When Scott Jeske left for college, he thought he wanted to pursue a career in business. An accounting class made him quickly realize that might not be the right choice for him. At 19-years-old, he had already begun coaching kids’ sports, and that’s when it really struck him what he should pursue.
“I realized I liked working with kids…so I switched my major to education,” he explained.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
Jeske joined the Eagle Grove Area Community School District, right out of college in 1987, as a 7th and 8th grade Social Studies teacher. About three years later he switched to teaching 8th grade history. In 2007, he accepted a position as Eagle Grove High School principal.
“I came to a point in my life where I wanted to try something new,” said Jeske. “I felt like I could do a good job as principal.”
He served in that role one year before also adding on the duties of being the Robert Blue Middle School principal. For four years he went back-and-forth between the two buildings, meeting the needs of hundreds of students grades five through 12, and dozens of employees. He was commended for a job well done, but in 2012, it was decided that a full-time principal needed to be hired for each building. Jeske took over the full-time duties at the middle school, and has been there happily ever since. But that didn’t always mean the students he met in his office were happy. None-the-less, Jeske always tried to find a way to keep the situation calm rather than escalating the situation with anger.
“I tried to relay the concept that decision-making is key,” said Jeske. “My philosophy is that no kid leaves more angry than when they came in.”
Jeske’s goal was to help the student calm down, process the decision they made, discuss how it might have been handled differently, and possible consequences.
“I wanted to work with them to become a better person,” said Jeske. “Building relationships with kids here is so important.”
That held especially true for him with students who he felt maybe needed just a little more attention.
“I have a real heart for kids that are struggling and need help,” he said.
It’s no wonder then, that the most rewarding part of his 34 years with Eagle Grove Schools, was knowing that he made an impact on a lot of kids’ lives.
“It feels good to know I gave some advice that helped them,” Jeske said.
In his “free” time, Jeske also found time to coach students in different sports throughout the years, spend time in classrooms with teachers and students, host fun events like school-wide BINGO, and develop a mentoring program called “Why Try?” for male middle school students who were perhaps struggling with grades, home issues, focus challenges…or simply in need of some time spent with others learning to make good choices, work as a team, and build confidence.
With his commitment to bettering students’ lives, some are left wondering why retire now?
Jeske admitted he wasn’t really planning on it…but then COVID hit – HIM! He came down with the virus in September of 2020. For nearly two weeks he was “miserable.” Thankfully, he was never hospitalized, and for the most part, recovered, but he still isn’t feeling back to normal.
“I feel like maybe I’m one of those they call ‘long-haulers,’” he explained.
He’s still lacking energy, focus…so when early retirement packages were made available, he decided to accept the offer from the school district. While he is sad to leave, he is also excited about moving in a new direction. For instance, he has always wanted to do some farming…so he’s going to help a local farmer with harvest this fall. With his coaching days behind him, he also plans on taking time to enjoy watching his three children who are still in high school extracurriculars, along with grandchildren as they get more and more involved in school functions and outside hobbies like dance recitals.
“But I still want to have an impact on kids…so I will continue to look for opportunities to still do things with and for other kids too,” said Jeske.
He is also making plans to have a little fun for himself, including an upcoming, first time ever cruise he and his wife are taking.
Jeske would like to leave this reminder behind for the students of Eagle Grove, “Having a good work ethic and being honest and respectful of other people is more important than academic success. You can still have a really successful life if you have a passion for it. Kids – go above and beyond…and help other kids out when you can.”
Jeske said he couldn’t officially retire without expressing his gratitude for the people he worked with.
“I’ve had the world’s greatest staff. I could not have asked for any better. I’m very grateful for all of them, and Superintendent Toliver,” Jeske said.
Amanda Johnston, a math teacher at RBMS, said “It doesn’t matter if the task is big or small, Scott was always there.”
