College of Education
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Hollie Bethel awards issued UNO's College of Education on April 6 bestowed its Hollie Bethel Distinguished Alumni award on the following five graduates:   Ted Esser Ted Esser began his professional career in 1983 working with severely emotionally disturbed children and youth in a residential treatment facility in Omaha.
	Hollie Bethel Distinguished Alumni award recipients, from left: Linda Placzek, Michelle Miske McCart, Ted Esser, Barbara Jessing, Howard Halperin and Dean John Langan.  Photo by Tim Fitzgerald.

He later taught then became coordinator at the Alpha School in Omaha, responsible for developing programs for students and coordinating school resources and staffing levels. His efforts enabled many students with special behavioral needs to successfully return to their home schools—no longer verbally abusive and physically aggressive. In 1995-96 Esser and Dr. John Hill worked on several studies to determine if the program was having the desired effect on student achievement in academic and social-goal areas. In fall 1998, Esser was hired by Millard Public Schools for his current post as coordinator of secondary special education.

 

Esser earned a bachelor's degree in secondary education from UNO in 1983 and a master's degree in special education in 1991. He also completed requirements for and endorsement in school administration from UNO (1997).

 

Howard Halperin

Howard Halperin has greatly expanded the membership of area businesses in the Wellness Council of the Midlands (WELCOM) since becoming its executive director in 1995, pumping new life into an organization some thought had plateaued. Halperin's appointment as WELCOM executive director followed a 21-year career with Westside Community Schools, where he taught physical education, coached volleyball and coordinated the staff wellness program. Halperin has spent the past 10 years educating employees at some of Nebraska's leading companies about the importance of living healthy lifestyles. Presenting locally and nationally, he teaches business professionals how to effectively implement comprehensive wellness programs for their employees at the workplace. His work helped Omaha become only the second city in the United States to be named a "Well City USA" in 1996.

 

Halperin earned a bachelor of arts degree in K-12 physical education from UNO in 1972.

 

 

 

Barbara Jessing

Barbara Jessing began her counseling career as a case management supervisor with the Eastern Nebraska Community Office of Retardation (ENCOR) in 1976. She later served as a resource and training specialist at Meyer Children's Rehabilitation Institute before joining Family Services in 1982 as a therapist. There she later became clinical supervisor, then, in 1997, clinical director. As clinical director, Jessing supervises all agency clinical services, including a staff of 50 master's-level clinicians. Jessing has six publications and has written a teaching module and one book. She also has served as a part-time instructor at UNO.

 

Jessing earned a BA in psychology with honors from the University of California at Berkeley (1972) and an MS in counseling and guidance from UNO (1976). She also completed a two-year certificate program in marriage and family therapy from the Karl Menninger School of Psychiatry (1989).

 

Michelle Miske McCart

Michelle Miske McCart's experience ranges from elementary classroom teacher, to middle grades resource teacher, to high school special education teacher, to reading specialist and college professor. This broad range of classroom experience has been the basis for numerous regional and national conference presentations.  McCart's research interests focus on sources of strain in special education teaching positions and problem-solving teams for students who are difficult to reach. She currently is a faculty member at Columbia College in Chicago. She has taught at Prescott College, Arizona; Aspen High School, Colorado; Millard Public Schools; UNO; the University of California, Santa Barbara; the Fresno Unified School District, California; Metropolitan Community College, Omaha; and West Harrison School District, Mondamin, Iowa.

 

In recent years, Michelle has battled multiple sclerosis with the same energy she devotes to her teaching and research. She and her husband have become students of the illness and have taken measures that allow her to continue her enthusiastic manner as a teacher.

 

McCart has a BS in elementary education/ reading (magna cum laude, 1976) and an MS in reading/special education (1978), both from UNO. She also holds a doctorate of philosophy in education/special education from the University of California, Santa Barbara (1985).

 

Linda Placzek

Linda Placzek began her education career as a teacher at Omaha's Druid Hill Elementary School in 1971. She was named principal of the Franklin Learning Center in 1983. In 1999, she was selected to create a new magnet academy focusing on economics and mathematics at Omaha's Conestoga School. Partnering with the UNO Center for Economic Education prior to the school's opening, she learned the new curriculum area by taking courses in economics and teaching strategies. She led the staff in writing curriculum and assessments for each grade level, creating school-wide focus activities, including a partnership with a Wells Fargo bank. Her newest plans include opening a school postal service with assistance from the Main Omaha U.S. Post Office.

 

Placzek has presented the model of the economics-themed elementary school at national conferences. Her efforts led directly to the selection of Placzek and the Conestoga staff for the prestigious 2004 Leavey Award given by the Valley Forge Freedom Foundation. She has received numerous other awards during her career. Placzek earned BS (1971) and MS (1975) degrees in elementary education and an elementary principal administrative endorsement (1981), all from UNO.

 

 

 

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