Patrick Neilly
Lincoln Northeast
Counselor
When I think of a word to describe Patrick Neilly, the word selfless comes to mind. Patrick is invested in students and invested in Lincoln Northeast, in general. Patrick is a very calm person that prioritizes relationships with people. Those positive relationships with students allows him to be honest and real with kids while still being caring and compassionate. Patrick is very knowledgeable about education and the counseling world and how to best support students. That strong knowledge combined with his selfless natures leads to Patrick seeing a need and doing something to address it. This might be seeing a need for more academic support for students during the school day or seeing a need to beautify the school grounds by pulling weeds. Regardless of the need, Patrick goes into problem solving mode and comes up with a plan to address the need.
Patrick has been very creative and innovative while working to better Lincoln Northeast High School. Patrick noticed that there are a great number of students that need academic support and the after school options don’t always work for them. He was also aware that we have many students that are very strong academically. Knowing these two things, Patrick (along with another counselor) created a peer tutoring process where some of our 11th and 12th grade students can work with our younger students on a particular course that they need a little extra time and support with. This has been a very successful initiative at Northeast! Our 9th and 10th grade students look forward to the peer tutoring and have made great progress academically.
Several years ago, some Northeast staff members researched innovative opportunities in an effort to find the best possible supports for our students. One of the ideas researched was the possibility of block scheduling. Patrick led this focus group with exploring block scheduling options, identifying the pros and cons of each type, visiting a school that does block scheduling, sharing this information with staff, etc. This shows Patrick’s growth mindset and thinking “outside the box” to identify ways we can grow and improve.
As mentioned, Patrick is selfless. He does things quietly and often behind the scenes - as he is not seeking the recognition. When Patrick noticed a need for the school grounds to be beautified, he and his wife spent countless hours on the weekends to pull weeds and to work on the grounds. Not only does it help make the school beautiful but it shows Patrick’s servant leader mindset that is a part of all he does. Patrick and his family continued this work in the summer by caring for the community garden that is here at Northeast. This included the purchasing of things such as mulch as well as the manual work to care for the garden. This was done quietly and because Patrick saw a need . . . Patrick did not want any sort of recognition for it.
Patrick is involved in the northeast Lincoln community through various other avenues as well. He’s a part of a wrestling club (and has connections with many of our kids and families through that). He’s involved Northeast graduates to come back and serve the northeast Lincoln community through this wrestling club as well. Patrick is a member of the Mickle Advisory Council. Through involvement with that council, Patrick is able to serve the students and families that will be future Rockets!
Another example of service is related to Patrick’s talent with photography and videography. We have had some students whose families could not purchase senior photos for their child. Patrick has been quick to help these kids and families by taking their senior photos for them. Again, Patrick was not seeking anything in return. He saw a need and did what he could to address the need. Likewise, Patrick has used his gift with video to support our school. Using video, Patrick has started a Staff/Student Spotlight. This is an opportunity for a staff member to recognize a student or vice versa. Patrick records this recognition and it is shared on social media. This not only recognizes the individuals in the videos but it is also helping create a positive narrative about the great people that are a part of Northeast!
Patrick is passionate about all students and cares about all Northeast students. This is evident in his interactions with individuals as well as evident in all of the things mentioned above. Patrick knows the importance of student (and staff) well-being and prioritizes those people needs over the other duties we have in education. Patrick goes beyond Northeast and partners with our feeder schools - creating partnerships to best support students. He is an advocate for all students. Patrick is quick to jump in and help in any way possible. He is very present at Northeast events and activities. He truly wants to know, celebrate and support all of our kids!
