Alumni Spotlight: Carla (Cloninger) Ketner

Q&A with 1984 EHS grad on being a Presidential Scholar, former bookstore owner, and author

Interview Conducted By Ann Huddleston, Alumni Relations

In 1984, Carla (Cloninger) Ketner, EHS class of 1984, became Elkhorn’s first and only Presidential Scholar Award winner. Carla attended Nebraska Wesleyan University for undergrad and then received her Master’s degree in Early Education from UNO and Ph.D. from UNL. Afterwards, she taught elementary students and then a college-level children’s literature course before deciding to stay at home with her two sons. However, that didn’t last long. From 2004 to 2024, she owned Chapters Books & Gifts in Seward, Nebraska. Her sweet dog, Fabio, greeted and provided a special charm to customers. Carla recently wrote the book Ted Kooser: More Than a Local Wonder about the former U.S. Poet Laureate. Ted lives near Seward and visited her bookstore where they connected and became friends. The book won a 2024 Nebraska Book Award in October. Carla recently sold Chapters Books & Gifts to a former high school English teacher. She is now transitioning to other projects such as promoting her children’s book through school and library visits and possibly writing more books. 

Carla reading her book to a group of children in Plattsmouth.

Q: When did you become interested in books?

A: I’ve been a reader and book lover for as long as I can remember. Some of my favorite books as a child were books passed down from my mother. As a child, I loved them mostly because they were good stories. I value them now as a connection to my mother’s childhood, though I am reluctant to re-read my favorites, afraid they might not stand the test of time!

Now, my house is filled with books, but we didn’t own a lot of books when I was a child. Because we didn’t have large collections of books at home, we went to the library often. I still remember strolling through the bookshelves, choosing picture books to take home and read together. When I was a little older, I was allowed to walk or ride my bike to the library in Elkhorn—the old library, which was a room in the same building as the police station, if I remember correctly—with a friend or my sister. We could choose four books to check out at a time. I think I read nearly every book in that library, including Harlequin romances, V C Andrews books, and others that weren’t necessarily written for children. Taking a children’s literature course at Nebraska Wesleyan University as an undergraduate rekindled my love of children’s books, and as a parent, teacher, bookseller, and writer, I’ve been savoring them ever since. I also read and enjoy an occasional book that was written for adults.

Q: What are some memorable moments while receiving the Presidential Scholar Award?

A: It was an honor to be the first student from Elkhorn recognized as a Presidential Scholar. When I completed the application, I didn’t expect to be chosen. I still remember receiving the letter in the mail, ripping it open right there at the mailbox, and feeling thrilled that I’d been chosen. The response from my classmates was very gratifying when it was announced at graduation.

Before 2020 changed so many things, Presidential Scholars from all over the country spent a “recognition week” in Washington D.C. together, attending seminars, meeting with politicians, sightseeing, and getting to know one another. Attending the program for the Scholars in the Arts at the Kennedy Center was a highlight of that week. Recognition week was a fantastic experience, and I still keep in touch with other Scholars I met that week. I also attended the 50th anniversary celebration of the Presidential Scholars program and was a member of the board of the Presidential Scholars Academy.

Carla (Cloninger) Ketner standing if front of the White House as a Presidential Scholar.

Q: What are some of your best high school memories?

A: I have fond memories of marching band and pep band and having fun at football and basketball games. I was on the yearbook staff and remember learning to develop film in the dark room, typing our stories on electric typewriters, and laying out pages on the light table. I also remember a group of us doing Jane Fonda’s exercise videos after school in an empty classroom.

Q: Did you have a teacher that inspired you?

A: Of course — Ms. McCoy! Ms. McCoy even came to my book signing at the Bookworm in Omaha last winter. I had many excellent teachers at Elkhorn High School — Ms. McCoy, Mr. Bacus, Ms. Bock, Mr. Baker to name a few, all of whom inspired me in one way or another. I moved to Elkhorn in 5th grade, and I remember our teacher (Mrs. Olsen, I think) reading aloud to us The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and other books. I looked forward to that part of the day, though at the time I didn’t realize how valuable reading aloud to kids is. I just knew I loved listening to the stories she read us. She also had us write our own stories throughout that year. As I look back on that, I realize that developing our reading and writing skills must have been priorities for her.

40th class reunion
Carla and EHS class of 1984 classmates at their 40th high school reunion last summer.

Q: What is the subject of your PhD?

A: I have a BS in Elementary Education, MA in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis on Early Education, and a PhD. in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis on literacy development. My dissertation was a study of my son’s early reading, writing, listening, and speaking development.

Q: How did you end up in Seward?

A: My husband is a family physician. When he was finishing his residency and looking for a place to work, we wanted to stay in a smaller community near a relatively big city. I was from Elkhorn, and my husband from Wahoo, so eastern Nebraska was appealing. We visited Seward and really liked the feel of the community and the people we met. The medical community was a good fit for him, and we’ve been here ever since.

Q: Is the size of Seward similar to what Elkhorn was when you were growing up?

A: I think Seward is somewhat bigger than Elkhorn was. In the 1970s and 1980s, I think Elkhorn’s population was about 2,500. Seward has a population of about 8,000 now, though my graduating class from Elkhorn High School was 132, just about the same as the classes at Seward High are now. The Seward community feels a lot like Elkhorn did back then — we have a local grocery store, small downtown, a bowling alley, swimming pool, one high school. One difference is that Seward has a movie theater, the Rivoli, which is one of my favorite places in town, and Elkhorn didn’t. We also have a bookstore.

Q: Walk us through day-to-day life owning a bookstore.

A: There is no typical day for a small business owner! I did a little bit of everything. Some days, I spent all day placing orders with vendors. Other days I concentrated on marketing, fulfilling online orders, getting ready for school book fairs, hosting story time with Miss Nebraska or a construction worker or a giant costumed cat character named Pete, paying bills and taxes, hiring or training a new staff member or rearranging displays in the store. Most days involved unpacking and shelving merchandise. All of that had to fit into the spaces between customers, because every day is about customer service, helping our customers fill whatever need had brought them to the store that day. When they were little, my kids thought I had the best job in the world because I got to read all day. Actually, I was surrounded by books all day with very little time to read them.

Q: How long did it take you to write your book and then publish it?

The idea for the book took root in 2019, when my son suggested that I write a book about Ted Kooser, who had become a friend of the family and a supporter of my bookstore. I spent about two years writing and revising and receiving feedback on the text. In the summer of 2021, I sent the manuscript to a few publishers I thought might be interested in a biography of a Nebraska poet. About six months later, I met with Tom Swanson, an editor at University of Nebraska Press. He was interested in publishing the book, though the Press doesn’t ordinarily publish children’s picture books, but had to work out the logistics. After several more months, we worked out a contract, found an illustrator, and moved forward with the project. By late 2022, the illustrations were done and the designers were working on putting the book together. That was completed in spring 2023, and the book came back from the printers in time for release on November 1, 2023. The book just celebrated its first birthday by winning a 2024 Nebraska Book Award in October. It also won a MIPA Midwest Book Award and a Paterson Prize for Books for Young People.

Q: Do you have any advice for young students now?

Middle school and high school are hard, emotionally, socially and in other ways. They may not actually be the best days of your life, as kids are told they should be. Hang in there, and you’ll find your true friends and your purpose in life. Some of those friends will be your high school friends (shout out to mine!), but you’ll find your people in other spaces as well. Don’t be afraid to be yourself, to stand out from the crowd, to do what you’re passionate about. Don’t be afraid of failure. Though it’s never too late, don’t wait until you’re middle aged to do what you’ve always wanted to do.

Learn more about Carla on her website!