Getting to know you: Nicole Long

Nicole Anne Pelster-Long, 39, is the principal at Perkins County Elementary School, a position she has held for four years, though her experience in education goes back nearly two decades. 

The Elsie native is married to J.J. Long, a Perkins County farmer, whom she’s had her eye on since junior high. 

“I first met J.J. at the Grant ballpark. I was with my brother (tagging along). I am not sure J.J. noticed me, but I had my eye on him. He was good friends with my older brothers,” she said. 

The couple, now married 17 years, have three children together. Daughter Miah, is the oldest at 15. Son Will is 14 and the youngest son, Ryan, is 11.

The family lives just north of Grant and has three dogs: Stix, Molly and Mojo. 

Long explained that she has lived in Perkins County pretty much her whole life, aside from attending college, and says her favorite part of living in southwestern Nebraska is the caring people who take care of each other and the small town culture. 

She grew up on a farm south of Elsie where she spent a lot of time tagging along with her two older brothers “doing outside shenanigans like playing in the tree belt, making mud pies and clanking on an old car we had on the place,” she said. 

Once her brothers were old enough to go help their dad, Long said she really enjoyed hanging out with her mom, helping her cook, “Then when I was nine years old, I got the best thing ever...a baby sister!” she said.

“She was like my real life baby doll,” and joked “ I only dropped her a couple of times!” 

Long said she was involved in several activities in school but she really loved softball. “Many of my summer memories revolve around the ball field in Elsie. Since all four of us kids played, we were pretty much there every night. During the summer it was the town center, and even if people didn’t have kids involved they would still come to watch,” she said. 

After graduating from high school in Madrid, Long attended school at UNL to major in pre-architecture, as she had hoped to be an interior designer. 

She said it didn’t take long for her to realize the city life just wasn’t for her, and she decided to shift gears and go into education, something she knew she would enjoy and could do from the comfort of a smaller town. She knew she enjoyed being around children and thought it would be a good fit. 

After her first year at UNL she transferred to Doane. 

 “I graduated with a bachelor’s in art education, master’s in curriculum and instruction, and a master’s in educational leadership,” she said. 

Long has been in education for 17 years now, as an art teacher and now principal. What she enjoys most about her job, she says, is spending time with the kids, and watching them grow through their years in elementary. 

As a member of Zion Lutheran Church, Long continues her education skills as a Sunday School teacher and also enjoys mowing the yard for the church...or anywhere. Long lists mowing as one of her hobbies.

With three active kiddos, Long confessed her favorite sports team is “anything Plainsmen” and said her children are her favorite athletes. 

Football, volleyball, basketball and track keep the Long family exceptionally busy and always on the go. 

Long admitted that one of her greatest challenges is keeping up with her family’s varying schedule, though the thing she looks forward to most in the next 10 years is continuing to watch her children grow and change  throughout their school years. 

“A week where I make it to all the kids’ events, don’t forget to pick them up, get to work, get caught up on laundry, make a couple home-cooked meals and still have a smile on my face,” she said is something she considers one of her greatest accomplishments. 

Long’s idea of the perfect day is spending time with her family with no outside commitments.