Jack Lyons, Elkhorn South High School Class of 2016
Interview conducted by Ann Huddleston, Alumni Relations
Rallying over 90 alumni to support future graduates is no small feat, but for Jack Lyons, bringing the Elkhorn South community together comes naturally. Since graduating ESHS in 2016, Jack has built an impressive path-earning his business degree from UNL, studying economics at Oxford, and stepping into his role as Internal Marketing Consultant at Senior Market Sales®. Driven by a passion for golf and a desire to build a lasting tradition for Storm alumni, Jack spearheaded an inaugural tournament that drew a staggering 25+ teams to the greens, raising money for the EPS Alumni Scholarship. Here, Jack shares what inspired the outing, reminisces on state championship memories, and offers advice for the next generation of Elkhorn grads.
Q: Pulling together 25+ teams for a single graduating class is a huge turnout! What inspired you to organize this alumni golf tournament?
What inspired the Alumni golf outing was other schools in the metro having long standing alumni golf outings. My dad always participates in Burke’s outing, and I have work colleagues and friends who participate in the alumni outings for Creighton Prep, Skutt, Westside and others. It was time for Elkhorn South to have one of their own.
Q: Were there any standout moments, memorable shots, or funny rivalries from the day? Who ended up taking home the trophy?
The standout moment to me was when we had everyone line-up on the putting green for a picture. Having 92 Elkhorn South alumni come out to play was a cool thing to see. Not to mention we had an after party at Fore Seasons after the event, and over 60 of the golfers showed up along with other alumni and family who didn’t participate in golf. Cole Carleton, class of 2013, won “split the pot” on hole 14. Winning team was the class of 2018, which consisted of Joe Devin, Dallas Cole, Sam Andrews and Luke Andreasen.
Q: Do you plan to make this an annual tradition for the Class of 2016, or expand it for other ESHS alumni down the road?
This will continue to be an annual tradition for all Elkhorn South Alumni, we will look to grow it every year. Next year we are keeping it at Pacific Springs and plan to until we outgrow it, the date is July 31st, 2027.
Q: Looking back at your time at Elkhorn South, what are a few of your favorite memories or traditions from high school, including, of course, your 2016 Class B Football State Championship win?
I have a lot of very fond memories of Elkhorn South; winning the school’s first football state championship in 2016 is probably number one on that list. I have a lot of great memories outside of just sports and they are because of the friends I made and grew up with in Elkhorn. I am still close with a lot of people who I went to school with, not just in my class but both younger and older. Elkhorn South was an easy place to make friends, and I think that says a lot about the character of this community.
Q: Were there any specific teachers, coaches, or mentors at ESHS who had a big impact on you?
There’s a few teachers that had an impact on me, but the main one was Ann Holmes. She was my English teacher and home room teacher for a few years. I didn’t like her because of my love for English class, haha, but she was wonderful. She had a great sense of humor, very caring, and was good at keeping the class engaged and incorporating life lessons into class. She also wasn’t afraid to let you hear it if you were disrupting her class.
Q: After high school, you went on to UNL and even spent time studying economics at Oxford. How did your time in Elkhorn prepare you for college and your current career at Senior Market Sales?
I think Elkhorn does a really good job of preparing you for college and to some degree for the real world. No surprise Elkhorn South ranks very high in the state from an academic perspective and I think that’s because of two things: 1) Great faculty and staff, who push you to not only do your best and are going to help you get there but to make you care- it’s for yourself. 2) The students, parents and community. In Elkhorn it’s not cool to skip school, it’s not cool to fail tests, it’s cool to do well and to care about the grade you get. I think that had a very positive impact on me as I navigated through college and now as I work on leveling up in my career.
Q: How do you like to spend your free time in the Omaha/Elkhorn area?
I am an avid golfer, no surprise having organized the golf tournament. That takes up a lot of my time in the summer. I live with my girlfriend in Elkhorn, so I enjoy doing just about anything with her. I’m a big Husker sports fan: football, basketball and volleyball, and I like hanging out with friends and hunting in the fall and winter. Those are the main things that fill my time.
Q: What advice would you give to current Elkhorn students or young alumni who are trying to figure out their college/next steps?
First piece of advice would be don’t take this time for granted, enjoy high school because it will be gone before you know it. Have fun participating in sports, clubs or extracurricular activities. Enjoy hanging out with your friends and going to school events. Second piece is do what makes you happy and what YOU want to do whether that’s college or no college. Same goes for the career path YOU choose later down the road. When you do make those choices, commit to it, give it 100%, don’t do it halfway. If you commit and give it 100% you’ll get the result you desire. Don’t do it halfway though, whatever decision you make, put 100% effort into it and commit, you will get the results you want.
