Clinton marks century of success during celebration of school building

April 27, 2026

Whenever Rose Jurica Hitz looks out her kitchen window, she sees evidence of Clinton Elementary School’s widespread impact on the Lincoln community.
 
Hitz joined numerous visitors this spring at the centennial celebration of the school building. She moved to Lincoln with her family in 1945 and began taking kindergarten classes on the historic campus that year. In the eight decades afterwards, she has sent three children through Clinton’s doors, been a member of the school’s parent-teacher association and remained in the same neighborhood house she and her husband bought in 1959.
 
Hitz said her connection to Clinton remains as strong as the day she first came to Lancaster County. She was grateful for the galaxies of energy that the current Comets bring with them to school.
 
“I love to see the excitement in the kids,” Hitz said. “I like to see that what’s going on with them, that there is still hope out there for us.”

 
Hitz’s daughter, Rochelle, holds the same type of warm memories from her time at Clinton. She smiled as she remembered having Mrs. Lake for kindergarten, Mrs. Givener for fourth grade and Mr. Roscoe in fifth grade. She said the school was the focal point of a joyful childhood on 29th Street.
 
“What I say makes Clinton special is the neighborhood, the people, the caring, the friendships,” Rochelle said. “It was just special. It was a happy time.”
 
Thousands of other Lincoln Public Schools students have shared those sentiments over the years. The original Clinton Elementary School building was constructed in 1890 and 1891 for $22,000. Located at 29th and Clinton, the school was named in honor of DeWitt Clinton, who served as a state senator, lieutenant governor and governor of New York in the early 1800s. The first classes took place on Sept. 14, 1891.
 
LPS leaders decided to make a new stone structure at 30th and Holdrege in the 1920s. The school formally opened to the public on Nov. 18, 1926, and it has been the site of many light-bulb learning moments ever since.
 
Principal Angee Luedtke said the building’s 100th anniversary has made for a fun trip down memory lane. She has spent her entire 30-year LPS career at Clinton, including the past ten as school principal. She taught second, third and fourth grades for 14 years before working as an assistant principal for the next six years. She now leads more than 60 staff members in their daily educational duties.
 
Luedtke said the celebration felt like a large family reunion. She struck up conversations with many former and current students throughout the late afternoon, and she smiled with former co-workers, current teachers and many local residents.
 
“I just think that it’s a really special place,” Luedtke said. “It’s a place that people gravitate to. It really is a sense of family.”

 
Clinton second grader Yeva agreed with Luedtke as she walked with her friends in one of the hallways. She said she is happy to be at Clinton because of the strong connections she has made with fellow Comets.
 
“I like how everybody’s nice,” Yeva said.
 
Hitz remembers having those same feelings when she attended school in the 1940s. What was one of her favorite memories of being at Clinton?
 
“Probably the teachers being so dedicated and showing you, because I came from a poor background, that there was opportunity for you to learn,” Hitz said. “The excitement of learning books and things, what you could learn.”
 
Hitz remained attached to the school throughout the following decades. She joined Clinton’s Parent-Teacher Association when her three children became Comets, and she participated in many activities that benefited students. She vividly recalls PTA members preparing for Clinton Fun Night each year by making potato salad. The group would boil 100 pounds of potatoes before adding eggs, mustard and mayonnaise for everyone to enjoy.
 
“We mothers were very, very involved in that school at that time, so I do remember those years,” Hitz said.

 

The 2026 version of Clinton’s building includes many technological items that could never have been imagined 100 years ago. The campus also features a new synthetic turf playground that was installed in 2024. Hundreds of students enjoy recess on the field during school days and outdoor activities on the weekends.
 
“The use of that playground, it just warms my heart,” Hitz said. “I can look out my kitchen window on a Sunday morning or Saturday morning and see them out there playing soccer. The neighbor gal says her boy used to come in the house and play games. Now he’s out playing soccer.”
 
Luedtke said scenes like that happen at Clinton because of the trust that the school and neighborhood have built with each other. She said those bonds would continue to remain strong as Clinton steps into its next century of educational success.
 
“I just love the community that we serve,” Luedtke said. “I love the students. I love the diversity. I love the people that teach here, and the passion that they have for teaching and learning.”

The future of LPS is collaborative. Check out our 2024-29 Strategic Plan to see how we’re strengthening family and community engagement in our schools.
 
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