Director/Principal MAED; ADM

Mary was born in a small town in Iowa.  Mary moved to Omaha to attend the College of St. Mary in 1984.  Mary graduated in 1988 with her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Science and Secondary Education as well as a Bachelor’s degree in History and minor in Piano.

Mary was married in 1989.  Mary’s husband has since retired from the United States Air Force and they have a daughter who has gone on to graduate with her Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Art from UNO.

Mary’s first teaching position was at Alpha School.  She taught there for several years before moving on to teach and do research at Boys Town.  After working at Boys Town for a couple of years, Mary began teaching at Cooper Village and Ute Halee where she taught an completed her second Master’s Degree in Education Administration.

In 2012 Mary moved to Heartland School and her current position as Principal and Director.  Mary continues to love her job and ffeel passionate about working with students, teachers, parents, and the community.  With over 30 years of experience, Mary is always appreciative of phone calls and to be of assistance if possible.

Assistant Principal

Mrs. Hanson attended College at Wayne State College, earning her BS in Early Childhood.  In August of 2000 she joined the Heartland School staff.  While working at Heartland School, Mrs. Hanson earned her BS in Elementary Education from Peru State College, her Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from Peru State College.   Mrs. Hanson later completed course work for an Endorsement in K-12 Administration.

Mrs. Hanson enjoys spending time with her family, her husband, a PE teacher in the Council Bluffs School District, and her two children, Faith and Jacob.

Middle School Teacher

Ms. Julie was born in southern California, and moved to Western Montana at 8. Julie and her husband have 3 boys, and have lived all over the U. S. A. during her Husband's U.S. Air Force career. Now retired, they have chosen Nebraska to put down roots.

Julie earned her bachelors in Elementary Ed at Southern Utah University, and her masters in Curriculum Development from Peru State College,.  She is currently updating her K-12 special Education endorsement.  She has been a teacher for 22 years and taught all over the U.S.  She is excited to work with your student as part of the Heartland School Team.

Para Professional

Kara was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska. She attended local parochial schools through high school. After high school she attended Metro Community College and then decided to move to Atlanta, Georgia to become a nanny. 

After spending some time in the South, Kara headed back to Omaha to work and continue her schooling. During this time she met her husband, Brian and have now been married for 22+ years. After having her first baby, she decided that being a mommy was the most wonderful thing so she- choose to stay home and raise her four sons! What a wonderful blessing it was to able to stay home for all that precious time.

When her youngest was around pre-school age Kara went back to work part time as a Para at her boys’ school and worked there for 3 years and then moved on to Papillion-LaVista middle school in the Special Education department for two years. Kara finally found a love and a passion for helping kids no matter their academic, social or emotional level!

Kara has been here at Heartland for
several years and continues to love it! This is a place that feels like home with the support and encouragement from the amazing staff. The students and parents that we work with are also outstanding and she continues to feel blessed that she gets to come to Heartland everyday.

Para Professional

Faith grew up and attended college in Iowa.  She began working with adults with disabilities and continued this for five years before moving to the alternative education field in Des Moines. Faith worked with boys in grades 6-9 before moving to Omaha in 2017 where she began working with OPS.  She joined the Heartland School crew in 2019 and has not looked back.  Ms. Faith has experience working with a wide range of students in both public and alternative school settings.  In her free time, Ms. Faith enjoys reading, crafting and spending time with her adorable kitty.

LCSW, LMHP

Margaret (Peg) was born and raised in Omaha, NE.  She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work (BSW) with a minor in English from Creighton University.  She went on to earn her Master’s Degree in Social Work (MSW) from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.  She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and Licensed Mental Health Practitioner (LMHP) in the State of Nebraska.

Margaret has worked in various Not-for-Profit and For Profit organizations in providing Direct Care. Management.  Administrative, and Leadership services in various capacities. She has extensive experience in engaging and promoting practices of shared responsibility and accountability for creating and sustaining positive change at the Individual, Organizational and Community Level.  She is committed to capitalizing on varied perspectives and strengths of others by cultivating and sustaining relationships with others through innovative, authentic and empowering collaboration and partnerships that produce meaningful outcomes.  Margaret has worked with persons across the lifespan (children, adolescents, adults and seniors). She has experience and skill in utilizing, implementing and integrating several Evidence-Based Practices that include but are not limited to: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR); Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and Skills Training; The Sanctuary Model and the S,E.L.F.  A Trauma-Informed Psychoeducational Group Curriculum; Attachment, Self-Regulation and Competency (ARC) Model and NeuroLogic Curriculum: A trauma-informed curriculum adapted with permission from the work of Bruce D. Perry and the Child Trauma Academy.  In addition to this Margaret has used other Trauma Informed and Responsive Models with various Systems of Care: Mental Health, Substance Use, Education, Justice, and Healthcare.

Social Worker

Born in Omaha, Nebraska, Kerry graduated from Millard South High School, then the UNO with a degree in Social Work.

Kerry is married to her husband, Peter.  He owns a local video production company.  They have two children, Paige and Trystan, both are students at UNO. 

Prior to working at Heartland, Kerry worked at Salvation Army CARES program as a case manager.  She accepted a position at Heartland School in November of 2000.  Kerry loves working with kids, and teenagers, especially helping them realize their full potential to become the people they are meant to be!