Central High U.S. History teacher Scott Wilson was inducted into the Millard South High School Hall of Fame on Jan. 27, 2024. “I was speechless. It was wonderful and kind of fainting; it never crossed my mind, especially since I work at Central and it’s a different school district, it’s a different school,” he said.
Wilson has been at Central for 27 years teaching Advanced Placement U.S. History, Honors U.S. History, U.S. History, and International Baccalaureate U.S. History. He earned the Omaha Central High School Teacher of the Year Award in 2005 as well as the Alice E. Buffett Outstanding Teacher Award for Omaha Public Schools in 2006, one of the most prestigious education awards for an OPS teacher.
Wilson found out about his induction when he got a call from his high school AP U.S. History teacher. “I was happy to hear from him. I couldn’t imagine why he was calling me,” Wilson said. “He told me that I was going to be in the Millard South Hall of Fame; I was speechless.”
The night before the induction ceremony, Millard South invited all its Hall of Fame inductees to their girls’ basketball game, followed by a presentation to honor the inductees. Little did Wilson know his Central colleagues were there to surprise him.
“I started seeing people in purple gather across the court. Then I started to recognize a few of them, like Ms. [Michelle] Synowiecki and Ms. [Jennifer] Stastny. I turned to Mrs. [Beth] Wilson, and she could hardly hold in her smile,” he said. “Then, I knew what was going on, and I had to choke back some tears. I ran over and hugged them all. It was so special to have them there, and I will never forget that kind gesture by them.”
Many of Wilson’s Millard South teachers had a role in him wanting to become a history teacher. Aside from the teachers, the most enjoyable memories from Wilson’s time at Millard South “were the friendships that you make. I was also in the school play, and that was fun.”
Wilson’s current connection to Millard South is only as an alumnus. “Occasionally, I will go back for basketball games when Central plays them, but I think all of my teachers are retired.”
