SIDNEY - Tara Schnell of Sidney earned $500 for Sidney Public Schools after submitting a photo of her family’s walk on the Deadwood Trail as part of the Stretch Across Nebraska contest, a partnership between News Channel Nebraska, Medica and 987 The Big Boy.

Schnell’s photo, taken during a family outing with her husband Jarrod, daughters Jordynn, Kinley and Chasity, and their dogs Jade and Crew, was selected as one of several statewide winners. The contest encourages Nebraskans to share healthy activities, with $15,000 in total prizes awarded to schools across the state.

The family often spends time walking or biking together, Schnell said, especially during the summer evenings when they’re not at the softball fields.

“Pretty often during the summer, we like to get out at night,” Schnell said. “If it’s not a softball night, we like to go for a bike ride or go walking - get the dogs chilled out a little bit.”

Schnell said the Deadwood Trail in Sidney is their go-to spot for outdoor activity.

“When we want to get a little exercise ourselves with no stickers, we like to choose the Deadwood Trail,” she said. “It’s a nice big trail, lots of people going back and forth, it’s always clean - a good place to go.”

When asked why she chose to represent Sidney Public Schools, Schnell said the answer was simple: “We’ve got some rivals, so I wasn’t going to send it there. I’d rather leave it right here. We like red and black.”