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Dan Lenners taught and coached for 40 years at Chase County Schools. Since school closed in March due to COVID-19, he’s been doing a lot of painting.

Lenners totals 40 years at Chase County Schools

Dan Lenners tried to keep track of how many students he taught at Chase County Schools (CCS) before the number became too big.
Lenners has been teaching and coaching at CCS for 40 years. He submitted his resignation this spring.
Before coming to CCS, he taught one year out of college at Arnold Elementary in Lincoln.
Lenners received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and later earned his master’s degree from the University of Nebraska at Kearney.
During his time at CCS, Lenners taught four levels of physical education, health, advanced health, driver’s education and body conditioning.
He also coached football, basketball and was the throwers’ coach for track.
Lenners was the head football coach since 2004 when he took over after 25 years as an assistant coach.
His wife, Jane, also taught at CCS as well as at Perkins County and Wauneta-Palisade. She is currently working as a real estate agent with Graham Real Estate of McCook.
The couple has two boys, Gabe and Grant, who both graduated from CCS.
“(Imperial has) been a good place for us to raise our family,” Lenners said.
“When we first moved here we were going to stay maybe five to six years and then move on but we just fell in love with the community and it’s been a really good place to raise our two boys so I’m glad we stayed,” he said.
Technology has changed drastically in Lenners’ 40 years at CCS.
“I remember when kids took notes with a pencil and paper and we used the overhead projector,” he said.
During his early years in Chase County, Lenners remembered a student with cerebral palsy that carried around a small typewriter to class for notes and assignments.
“That was the first big technology change I remember,” he said. “Then the old Apple computers came in and I even remember doing football stats on a floppy disk.”
Lenners said the thing he will miss most is his coworkers.
“We’ve got a really good staff up here,” he said. “Staff camaraderie is really good.”
“I’m going to miss just the everyday goofing off with the teachers and the kids—I’m going to miss the kids,” he added.
After his 180-day mandated break from teaching, Lenners plans to substitute if the need arises.
He is also planning to continue coaching junior high boys’ basketball along with the boys’ and girls’ throwers for track.
Lenners is also an avid artist. Since school closed in March, he’s finished over 30 pieces that he’s calling pandemic painting.

 

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