Mission

Working in the Omaha metropolitan area to meet the challenge of at-risk youth by providing a school that offers personalized education, a moral code, and tools for self-sufficiency.

History

John Parsons, Founder and Executive Director of the Omaha Street School taught on a volunteer basis at the Denver Street School while serving as Assistant Attorney General in Colorado. Parsons was struck by the relationships he made with inner-city teens and believed that a similar school was needed in his hometown of Omaha. In the summer of 1998, John and his family returned to Omaha and began planning for an alternative high school. He realized when students drop out or are expelled from school, they have little chance of developing the (academic, spiritual, personal, vocational, and physical) citizenship necessary to have a positive impact in the communities in which they live.

The Omaha Street School opened its doors in January 1999 with four students. Today enrollment ranges from 30 to 40 with an average classroom size of 8 to 10 students. OSS is affiliated with the StreetSchool Network (SSN). www.streetschoolnetwork.org SSN has over 40 schools in its network of inner-city Christian based schools. Like the more than 40 Street Schools around the country, students at the Omaha Street School feel that they are valued as individuals, that they matter and that they are part of a nurturing family. Among the caring and compassionate instructors, staff, and volunteers, they find hope and gain self-esteem while increasing valuable self-sufficiency skills along with their education.