TRIMM PHOTO AND NORRIS SCHOOL DISTRICT: HOW THE DISPUTE BEGAN AND WHERE IT STANDS TODAY

A Timeline of Events — Updated October 16, 2026

For readers unfamiliar with the ongoing situation between Trimm Photo and Norris School District, we have prepared this summary explaining how the disagreement began, what happened afterward, and why we recently submitted a formal public records request.

SEPTEMBER 2026 — COVERING NORRIS ATHLETICS

Trimm Photo, operated by Keith and Cheryl Trimm of Fairbury, Nebraska, has provided independent high school sports coverage throughout southeastern Nebraska since September 2016.

Trimm Photo has held official Nebraska School Activities Association (NSAA) media credentials for six years. We operate as an independent sports media organization, not as employees of a newspaper or television station. Although NSAA credentials do not automatically guarantee access to every regular-season sporting event, they are an important part of our established history covering Nebraska high school athletics.

During September 2026, we expanded our coverage to Norris High School, photographing three athletic events involving football and volleyball. Our goal was the same as it has always been: to recognize student-athletes and provide families with photographs documenting their accomplishments.

Initially, we had no reason to anticipate any difficulties with the district.

SEPTEMBER 29 — THE ARIZONA VOLLEYBALL STORY

On September 29, Trimm Photo published a Facebook story highlighting the Norris volleyball team's upcoming trip to Arizona for the Nike Tournament of Champions.

The article was intended to recognize the team's accomplishments and opportunity to compete nationally.

However, the comment section developed into a discussion about school spending, property taxes, district facilities, and whether public money was being used for the trip.

Some readers questioned the district's financial priorities. Others stated that fundraising and booster contributions were paying for the trip.

Those comments represented the opinions of individual readers, not necessarily the views of Trimm Photo.

EARLY OCTOBER — THE PHONE CALL

While Norris was participating in the Arizona tournament, Activities Director Dr. Mitchell Stine contacted Cheryl Trimm by telephone.

According to Cheryl's written recollection of the conversation, Stine expressed concerns about the Facebook discussion and requested that the original post be removed. He also raised concerns about our use of Norris imagery and requested advance notification concerning future athletic coverage.

Although we disagreed with removing a positive sports article because of comments made by others, we complied with the request and removed the post.

Cheryl also asked Stine to provide a written summary of their conversation. On October 9, he confirmed by email that he would send one that weekend.

OCTOBER 9 — MEDIA ACCESS RESTRICTED

On October 9, Cheryl informed Stine that Trimm Photo might attend the Norris–Waverly football game that evening.

His emailed response changed the situation considerably.

"Please make plans to visit other area locations as we need distance from last week's disruptions."

Stine also stated that advance requests to attend athletic events were necessary.

Cheryl responded that she had understood their telephone conversation to require a courtesy notification, not advance permission. She asked whether the requirement applied to all media organizations.

From our perspective, the message effectively restricted Trimm Photo's ability to continue covering Norris athletics.

We had not been informed of any specific misconduct by our photographers during the three events we attended.

The written summary Stine had promised for that weekend had not been provided as of October 15, despite follow-up requests. That summary could have helped clarify the disagreement over advance notification versus advance permission.

OCTOBER 9–11 — SEEKING EXPLANATIONS

On October 9, Keith emailed Stine requesting a written explanation of the restrictions, the conduct that supposedly justified them, and whether the same requirements applied to other media outlets.

On October 10, we contacted Norris High School Principal Dr. Nate Seggerman and Superintendent Dr. Derrick Joel, requesting administrative review.

The dispute had also become public through a Trimm Photo Facebook post explaining why our Norris coverage had stopped.

On October 11, Keith emailed all six members of the Norris Board of Education, asking for clarification and fair consideration.

Board member Gary Kubicek responded that he had reviewed our correspondence and Facebook page but did not yet have enough information to address the concerns. He stated that he intended to investigate the matter further.

OCTOBER 12 — THE SUPERINTENDENT RESPONDS

Superintendent Dr. Derrick Joel responded to our inquiry on October 12.

Joel explained that the district's original concerns involved our use of artificial intelligence and student photographs. He stated that continued concerns and the resulting disruption required Trimm Photo to obtain prior approval before attending Norris events.

He also proposed a face-to-face meeting on October 23 to discuss the situation and determine possible next steps.

We appreciated receiving a response but declined the proposed in-person meeting.

Traveling approximately 60 miles to Norris for a discussion that might be handled through email, telephone, or video conferencing did not seem necessary to us.

We also remained concerned about the lack of a written explanation identifying specific conduct at an athletic event that justified the restrictions.

OCTOBER 15 — FORMAL PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST

With questions still unanswered, Trimm Photo submitted a formal request under the Nebraska Public Records Act to Superintendent Joel on October 15.

The completed request seeks existing district records concerning two principal subjects.

First, we requested documentation of the planning, authorization, funding, and expenditures associated with the Norris volleyball team's 2026 Arizona trip. These records include available invoices, receipts, financial reports, funding sources, reimbursements, and related administrative communications.

Second, we requested district communications and records concerning Trimm Photo, the decision to restrict our media access, applicable media policies, and any existing documentation of Stine's telephone conversation with Cheryl.

The request was made under Nebraska Revised Statutes §§ 84-712 through 84-712.09.

It is important to emphasize that requesting financial records is not an accusation of financial misconduct. We do not currently have documentation establishing that any funds were improperly spent.

Our objective is to determine what the records actually show.

OCTOBER 16 — WHERE THINGS STAND

As of this update, Trimm Photo is awaiting the district's response to the public records request.

We have also decided to remove most of our previous Norris-related Facebook posts and return the primary Trimm Photo page to its regular emphasis on high school sports photography, athlete recognition, and community coverage.

We recognize that many of our followers are interested primarily in sports, and we do not believe they should have to navigate repeated posts concerning an administrative disagreement.

However, we remain interested in obtaining accurate answers to the questions raised throughout this process.

Future developments concerning the Norris situation will be published here on our website when there is meaningful, verifiable information to report.

Our position remains straightforward: We believe independent media organizations deserve fair treatment, public institutions should be transparent about their decisions, and reporting should be based on evidence rather than speculation.

Whatever the records ultimately reveal, we intend to report the findings accurately and responsibly.

---

Keith and Cheryl Trimm
Trimm Photo
Fairbury, Nebraska

Trimm Photo hits over 750,000 views in 1 month on the official Trimm Photo Facebook Page

Trimm Photo Facebook page 

https://www.facebook.com/trimmphoto/ 

is the official page of Trimm Photo 

 

Fairbury-I (Keith) have wondered why the local or regional media haven’t picked us up as a story. This isn’t me being vain, it’s that my last check we had 765,780 page views in the previous month, which means our work isn’t just local, our content on Facebook is national.

We run into media outlets all the time at the games we cover and see the same faces wearing the same NSAA media passes we do, but nothing comes of it?

Do they consider us competition? Realistically, Trimm Photo is a mom-and-pop hobby that exploded over the last 10 years with a lot of time, travel, and hard work.

The paid media may think we can write our own story and promote ourselves, and we do, but we are the elephant in the room with 12,000 followers that no one in the media wants to talk about.

Once again, thanks for supporting us. Maybe we can hit a million views soon. Our record was 1.5 million a few years back, and we seem to be heading that way again.

 Long time Fairbury resident, former mayor of Fairbury, Lawyer and author Ron Schwab sits down with Keith Trimm of Trimm Photo to talk about his writing in this first of two videos where we discuss Fairbury history.  If you enjoy this video please share as Trimm Photo brings local history to life through the words of those who lived it. 

Ron Schwab is the author of the popular Western series, The Law Wranglers, The Coyote Saga, and The Lockes, as well as several standalone novels, including Grit, a winner of the Western Fictioneers Peacemaker Award for Best Western Novel, and Cut Nose, a finalist for the Western Writers of America Best Western Historical Novel. He is a member of the Western Writers of America, Western Fictioneers, and Mystery Writers of America.

Ron and his wife, Bev, divide their time between their home in Fairbury, Nebraska and their cabin in the Kansas Flint Hills.

Darin Garfield elected to the NSWCA Hall of Fame

 An honor such as a son's election to the NSWCA Hall of Fame is surreal. It's hard to wrap my mind around. My mind goes back to when Darin and Derek began to wrestle. Little sister Danae would get upset when she saw other wrestlers trying to hurt her brothers. A time of innocence for all of us, really.

Jane and I didn't know much about wrestling , and

were brought into it by the boys. There was a lot of sacrifice for trying to find a spot in the Aurora, Nebraska line-up. Cutting twenty pounds, when really there wasn't anything to lose. That's how important wrestling was to them. As young children, Darin and Derek had stuffed animals they pretended to coach. I bring Derek into the mix because that's the way it was. Always together.

After high school, college and then the first coaching job. Wrestling was/is a perfect fit. Darin was blessed along the way and he took advantage of the opportunities. I reflect on many people who made the journey with us. The wrestling community! To imagine it would all end up at the Hall of Fame? It's not thought of along the way.

Way too busy. Not very many sports go all day Saturdays and Sundays with the youth. Weight room supervision too. Late nights and early mornings.

Seeing it payoff off, is the payoff. It's been said people want to be a coach but they don't want to do what a coach has to do. Very proud of Darin and very thankful for all who were on the journey with him!

Wrestling, Pro vs Con

 You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it come to your wrestling tournament, or duel, or Triangular, or Quad. What am I getting at? When I was on the high school paper back in 84 I never went to a wrestling meet, I went to every other sport at FHS and actually got out of school to go to Lincoln to take photos of our volleyball team who made the playoffs. 

I didn’t really get into wrestling until around 2017 when Trimm Photo started and I didn’t know squat about the rules or how a duel or tournament worked. I recalled that wrestlers had to make weight and they were big boys but that was about it. So I asked a lot of questions and got up to speed with most of how it works and am a huge fan. But not everyone is a fan and I can understand why. 

Prior to high school wrestling Cheryl and I did attend a WWE event at Pershing and I think Rick Flair and Kevin Nash were there. Fun times but not at all what I’m used to now. 

I don’t know of any other sport that has a thing called, “blood time.” Blood time is when a wrestler gets a bloody nose or a cut somewhere on the body and the match stops while somebody uses a disinfectant and wipes blood off the mat. Seems a bit Spartan (300) if you are not used to it. Then there was this one time when I was taking photos by the edge of the mat and heard a wrestler’s leg crack. They took him off the mat with two others holding him up. 

Don’t get me wrong, I remember a Fairbury football player tearing his ACL during a playoff game and another during the regular season. I even recall being at a Wilber Clatonia game where 4 players were on crutches on the sidelines. I took a photo of them posing. 

I even recall a girl at a basketball game at Lincoln Christian falling on her nose and the game stopped while they cleaned the puddle of blood off the nice shiny wood floor. All sports can have injuries, that’s why they park the ambulance next to the football field. (Never seen an ambulance parked outside a wrestling meet though.)

So I am going to make a top 3 pro and con list for what I think wresting is. 

Pro

1. Wrestling is about culture and community. I’ve been on a few wrestling decks over the years and that’s where you see the team spirit. Since on the competition level it’s a 1 on 1 verses the other school you don’t see the others who are backing that kid. Sometimes surrounding the score table, you will see the other team mates but you have to be there during practice to see what is really going on. 

2. Wrestling meets are like going to a Metallica concert that lasts eight hours. The place is packed, the announcers are telling everyone to get down so people can see, it’s loud, action packed and a fun environment. Before the tournament begins the wrestlers are warming up and the mats are filled with kids from end to end rolling each other, banging into each other and getting ready. 

3. It’s art, if you have ever gone to a meet where they use the spotlight from above and shine it down on the action it’s like going to a movie. It’s very Greek art style and shows off another reason why wrestling is not like anything other sport you will see. 

Con

1. I’ve heard people say it’s distasteful to watch two kids try to beat the crap out of each other. I don’t think these people have ever been to a meet, although I did see two young men try to get into a very real pushing match that had to be stopped by a ref. 

2. The meets can take way too long. 10 or more teams with around15 wresters and consolations can take a while. Good to have a well-stocked concession stand. 

3. Getting off the mat after sitting taking photos and video can be difficult when you are my age. I need a full body lift and if you ever see me try to get up come over and give me a hand. I take pain meds before I go and my hips still kill me. 

Derek Garfield 

Wrestling is the greatest sport in the planet. I think the thing that sets it aside from any other sport is the courage it takes to step inside the circle and put your toe on the line and being willing to engage in 1 on 1 combat against an opponent. While teammates can help you in the practice room in wrestling winning and losing is 100 percent on you! You will get out of the sport what you put into it.

 The other great thing about wrestling is the fact that a person can weigh 106 pounds or 285 pounds and still find success if you’re willing to work. Wrestling is the purest form of of sport and there is nothing else that compares to it!

 

Exeter Nebraska-Exeter Milligan Friend football coach Cory Kahlandt. “We lost to Sandy Creek 62 to 64 in triple overtime week three. I think we will have a good game and will probably be a short game as both of us run the ball and establish the line of scrimmage. If we play our style of football both physical and aggressive on both sides of the ball we should be ok.

As long as we play on our toes on defense like we have been we shouldn’t need to stress or anything or try to hard as it is another football game for our guys and don’t make it bigger than it is. We are playing Stanton and they are undefeated.

Playing at Memorial Stadiums is a great opportunity and we need to enjoy it and I still say it’s just a football game but we do need to enjoy the experience out there, it’s a big stage with an awesome atmosphere and I’m excited for our guys making it this far and they deserve it, they worked hard during the off season all back with weights.

We started this back in August 7^th which doesn’t seem like all that long ago along with co head coach Jim Pfeiffer."

 “Dear Big Ten Conference,

I’ve waited a day & I still feel that you REALLY need to address the level of your officiating. To be clear, Nebraska played like *** yesterday, but college athletes & their fans clearly deserve better.

Thanks,

A Concerned Football Fan” (Adam Carriker)

I read a lot of the responses to Adam’s post and most of them were what I expected, blame the refs because they are blind and all that sorts of rhetoric. But I think a lot of people miss the point. 

If you are an arm chair quarterback with a high-definition big screen with a view from above you will see more than a ref twenty feet away. People perceive life, and motion differently from where they are and what they are doing. 

My response posted in response to Adam’s Facebook post was, “Not all officiating can be that bad, there must be another underlying problem that we don't understand and needs to be studied. I can't and won't believe we hire an entire class of buffoons who wear black and white uniforms who can't do their jobs. There must be another answer,” and I stand behind that. 

I don’t claim to know anything about sports, I’m a journalist and a sports photographer and a science nut and I know there is more to this that most people get. Blaming the refs is not the answer. 

If you hold the teams to the same standard of perfection that you hold the refs the score would never reach over 0/0 because a perfect defense would never allow a single point to be scored. 

If you want perfect officiating you will need to install AI computers with cameras located all over the field so you get the perfect call every time. With the use of replay cameras, you have already slowed the game down to the point it is not fun to watch anymore and have taken the human element out and watching a ref stare at a television screen during a review does not make for compelling football. 

Players and coaches make mistakes all the time but to hold refs to the inhuman standard of a robot is not fair. Let the refs make mistakes, that is what makes a game a game. If you were to rank the calls of most refs on a bell curve you would probably find that most calls fall within normal limits with a few on the edges but it is those calls that everyone gets mad about. 

You can’t have it both ways and blaming the refs is wrong. You either need to respect them or get rid of them and let football become a computer sport. What's more likely? A group of incompetent referees or an angry fan who's team lost looking for an excuse?