Pride in BCSD

When one is happy in their job, it never feels like “work.” For new Billings County Schools Superintendent Danielle O’Brien – an educator with 12 years of experience in the district – the decision to succeed former boss Shae Peplinski was an easy one.
“I’ve actually had my superintendent credential for years now, and then, with the previous superintendent moving on, it just felt like the natural next step into that leadership role,” O’Brien said. “It’s been really good, and I really enjoy going between the two schools and getting to know the staff and the students better over in the Medora School, so that’s been really enjoyable.”
O’Brien – who also is the girls’ head basketball coach at Belfield High School – switches between Prairie and DeMores Elementary schools, and despite their respective names, both are pre-K through eighth-grade programs. After spending most of the last 12 years at Prairie, “I’ve been in the district a while, but I was primarily up here, so now it’s been really fun getting to know the kids, especially down there,” she said.
The two schools have more than 110 students combined, and with the variety of classes, programs, and education levels, it would make any day challenging. O’Brien said, however, her coworkers and fellow educators make the job come off without a hitch.
“Honestly, I feel like that has been more of a blessing because we have such strong teachers in the district,” O’Brien said. “So, they’re very competent, very devoted and well-experienced, and so I feel like that part’s been on point because they all know what they’re doing, and they’re very good at their jobs.”
One aspect of that seamless transition has been a low percentage of teacher turnover in the Billings County School District. That translates into a year-by-year understanding of the students’ personalities and education levels while providing for easy adjustments to assist them in their educational and personal growth, she added.
“We have very high teacher retention, and that just makes a world of difference in any public school,” O’Brien said. “To have your staff be so familiar and so dedicated to the district itself is wonderful. Also, we have a lot of very high parent involvement, nearly 100-percent parent participation in things like conferences, so I feel like there’s such a team involvement between teachers and parents that, with the students, it just provides so much support.”
In addition, the acumen and performance of students at both schools help provide for some significant job satisfaction, she said, along with that profound level of parental presence.
“I think the teachers are lucky to have the students they have because they’re parented well, and the parents are lucky to have the teachers they have because they’re devoted and experienced and really care about the kids,” O’Brien said. “So, I mean, it’s just kind of the perfect storm, right? It’s amazing, and that’s one of the biggest reasons people stay is because it’s such a different environment.
“Last year, both Prairie and DeMores were – and we haven’t heard yet for this school year – but last year, we were both in the top 10 percent of all public schools for our test scores.”
O’Brien also pointed to that consistency as it’s translated into her seeking the superintendent’s position, with extensive knowledge of the educators in-house and the students in question.
“I really just transitioned to a different position, but there are several teachers that started here the same year I did, 12 years ago,” O’Brien added. “I think outside of our one new hire, Lexi Buresh, the next person’s like five years in, and down at the DeMores Elementary School, we’ve had teachers that are going on nearly 20 years of being with our district … it’s a wonderful place to work.”
More than a decade of experience, meanwhile, means O’Brien has seen a great deal of progress, but not everything has been on cruise control over her years with the district.
“It took us 12 years to get here, and it wasn’t like this when we started,” O’Brien said. “It wasn’t like this 12 years ago, and we had teachers we had to let go – we had a lot of challenges – and so I do feel pride in where we are today … sometimes, I even have to stop myself from wishing for more because I need to be grateful for how far we’ve come as a staff together.
“We’ve come a long way, and we’ve made a lot of gains, and it’s great now, but it did take us a decade to get here, and I think all of us together – I credit the teachers and the parents mostly because the teachers are amazing and the parents are wonderful parents who raised great kids – and all of that coming together is what makes us so successful.”
For more information about the Billings County School District, please keep reading the Billings County Pioneer and/or visit the website at www.billingscounty.k12.nd.us.