Over the past few months, I’ve gone around interviewing some of the most knowledgeable people in our community about one question that has fueled a lot of different thoughts in my mind: “Is Gretna getting too big to be considered a small town?” I already had my answer in my head to that question, but, A, I wanted to see if there was a definite answer that I was missing, and, B, I wanted to see if anyone could persuade me differently. Former Superintendent Kevin Riley and current Superintendent Travis Lightle examined the question from a numerical perspective.
“It’s getting there. I don’t think it’s a town anymore, it’s a city. And, in Nebraska, there’s cities in the first class, second class, etc. I’m not sure which classification we’re in right now, but that will tell you,” Riley said.
The current superintendent has his opinion.
“I don’t think so. I grew up in about a town of 600 and graduated with 23, so I know small towns,” Lightle said.
Lightle also looked at it from a feeling perspective, along with English teacher Jennifer Long, Giles Creek Middle School principal Ron Gross and Mayor Mike Evans.
“I think the reason that the small town feel, I’ve tried to figure out what that really means, and I think it’s about relationships with people and everybody kind of knowing everybody. So, it’s certainly getting harder, but I don’t know if there’s a number. I think it has less to do with a number and more on relationships,” Lightle said.
Long said she’s seen a change over time.
“I would say yes. When I think of a small town, because I’ve been in Gretna my whole life, and when I think of Gretna as a small town, it’s an agricultural community primarily, and everybody knew everybody, and I don’t think either of those things is the primary reality anymore,” Long said.
Another educator, again, has a different opinion.
“Gretna has definitely grown, but it still feels like a small town because of the people. Whether it’s school events, community support, or families helping families, there’s still that tight-knit feeling that makes Gretna special,” Gross said.
And from the mayor . . . .
“I always say, I don’t think population defines the size of your town or community field. So, I think it’s how people interact with each other, how they support each other. Sometimes, even a bigger town can feel like a small town because it’s just the feel of your community and the culture of the people that live there,” Evans said.
Before going into a final consensus over the question, I’d like to offer one last perspective, which is my own.
I moved here to Gretna in 2013, when I was four years old, from Iowa. Right across the street behind my house here were acres and acres of fields, which are now filled with housing developments. I went to Thomas Elementary all six years, and that’s where I felt the first effects of the growth in my life. Aspen Creek Elementary and Middle Schools opened up, and with that being the new closest school, friends were split apart.
Time moved on. New businesses came and went, and people kept on moving here. When it was time to move up to high school, my class was the first to not be in one high school building. I didn’t really think much of it until we came to school that August; it was the only thing that those who had been there the year before talked about. They were the people who felt the real growth and change that was happening. I knew a couple of people who went to the new high school because they went to middle school with me, but that was about it.
The connections I’ve made in the community have all come from after that. The fact that I can say that some of my best friends go to Gretna East, even though I’ve never gone to school with them, proves that. It’s all been through different activities, whether it be my job, sports or just reaching out. If you look at Omaha Public Schools, the chance that someone who goes to Omaha North has a friend who goes to Omaha Bryan is very slim. And that’s what happens with growth.
Gretna values relationships and that sense of community too much to be considered a city. The death of basketball coach Brad Feeken is an amazing recent example. On the day of his funeral, Journey Church was packed to the brim with former players, students, coworkers, family, friends and community members. Not just from Gretna High School, or even Gretna, but from all over the Metro area. Feeken had a massive impact on so many people’s lives, and the community’s love shown at his funeral for him and for his family truly shows it.
Go ahead and count up all the numbers, if you want. It’s 9,207 and still growing. Sure, some people might argue that numbers are more important than the human side of this argument, but the examples from before show that the personal side is so much more important. Relationships over just a number. As long as Gretna keeps that at its core, that feeling is what truly defines Gretna.
