September 2022

George Ayoub

Class of 1968
Alumni Liaison

Volume 7 | Number 5

Welcome to Rise, the voice of Grand Island Senior High alumni and friends. We show up every other month in over 7,000 in-boxes bringing you news, views, and memories of GISH. Rise is published by the Grand Island Public Schools Foundation.

Here’s what you’ll find inside: Executive Director Kari Hooker-Leep introduces us to the Teacher of the Year winners and reminds us of the daily champions GIPS has in its classrooms. Annual Giving Coordinator Alicia Lechner has the latest details on Harvest, the grand new Foundation fundraising gala scheduled for September 22, 2022. Jackie Ruiz-Rodriguez introduces us to the new student representative on the Grand Island Board of Education. 

As usual we’ll remember Islanders who have passed recently and see who has reached an Islander Milestone. All that and the musings of Mike Monk, Class of 1967, as he chronicles a summer of reunions; Bianca Ayala, Class of 2005, reports on her summer in Barcelona; and yours truly, Class of 1968, who has a few paragraphs of praise teacher now and then. The Class of 2014’s Abbey Kutlas-Pricket will return with her column in November.

Enjoy. Keep in touch. And remember: Keep pushing on. 

Kari Hooker-Leep, Class of 1983

Oral History Project

Islander Alumni, 

Grand Island Public Schools Foundation loves our Alumni and we want to get updated information. Have you received your postcard or an email?  If so, YES, it is from us and we are looking forward to hearing back from every Islander alumni. 

The Grand Island Public Schools Foundation has partnered with Publishing Concepts (PCI) and their Oral History Project to gain access to its experienced, trained staff. Oral History Project associates will listen to your stories and assemble information into a publication. To help you stay connected to Grand Island Public Schools, Oral History Project will also verify and update contact information if you have moved or recently lost touch. 

Looking forward to getting back in touch with all Islanders and hearing all your wonderful memories. 

We have partnered with PCI (also known as Publishing Concepts) to produce an Oral History Publication for Grand Island Senior High. PCI is a family owned business based in Dallas, TX that has published directories for educational institutions, fraternities, sororities, and military organizations across the nation for over 100 years. This project allows us to hear about your personal experiences from your time at Grand Island Senior High and how the school helped shape your life since then. And, while we have you on the phone, we want to make sure your contact information is up to date.