By Tyler Dahlgren

Staff members employed by South Sioux City Community Schools were welcomed back for the start of a new school year by an abundance of balloons falling from the auditorium rafters.

The balloons floated gracefully. The nearly 600 employees–teachers, custodians, bus drivers, counselors, cooks and paras–waited for them to reach the ground. Not-so-gracefully. 

There was gold in them there balloons after all, and friendly pandemonium ensued.

Two months later, superintendent Dr. Rony Ortega still can’t help but to smile when he thinks of the scene. His “Golden Tickets” and “One Hour Out of the Coop…Thanks to the Sup” certificates have caused quite a stir since he stepped into his role four years ago.

“You can imagine six-hundred employees popping balloons and trying to get that golden ticket,” he chuckled. “It was a great way to start the school year.”

The reward is undeniably enticing. Get your hands on a golden ticket or a “One Hour Out of the Coop…Thanks to the Sup” certificate, which Dr. Ortega awards to the staff member of the month at SSC’s monthly school board meeting, and get one hour out of the building.

Here’s where things get fun. The superintendent himself covers the classroom (or the cafeteria or the front office, etc.) when the recipient chooses to redeem their reward. 

“They choose the time and date,” Ortega said. “I don’t mandate that. They work with our assistant to pick a time and date that’ll work best for them. There’s flexibility, and I think they appreciate that.”

There’s flexibility in how they choose to spend their time, too. Their superintendent has only one rule.

“I make sure that they don’t stay around,” he said. “I tell them, ‘Hey, I got this. Enjoy.’ I’ve heard some will go pick up their kids early. Some will run an errand. Some have gone out for a quiet cup of coffee. There’s all kinds of things they do, but they all leave.”

As anyone who’s worked in a school setting can attest, there’s power in an hour. It’s nearly impossible to get away during school hours, so 60 minutes of free time is nothing to scoff at.

“You can always tell their time away is spent purposefully,” said director of communications and community engagement Lance Swanson. “They almost always have something specific they need to get done.”

Carey Mogensen has spent 26 years with South Sioux City Community Schools. Four years ago, the second-grade teacher was the first-ever recipient of the coveted certificate. She was hesitant initially, as turning over the reins to her classroom has never come easy, but even four years later she remembers that hour and how she chose to spend it.

“You might laugh at this,” Mogensen said with a chuckle of her own, “but I went to McDonald’s and bought all my team drinks. Then I went and worked in the teacher’s workroom. A whole hour? It just felt like such a gift.”

Kelli Smith has worked as a para in the district for 10 years, working with middle and high school students in the Achievement Center. She’s currently working towards a Masters degree and hopes to be teaching for SSC next year. Two weeks ago, she turned in her ticket and enjoyed a much-needed headstart on the weekend.

“I actually went down to Omaha an hour early,” Smith said. “I’m getting married in the spring and that comes with a lot of planning. So to not have to fight traffic at 5pm on a Friday, that was pretty nice.”

For 20 years, Sara Garcia has kept the schools in South Sioux City clean. She spent many years working as a custodian at the elementary, and then made a move to the high school. The entire time, she’s kept a smile on her face. Now, Garcia is the lead custodian and the proud recipient of not one, but two golden tickets.

“It was really exciting, because I’ve never had that kind of an experience before,” Garcia, who found her second golden ticket inside one of those aforementioned balloons, said from her office. “The day I chose to use it, it was actually during Dr. Ortega’s birthday month, and I know how much he likes Mexican food. So I made some birria, let him cover for me for a bit, and then we ate lunch. Having him here leading our district has been a game-changer. He’s just really kind to everyone, and it doesn’t matter your position. He’s always there for you.”

It’s nice, several staff members said, to have a superintendent who’s in your corner. Administrative support, especially when it’s felt in waves, makes for a stronger culture.

“It’s huge,” said Mogensen. “It’s huge to know that you have somebody by your side, or that somebody has your back.”

Swanson had a similar inclination before Ortega was hired. While SSC was going through the hiring process, he was assigned to drive Ortega around to visit different school buildings.

“He connected immediately, not only with myself but with the teachers, the paraprofessionals, the custodians,” Swanson said. “You could just see their eyes light up. They could feel his genuine excitement, and I think that carries over to this thing.”

SSC elementary principal Dan Swatek, like Ortega, believes that relationships are paramount to a school’s success. He’s known to frequent classrooms, and you’ll rarely find him cooped up in his office. That’s not where relationships are made.

“The first thing Dr. Ortega told us as an admin team was to get out of the office and visit classrooms, and he’s walking the walk,” Swatek said. “He’s done that himself from day one. With the ‘One Hour Out of the Coop’, he isn’t just saying, ‘Let’s go outside and play at recess.’ He’s doing lesson plans. The North Star of students growing and student achievement, he’s doing it with the kids. He’s not just talking the talk, but walking the walk.”

It’s been a great experience for the superintendent, too. By walking in his staff’s shoes for an hour at a time, Ortega has gained a greater understanding of his district’s systems and how they work with one another. 

The end result? Cohesion.

“I get a front row seat in observing how our paraprofessionals are impacting student achievement, how our custodians are impacting that work and how our teachers are making a mark, et cetera,” Ortega, who does his research and comes into the hour with a gameplan, said. “That’s been so cool. I walk away with a better understanding of everybody’s role and how they’re impacting the entire organization. It also allows us to connect on a different level. It’s creating bonds that are permanent.”

Teaching is hard, Swatek said, and Dr. Ortega hasn’t forgotten that. He began his career teaching in Elkhorn nearly 25 years ago. This beloved tradition has provided an opportunity to scratch an itch that never truly leaves an educator.

“I haven’t lost the magic of being in front of kids or that passion you feel when you’re in a classroom,” he said. “The desire to connect with kids, that’s still there. Where I’m a little rusty now is in the delivery of instruction, which has evolved so much. These opportunities are great reminders of how hard everybody’s working. Teaching is hard, and that’s something I never want to forget.”

The kids get quite a kick out of the experience, too. 

“It’s so powerful, from the student perspective, when they see him acting as a paraprofessional working alongside the teacher in front of the room,” Swanson said. “It’s just exciting. And when he speaks Spanish to them, their jaws drop. And the kids who don’t speak Spanish love it too, because he’s explaining to them what he’s saying.”

The culture and climate within South Sioux City Community Schools has quantifiably improved over the last four years. There’s no doubt about that, and that shift started at the top.

“Dr. Ortega, he’s contagious,” said Swanson. “His energy level is just unbelievable, and it’s kind of sparked everyone to bring that same kind of drive and positivity to school each day.”

His commitment to making every staff member feel seen and heard means a lot.

“Dr. Ortega is very approachable,” Smith said. “He listens to us, and that’s something that I feel is just amazing. It’s so nice to feel supported.”

Walk down a hallway on any given morning, and you’ll feel it. You’ll see it in the smiles and you’ll hear it in the laughter.

“Every teacher’s outside their room giving secret handshakes with students and building those relationships,” said Swatek. “That’s huge in making this a place where students want to be. Our kids want to be here.”

Learning is a serious business, Mogensen said, but it’s important to inject some fun into the daily routine.

“If they’re not excited, I’m not sure they would be excited,” she added..

That mantra is a perfect reflection of Dr. Ortega’s leadership style. 

“We take our work very seriously, but we shouldn’t take ourselves that seriously,” Ortega said. “That’s the model, right? We’re going to have high expectations, but we’re going to have fun while we’re meeting them.”

For Ortega, the work is beyond rewarding.

It’s paying dividends. One hour at a time. One lesson at a time. One smile at a time.

“For every hour I give, I get so much more back in return.”

*Photographs courtesy of South Sioux City Community Schools