16621 Ohern St
Omaha, NE 68135

We just moved to Willowdale the year my son was attending 4th grade. I was very nervous about the transition for my son and concerned about how he would do with change of attending a new school. ALL of the Willowdale staff members were so terrific my son and my 500+ questions that I had during the transition. He had the best teacher I feel he has had thus far, although from what I hear there is not a "bad teacher" in Willowdale. My son truly loves it at Willowdale and we will certainly miss everyone there next year when my son moves on to middle school. THANK YOU to everyone at Willowdale for welcoming us with open arms during our move. I truly feel like the Willowdale family is "one big happy family". Mrs. Kelly, the school principal, is so sweet and caring about her students.

I am extremely disappointed with the environment at Russell Middle School. There are ongoing issues with bullying that are not being handled appropriately, and this is clearly not an isolated problem—it is a pattern.What is even more concerning is that the issue is not limited to students. My child was spoken to in a demeaning and inappropriate way by a teacher, in front of peers, which was completely unacceptable. No student should be embarrassed or talked down to by someone in a position of authority. This is not about being “tough” or “holding students accountable”—it crossed a line.Even more troubling, this is not the first time we have experienced this. A similar situation occurred with another teacher involving my older son. At that point, it becomes clear this is not a one-off incident, but a broader issue with how some staff interact with students.The biggest issue, however, is the lack of leadership. The principal has been made aware of these concerns, yet nothing meaningful has changed. When behavior like this is allowed to continue, it sends a clear message that it is tolerated. At this point, it feels like these issues are being ignored rather than addressed.When teachers are allowed to speak to students this way, and bullying among students continues without proper intervention, it creates a negative and unsafe environment. Schools are supposed to support and build kids up, not contribute to tearing them down.A school should be a place where students feel safe, respected, and supported. Unfortunately, that has not been our experience. There is a serious lack of accountability, and until that changes, this will continue to be a problem.Students deserve better.

I went to this school for 4 years and it was terrible the snacks in the vending machines were mid and in my second year going to the school they changed then so that the vending machines only work before and after school and then we couldn’t have any mid class snack other than that it was ok lunch is mid and gym class is good I’m not mad just disappointed