Staff Spotlight: C Meier-Bates - English teacher at Lincoln High School

February 20, 2026

Every week, we shine a spotlight on one Lincoln Public Schools staff member! This week, meet C Meier-Bates, English teacher at Lincoln High School.

“C has done an amazing job with building up the LHS speech team as a second year head coach. I think C deserves a shoutout because they embody what it means to create a welcoming, rigorous community where all students can be the best versions of themselves.” - Marisa Zornes, English teacher and department chair at Lincoln High School

In a few sentences, briefly describe your role at LPS.
I teach English at Lincoln High School. This year's course assignments are English 9, Oral Comm (on level, Diff, and EL), and Competitive Speech, but I've taught probably half of our other course offerings in my time at The High. I'm also the head coach for the LHS speech team! I have also served as the Pride Club sponsor and the Slam Poetry sponsor in previous years.

How long have you worked for LPS?
This is my fourth year at LPS, and I've been fortunate enough to spend all of them at Lincoln High! Go Links!

What inspired you to become part of the education field at LPS?
I previously taught for four years in a middle school bilingual education program in South Omaha, and I loved how deeply the community of the families we served impacted the culture of the school. It was important to me to find that in my next teaching assignment when I moved to Lincoln. I was so glad to find a home at Lincoln High. It was apparent from the moment I stepped into the building: the staff and students live and breathe the school's creed of Tradition, Diversity, Excellence, and Unity. In my four years here, I've found a strong community of people who love and support me for who I am.

What has been your favorite part of working here? What aspect of your job do you find most rewarding?
My favorite part of working at Lincoln High is the diverse community I get to work in. Our students bring so much background and worldly knowledge into the building, and I feel fortunate to work in a place that wants to celebrate and encourage those experiences in everything we do. From Culture Night to everyday curriculum, our students' lives are reflected in the work we do.

Did you attend LPS as a student? If so, which school(s)? If not, where are you from?
I only went to LPS as an elementary schooler at Cavett Elementary. For 6th-12th grade, I attended Norris Public Schools, where John Skretta was superintendent at the time!

What path did you take after completing your formal education?
After graduating from high school, I attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and majored in Secondary English and Language Arts education, with minors in English, Communication Studies, and Women and Gender Studies. I was also a four-year competitor on the nationally ranked UNL speech team!

What do you enjoy most about the Lincoln community?
Lincoln is the biggest small town in the world. We retain so many people who are deeply rooted and crucial to the community, but also gain new faces from all around the world to enrich the existing landscape. I simultaneously feel like I know every face and corner of the city, but I will also never stop discovering new places and learning new perspectives.

What is your favorite childhood book or a book that has influenced your life positively?
This question is impossible to answer because I was a voracious reader as a kid. I was a frequent flyer at the Lincoln City Library, and I had personal bookshelves that were constantly overflowing. I was lucky to grow up in a household where a love of reading was encouraged, supported, and modeled for me. It's not so much that a single book influenced my life positively, but more so that reading opened up the world for me in a way that created deep and lasting empathy and curiosity.

Share a shout out to a former teacher who impacted your life.
I knew in my junior year of high school that I wanted to be an English teacher, and the story is kind of funny. In my junior year at Norris, I took AP Language and Composition, taught by current Lincoln East teacher Sarah Staples-Farmer. I was encouraged to pursue teaching by someone who didn't know my family history of teachers, a student teacher named Niki Barnes, who is now a guidance counselor at Lincoln High! My love for English and competitive speech was also nurtured by Kelly Wieting, another current LPS teacher, while she was my coach at Norris. I like to say I was always bound to end up back at LPS because the people who are here now are so important to my teaching story.

Do you know a LPS staff member we should feature for Staff Spotlight? Fill out this form to nominate them!

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