Three local candidates have made it to the top of the list in the superintendent search at the Gretna Public Schools.
The Gretna school board selected the finalists at a special meeting Thursday. They are Travis Lightle, current interim superintendent; Joshua McDowell, superintendent of the Crete Public Schools; and Devin Embray, superintendent of the Glenwood Community Schools in Glenwood, Iowa.
Lightle has been interim superintendent since July 2023, when he stepped into the role after Rich Beran retired. He was previously the assistant superintendent and has served various roles in the district since 2003.
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McDowell has been the Crete superintendent since 2019, according to a district media release. He was previously an administrator with the Grand Island Public Schools.
Embray has been superintendent in Glenwood since 2010 and was formerly the superintendent of Independence Community Schools in Independence, Iowa.
The finalists will be interviewed at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday at 11717 S. 216th St. Gretna administrators, teachers, students and parents will be able to attend the meetings.
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Top Journal Star photos for January 2024

John and Ashley McClinton look at their son Buddy at their home in Lincoln on Monday. Weighing 14.1 ounces at birth, he is the smallest baby born at Methodist Women’s Hospital in Omaha to survive and be discharged with minimal support.

Black Hills Energy workers use machinery to dig into the ground in front of the rubble of a home that exploded early Tuesday morning near North 53rd and Gladstone streets. A neighboring house also sustained fire damage.

A man wearing a leopard print blanket braves bitter cold gusts of snow and wind as he walks down South 17th Street, on Friday.

Nebraska’s Alexis Markowski (40) attempts a shot against Illinois in the first half Thursday at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Nebraska’s Keisei Tominaga (30) reacts after scoring a 3-pointer against Purdue in the second half on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Snow topped apartments are seen through a third floor window stairwell on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024, in Lincoln.

Nebraska Wesleyan students Lucas Steuter (from left), Riley Cleaver, Jacob Wertz, and Zane Rosenberg try to hold together as they fly down a hill on their sleds at Holmes Lake on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024.

Nebraska’s Juwan Gary (4) celebrates with fans after the Huskers defeated No. 1 Purdue on Tuesday at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Ryan Gardner (left), production stage manager for “Les Miserables,” works to adjust lighting on stage at the Lied Center for Performing Arts on Tuesday.

Traffic is seen moving down K Street in the snow on Monday.

Nebraska’s Jaz Shelley (front) competes for the ball with Indiana’s Sara Scalia in the first quarter on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024, at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Nebraska’s Peyton Robb looks to pin Wyoming’s Cooper Voorhees in the 157lb match at the Devaney Sports Center, on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024.

Wyoming’s Mason Ding is taken to the floor after a leg sweep by Nebraska’s Nash Hutmacher in the Heavyweight match at the Devaney Sports Center, on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024.

Mike Alessi (center) jumps during the General Tire Arenacross Nationals event on Friday at Sandhills Global Event Center. The show will be back again tonight at the Event Center at the TractorHouse Pavilion. The doors open at 5:30 p.m. and show starts at 7 p.m. The track was built using 150 dump truckloads of dirt.

Chloe Wolff shows off some of the bracelets Friday that she made to raise money for local nonprofits.

Lincoln East’s Landon Moser slams Kearney’s Taj Wilson to the mat during the 165lb match, during a dual held at Lincoln East High School, on Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024.

A red panda eats bamboo leaves that came in a wrapped present at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo on Thursday. As part of an enrichment day, zookeepers shared holiday-themed treats — a lettuce Christmas tree for the tortoises and Christmas “cookies” for the giraffes — to help stimulate the animals’ natural behaviors.

Nebraska’s C.J. Wilcher (0) celebrates after hitting a 3-pointer in the first half at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024.

Sen. Tony Vargas of Omaha (left) speaks to Sen. Teresa Ibach of Sumner during the first day of the Legislature on Wednesday.

Lincoln East’s Avari Wischhof swims the girls 100-yard freestyle during a dual against Omaha Marian on Tuesday at Lincoln East. Wischof won this event and helped the Spartans set a pool record in the 400 relay.

Omaha Marian’s Willow Petri spins through the air as she completes a dive in the Girls 1 meter diving event, during a Swim dual held at Lincoln East High School, on Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024, in Lincoln.

Maryland’s Allie Kubek (14) reacts after being called for a foul against Nebraska’s Alexis Markowski (not pictured) in the second half at Pinnacle Bank Arena, on Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023.

A pair of walkers stroll atop the dam at Holmes Lake at sunset on Saturday. Weather in Lincoln this January is expected to be frigid. Single-digit temperatures are expected at least for the first week.

A pig is seen on the desk of Gov. Jim Pillen, Friday, Dec. 22, 2023, in Lincoln.