Home Welcome By the Numbers Our Door is Always Open Fremont Area Chamber Small Business, Big Dreams Education Getting Fit Map of Fremont Home for the Homeless Housing Your First Stop for Business News Briefs Recreation Churches Seasonal Events       home | fremont news | chamber of commerce | sponsors | contact us Conventional ... WISDOM The 1600 capacity Event Center for Athletics and Conferencing on the campus of Midland Lutheran College has become an ideal location for a variety of offerings. More than 40,000 square feet of space are available in the form of suites, lobby space and meeting rooms, as well as the beautiful maple hardwood arena floor. While designed as a facility geared toward athletics, the architects never lost sight of the ability to make this a multi-use event center. During a private dinner, nearly 300 people enjoyed an elegant meal, complete with beautiful place settings and delicious cheesecakes for dessert. First State Bank & Trust Company’s Assistant Vice President–Marketing, Cindy Slykhuis, was very pleased with the event. “It was a classy venue for us to work in,” Slykhuis said. “The Midland staff did a nice job putting it together.” Slykhuis especially liked having the large lobby as a greeting area, and the ability to look out over the banquet below on the Event Center floor through the large glass windows. “A lot of people who hadn’t been inside were impressed with the facility,” Slykhuis said. “It was a classy and elegant event, custom-tailored to us.” The new arena also played host to the 2007 Fremont Area Chamber of Commerce banquet of 500 guests. The 11,000 square foot maple floor will also be utilized in musical productions such as the reknowned Empire Brass, in coordination with the Fremont Midland Entertainment Series (FMES). You can look forward to many opportunities throughout the year to attend events within the doors of the MLC Event Center for Athletics and Conferencing. Metro President Sees Bright Future For Fremont Center She lives in Omaha, but Fremont feels like home to Dr. Jo Ann McDowell. “It really feels like home to me,” McDowell, president of Metropolitan Community College, told a group of civic leaders gathered for a meeting. “A community like this takes care of their own.” McDowell praised the Fremont community for its reaction to the college’s purchase and renovation of the former junior high school building on 9th and Broad Streets. She spent much of the hourlong meeting discussing the college’s future in Fremont. “Fremont was not in the master plan of buildings when I arrived (at Metro),” McDowell said. “You’re always so interested in the community. You’re always interested in your college.” Renovations to the old building include a new roof, new interior design and soon to be additional landscaping. “Fremont is going to be very important to Metro,” McDowell said. “We have to listen to your needs.” To do that, McDowell said she plans to form a Fremont advisory board. She would like to see it meet monthly to discuss the needs for Metro’s Fremont center. McDowell said the science labs will be a valuable asset to the college. “We are planning to double our nursing program in the next three years,” she said. “The need for all kinds of health services are going to be there (in the future).” Having the labs also will allow the college to encourage students to take classes here when sections are full at other campuses. Fremont’s center is closer to Elkhorn than the Fort Omaha campus. She sees that closeness as a benefit to Fremont. “We believe our building can help with economic development by getting more traffic in your city,” she said. McDowell said having the Broad Street building should allow the Fremont center to better serve residents throughout Dodge County. “I think you are going to be very proud of what we do there,” she said. Metropolitan Community College currently provides classes to more than 42,000 students at seven different area locations. Scholarship and Private Ed. Averaging one drop out every five or six years is one thing, but emphasizing academics is quite another. That is one of the goals set forth by Archbishop Bergan Catholic Schools. On average, Bergan graduates score four-to-five points higher on the ACT test. And, 95 percent proceed on to higher education. Bergan also prides itself on student involvement. More than 90 percent of its students become involved with at least one extra-curricular activity. Students also contribute 50-100 hours of service while in school. Archbishop Bergan Catholic Schools of St. Patrick’s Parish is a parochial, college preparatory school for young men and women in grades 6-12. Bergan was established in Fremont in 1950. Bergan is accredited by the North Central Accreditation Board and is part of the Omaha Archdiocese. Trinity Lutheran Church also offers high quality education to students K-8, as does the Heartland Christian School. FHS: On the Honor System Fremont Public Schools has a proud history of high achievement through hard work. Fremont Public School students consistently perform above the state and national averages on the ACT test and above grade level on standardized tests. Fremont Public Schools have established standards for language arts and math that have been identified by the Nebraska State School Board as equal to, or more rigorous than Nebraska State Standards. The North Central Association of Secondary Schools and Colleges’ highest recognition, “AA” Accreditation has been awarded to Fremont High and Fremont Middle Schools. The 1,300 Fremont High School students can participate in advance placement courses as well as honors courses in language arts, science and math. Students seeking additional academic offerings may enroll in dual credit courses through Metropolitan Community College and Midland Lutheran College. Eighty-nine percent of graduates attend two and four year colleges. home | fremont news | chamber of commerce | sponsors | contact us