilmeier. “This addition will serve the preschool through grade one students, as it has specific equipment geared toward ages 2 to 5,” stated Feilmeier. “St. Peter has seen increased enrollment in preschool (ages 3-4) and prekindergarten (ages 4-5) classes. This playground addition will allow our students that space to refresh themselves through play and exercise.”
Grants and fundraising over the past few years by the School Family Association (SFA) made the project possible. Brandon Biba, who serves as SFA president with his wife Brittni, spoke during the ceremony. He thanked the students for their fundraising efforts and pointed out that, in addition to students using the playground during the school day, school and parish families will enjoy fellowship while their children play on the grounds after school and after Masses.
The school is planning additional playground enhancements. The next step will be to incorporate an outdoor stations of the cross as part of an outdoor classroom area.
“We received a generous donation for the stations,” Feilmeier said, “but we are looking at how we can further enhance the area for prayer and reflection.”
Along with the outdoor stations of the cross, Feilmeier hopes to improve other outdoor areas, including field seeding, soccer goals and matting materials for the existing gaga ball pit and 9-square in the air court.
“We are happy to have these activities available to our students during recess, but it is time to refresh these areas due to some depreciation over time,” he said. “We hope that we can pursue additional grants and partner with parish members, neighbors and community organizations to make it happen. I welcome conversations with anyone interested in assisting.”
After the blessing of the playground, Spirit Catholic Radio presented the school with the 2024 Superstar Catholic School Award. It is the school’s second year in a row to be recognized as a Superstar Catholic School. Brown and Thelen presented the school with a banner, trophy and prayer cards.
“It is fun to recognize and affirm our students,” Feilmeier said. “We are thankful for the opportunity to do so in this special way with Spirit Catholic Radio,” stated Feilmeier.
To learn more about St. Peter School, call 402.421.6299 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
