By Tyler Dahlgren

Rock County didn’t as much receive a facelift this past summer as it did a total reimagining, and you almost have to see it to believe it.

Built in 1961 and added onto in 1990, the school in the scenic Sandhills town of Bassett remained relatively untouched for more than 60 years. Principal Nickie Ebert, a 1998 Rock County graduate herself, recently found eerily similar graduation day photographs of her father in 1972 and her oldest son in 2019 standing in the same place of what used to be Rock County’s lobby.

“It was completely by coincidence, in the exact same spot, almost like he had traveled through time or something,” said Ebert. “It was cool, but at the same time it illustrated the need for some serious updates.”

Superintendent Mark Otten and his staff had dealt with plumbing and electrical issues since he stepped into his position five years ago, and, honestly, way before that. Carpet throughout the building was rippling and becoming a tripping hazard, worse for wear with each passing day. Students couldn’t plug in electronics without marginal odds of being shocked.

One of the first things Otten did when he became superintendent was to develop a facility plan, working alongside the Rock County Board of Education. They brought in Wilkins Architecture to conduct a facility audit, and were prepared to move forward with some renovations when NDE announced the availability of School Safety and Security-Related Infrastructure Grants.

Otten got in touch with Nebraska State Safety and Security Director Jay Martin, and confirmed that Rock County’s impending project qualified for the grant.

“We were moving forward with this, whether we got the grant or not,” Otten said, “He told us that we did qualify and to go ahead and apply. I wanted to get that handled before we broke ground on anything. Long story short, we needed this, and the timing of the grant couldn’t have been more perfect. We feel very fortunate.”

Rock County received the $516,000 grant to remodel their entryway, which allowed the district to funnel their Qualified Capital Purpose Undertaking Fund (QCPUF) dollars into other projects. Out went the old, worn carpet and dangerous electrical sockets and in came new sleek and safe flooring and several individual restrooms.

What was once a lobby is now a concourse.

“The kids deserve this, and the community deserves this,” said Spanish and FCS teacher Jane Klemesrud. “It makes me hopeful that good things can happen in our small times and reiterates the idea that every kid deserves a comfortable, clean, state-of-the-art environment with the latest technology and the latest opportunities. It was fun to be a part of this process and it’s an honor to be able to teach in it.”

Klemesrud was one of two teachers forced out of their classrooms last spring, when Otten handed the keys over to Sampson Construction, who pledged to have the project done by the first day of school in August. Throughout the summer, Rock County teachers would do their best to steal a peak at the construction, often marveling at the speed in which Sampson worked.

Klemesrud, meanwhile, had nowhere to go, really. And yet, there was nowhere else she’d rather be.

“They were troopers, and I never heard a complaint out of them the entire time,” Otten said. “Our entire staff is phenomenal. They deserve this, too.”

Otten said Klemesrud approached him nearly in tears one day. He asked her what was wrong, and her response paints a perfect picture of the type of people you’ll find at Rock County.

“She said, ‘I feel bad that I get the new room,’” Otten said. “I thought, ‘Oh, wow.’ It never crossed my mind that a teacher would feel bad about that, but she legitimately felt guilty that she was the one getting a new room while other teachers weren’t. I said, ‘You deserve this.’”

Rock County held an open house when the makeover was finished, drawing about 75 members from the community, most of whom left wide-eyed. The first day of school was a lot of fun, too.

“That first day of school was just awesome,” said Otten. “I stood right out here and just watched kids walk in and have their eyes light up. They’ve really taken ownership of it and have this new pride in their facility.”

There’s still work to be done, but it’s hard to imagine this has all happened in such a short amount of time. Ebert said she’s looking forward to the little details-filling the brand new trophy case and those kinds of things.

“It almost seems a little surreal still,” she continued. “You could tell when we first opened the doors and the kids came in, they were just in awe. We’ve had past graduates come in and they’re in awe. I just feel if we’re not moving forward, we’re moving backwards. It’s exciting to see that our small town is still progressing.”

These are exciting times in Bassett. Across town, a new community center is currently being constructed. Otten hopes the community’s investment in its future will attract quality teachers and administrators for years to come.

“We know that’s hard right now, and in rural Nebraska it’s even harder,” Otten said. “I hope that when we bring candidates in, they see that we are forward-thinking and that we’re trying to be progressive as a school district. The issue for us is just getting them in the door so that they can see it.”

Rock County’s new entryway is dazzling, but most importantly, it’s safe and secure. Administrative offices are now up front, near the entry. Visitors who are buzzed in no longer have to wander down a corridor to find the main office. The councourse area is an inviting and open gathering place that can be utilized at sporting events and school activities for the next 60 years.

Otten said each one of the district’s 235 students deserve to learn in a safe environment. Students at Rock County, he continued, deserve a school like this just as much as anybody else.

“They’re hardworking kids from hardworking families in Rock County, and they are worth every penny we put into them,” Otten said. “They get to walk into a building they’re proud of and want to take care of every day.”

Pride runs deep along Highway 20, and in this small town with a big future.

“Our community’s tax dollars matter. When we looked at this project, I didn’t want to burden our ranchers and our community members any more than we had to. That’s why the grant was so crucial, and I think the work ethic of our people is why they deserve to have this without it being as big of a burden on them.”