JIM EISENHARDT

Class of 1967 & Distinguished Teacher
​Inducted in 2003 & 2017

Jim was inducted into SHSAA Hall of Fame in 2003 and again in 2017 for the Distinguished Teacher Award.

Jim Eisenhardt was a SHS theatre teacher from 1984 - 2006. Jim graduated from South in 1967. He has a B.A. from Nazarene University and a Master of Theatre Degree from UNO. He was awarded two graduate fellowships and studied with the Royal Shakespeare Company in England. He taught theatre at Tech High from 1971-1984, returning to SHS in 1984 to teach theatre, eventually became the department head. During his years at South, he created unique, one-of-a-kind programs; including the Lunch Box Theatre, Clear Story Window program and Neon Theatre, all programs aimed at encouraging students to become involved in the arts.

Jim helped develop Adopt-A-School Partnerships with the Omaha Community Playhouse, Opera Omaha and Why Arts. A few of Jim’s awards include: 1994 Buffet Outstanding Educator Award; America’s 50 Best Teachers; Wallace Bacon Fellowship Trustee; Omaha Playhouse Arts Educator of the Year; Omaha Tech High School Hall of Fame; and Southern Nazarene University Outstanding Alumni.

Jim had been an Omaha Community Playhouse Trustee for over 30 years and was an active member up until he passed in 2023. He served as President of the Nebraska Theatre Association, President of Omaha Education Association, sat on the Board of Directors of Why Arts, and was a Trustee of First Methodist Church. Jim was married to the late Nikki Ingram.

​On teaching at SHS, Jim wrote, “Returning to South as a teacher carried with it great joy, but also the burden of maintaining the legacy of such dynamic teachers as Clara Ross, R. Tipton Biggs, Barbara Oldfield and Roland Hinrichs.”

Jim passed away January 2023.