About Us

Welcome to Walnut Middle School, Home of the Wildcats!

Principal Foley speaking to students in the auditorium.

Our mission is to develop self-directed learners who are prepared for successful life transitions, through integrated efforts of family, school, & community.

Welcome to Walnut's website. Thank you for visiting our web page and taking the time to learn more about our middle school experiences. Walnut is an amazing school where students excel both in and out of the classroom.

At Walnut, character is not something we simply talk about, our character is something students and staff refine on a daily basis, as we strive to become role models for those around us. Our character education efforts have been recognized with two national awards. The students and staff are proud of these national recognitions and continue their commitment to character education.

Please don't hesitate to contact us at any time. Once again, welcome to Walnut, where a proud tradition carries on!

Walnut at a Glance

6-8th Grade Students: 789

Teachers: 63

CEP School: Meals at no cost

Title I School

(Information from Nebraska Dept. of Education, 2025)

Thank you for visiting our website to learn more about our academic opportunities as well as our family events. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us. Rod Foley, principal

School History
Title I Overview

School History

Walnut Middle School stands at 1600 North Custer Avenue in Grand Island, Nebraska. Our school is home to 830 students, grades 6 through 8.

The first Walnut Junior High School stood at 10th and Walnut streets in Grand Island.The first public school in Grand Island housed all grades from kindergarten through 12th grade.
In 1922, educational philosophy changed to the junior high concept. Overcrowding brought about the building of new schools at the elementary, junior high, and senior high levels. A new senior high was built at Fifth and Elm streets in 1925. The first Walnut Junior High was built at 10th and Walnut (on the site of today's Howard Elementary) about that same time.

The second Walnut Junior High School stood at 5th and Elm Streets.
When a new high school was built in 1955, the old high school became the new Walnut Junior High.
The third Walnut Junior High School was completed at 1600 North Custer Avenue in 1984.Walnut became a middle school in the 1997-1998 school year.

In 1976 land was purchased on North Custer Avenue for the building of a new Walnut Junior High. In 1981 a bond issue passed and construction began the following year. The new building was open, in use, and dedicated in the fall of 1984.

In the 1997-1998 school year, the Grand Island District officially adopted the middle school concept in place of the junior high philosophy. Walnut Junior High became Walnut Middle School.

WALNUT'S PAST ADMINISTRATION

Howard J. Finley, 1925-1958
Frank Haack, 1958-1958
Dwaine Ehrlich, 1958-1960
George Bailey, 1960-1963
Burt Alfrey, 1963-1964
Philip Harvey, 1964-1986
Bill Bucher, 1986-1990
Vikki Deuel, 1990-2008
Rod Foley, 2008 to current

Source: Bryant, Gerald. (March 1992). Grand Island Public Schools' History, 1955-1991. [Grand Island: Gerald Bryant].

Title I Overview

Link to the Nebraska Education Profile: http://nep.education.ne.gov/

Purpose of Title I

Designated as Title I, our school receives federal funding to provide supplemental financial assistance and services to our students. The goal is to provide high-quality instructional services, opportunities, and activities to meet the needs of disadvantaged children identified as most at risk of not meeting the state’s challenging academic standards. The purpose of these funds is to help our students meet their educational goals, particularly in reading and math and to support their social-emotional learning needs.

Grand Island Public Schools uses a schoolwide Title I model focusing resources toward preschool, elementary, and one designated middle school. Title I goals also emphasize parent and family engagement in school as staff and parents jointly strive for the successful achievement of all students.

Components of a Title I Schoolwide Program

Conduct an annual self-review and comprehensive needs assessment of the entire school.
Provide opportunities through schoolwide reform strategies for all children to meet the state’s challenging academic standards.
Provide frequent and continuous data to help staff make informed decisions to assist students.
Provide instruction by highly qualified staff.
Conduct activities to engage parents and families.
Provide transitional assistance from preschool to elementary, elementary to middle school, and from middle school to high school.
Conduct ongoing professional learning for staff throughout the school year and summer.

Title I Annual Meeting
As a requirement for all Title I schools, we convene an annual Title I meeting for all parents and guardians, to explain the school’s Title I program, share information about staff, funding, curriculum and assessments, and the parents’ right to be involved in their child’s education. Additional opportunities for parents also function as a space to inform parents about their rights to be involved in the school program and to request additional feedback and input. The annual meeting can be the first step in setting the tone and opening the door for positive school-home partnerships.

Parental Engagement
Parental engagement is an integral part of the Title I program. Parents are encouraged to become partners in helping their children achieve and to become actively involved in all aspects of the process of the Title I program, from the writing of the schoolwide plan to its implementation and evaluation of effectiveness. A strong connection between home and school is a key element in student success. Materials, strategies, and assistance from teachers are available to all parents within a Title I school. Opportunities for active parent participation include school open houses, PTO (Parent/Teacher Organizations), parent/teacher conferences, and upholding the implementation of the school/parent compact. Federal legislation requires schools to utilize a portion of their Title I funds to support parent and family engagement and parents are encouraged to contact the school principal with any comments or suggestions regarding the school’s parent engagement opportunities.

Testing Transparency
The Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 states that the parents may request, and the agency will provide the parents on request (and in a timely manner), information regarding student participation in any assessments mandated by section 1111 (b)(2) and by the State or local educational agency, which shall include a policy, procedure, or parental right to opt the child out of such assessment, where applicable.

Notification of Teacher Qualifications
The Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 gives parents/guardians the right to request information about the professional qualifications of their child's classroom teachers. Upon request (and in a timely manner), the agency will give parents/guardians the following information about their child's teacher:

Whether the teacher has met state qualifications and licensing criteria for the grade levels and subject areas in which the teacher provides instruction.
Whether the teacher is teaching under an emergency or provisional teaching certificate.
Is teaching for four or more consecutive weeks who does not meet applicable State certification or licensure requirements.
Whether the child is provided services by paraprofessionals and, if so, their qualifications.

Click any of the following items to view the related documents:

Walnut Middle School Title I Schoolwide Plan - 2024-2025

Walnut Middle School Title I Parent and Family Engagement Policy: English | Spanish

Walnut Middle School Title I School-Parent Compact

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