| School hours M-T-TH-F 8:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesdays 8:45 a.m. to 2:00 p.m |
| Cottonwood Elmentary School 615 Piedmont Drive Omaha, NE 68154 402-715-1390 fax: 402-691-1428 Map to Cottonwood Staff Directory |
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Mission Statement |
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M-T-TH-F
8:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesdays 8:45 a.m. to 2:00 p.m |
Cottonwood Elementary School, in a coordinated effort with home and community, will provide innovative educational experiences that recognize and promote diverse abilities to guarantee achievement of each student's personal and academic best. Click here to see our site plan. |
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Why is our school named for the cottonwood tree?
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The cottonwood was named Nebraska’s official tree by the Legislature in 1972. It is found in all parts of the state and was planted by many homesteaders because it grew easily from cuttings. The tree has historical significance because of its value to the Indians and early settlers. Cottonwood trunks were hollowed out with fire, and used as primitive river boats. In winter, when the prairie grass was covered with snow, Indians fed their horses the bark from cottonwoods. Pioneers boiled the inner bark of the tree with water to make a strong tea, used as remedy for stomach ailments.
The Omaha Indians believed that the cottonwood had a spirit of its own, and they used it to make their Sacred Pole, which represented the authority and honor of the tribe.
One account tells of the early settlers traveling across the plains in their covered wagons from one grove of cottonwoods to the next, "sure that there they would find water, fuel, and shade in the burning day. These groves were the wayside inn, the club, the church, the newspaper and fortress, when the wagon trains drew up in a circle beneath the boughs.”
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