Five Nebraska educators will be recognized with the Outstanding Nebraska Teacher Award as part of the Touchdown for Teachers (T4T) campaign at the inaugural Husker Games on Saturday, April 26. This award recognizes educators for their commitment to improving the lives of their students and community. 

This is the third year Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska (BCBSNE) has partnered with Husker Athletics to recognize Nebraska’s teachers by encouraging community members to nominate the teachers in their community making an impact. In total, T4T received 250 nominations from across the state for 2025.  

This year’s Outstanding Nebraska Teacher Award recipients include: 

  • Allison Varah – Art teacher at Litchfield Public Schools (Litchfield) 
  • Whitney Billeter – Kindergarten teacher at Southwest Public Schools (Bartley) 
  • Holly Rieschick – Physical education teacher at Auburn Public Schools (Auburn) 
  • Skylar Jilg-Brown – Fourth grade teacher at Huntington Elementary School (Lincoln) 
  • Elizabeth Okereke – Spanish and English teacher at Lyons-Decatur Northeast Schools (Lyons) 

Herbie Husker and representatives from BCBSNE and Husker Athletics surprised each of Nebraska’s outstanding teachers with a special visit or a video message, followed by an award ceremony with their students to announce they had won the award. Herbie presented each educator with a football signed by Huskers Head Coach Matt Rhule, a framed certificate and tickets to the Husker Games. 

“Our educators put in a ton of work shaping the future of Nebraska,” Cortney Ray, director of strategic accounts at BCBSNE, said. “We’re proud to play even a small part in giving these rockstars the recognition and appreciation they deserve.” 

Recipients will be honored on the field at Memorial Stadium during the Husker Games on Saturday, April 26 and will be treated to VIP and behind-the-scenes experiences throughout the day.

Learn more about Touchdown for Teachers.