Building bridges

Walking down the school hallway, you see a child sitting on the floor, head on knees, shoulders shaking with quiet sobs. Next to them is an adult, sitting quietly, who gives you a thumbs-up as you pass.

In many ways, Dakota Memorial School, the on-campus school of Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch, looks like any other school with hallways, classrooms, lockers, textbooks, whiteboards, and a library. What sets it apart is the high adult-to-student ratio; the seamless integration of teachers, paraprofessionals, and residential treatment staff; the special training that teaches staff to recognize and respond to behaviors and learning challenges stemming from trauma; and a newer category of employees we call Education Support Specialists.

Education Support Specialists bridge the gap between the school and residential settings. While paraprofessionals play a critical role in classrooms or with individual students, these specialists interact with children across residential and educational lines, ensuring each student receives the support and guidance they need to meet their treatment and academic goals.

The people in these positions come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences, but have common goals—to connect with the kids and meet their emotional and educational needs. They also serve as a liaison between the school and residential staff, and in the case of day program students, between the school and the children’s parents.

Tina DeGree, Superintendent/VP Education at the Ranch, said the Education Support Specialists see the big picture. They know what is going on with each child at home, in treatment, in school, and with their peers, so they can identify when a child needs additional assistance and find a way to provide it.

“They are in the hallways and are often the first people kids see when they arrive at school,” Tina said. “They know everything in more depth—each child’s safety plan, if two kids are having an argument, if one of the kids struggles after therapy. So when a student starts to struggle, they know the appropriate intervention for that child at that time.”

As you read the unique stories of Education Support Specialists at the Ranch, you will witness the unwavering commitment they bring to work each day and see the vital role they play in making Dakota Memorial School a unique learning environment for children with psychiatric and behavioral needs.

Jessi Degler, Education Support Specialist

“We don’t let the hard days win.” —Jessi

Jessi Degler came to the Ranch after graduating from Minot State University with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. She started as a residential treatment specialist and became a supervisor before her husband’s military career moved them away from Minot. Four years later, Jessi was happy to return.

“I felt like I was coming home,” she said. “There is no place like Minot and nowhere else like the Ranch.”

Jessi grew up in California and was like many of the kids at the Ranch.

“I had my problems but didn’t realize they were problems,” she said. “I thought everyone’s life was hard and that you had to deal with it. After working here, I wish I had people like this helping me out when I was failing classes or having trouble at home.”

While Jessi is an Education Support Specialist specifically for day program students (who attend school at the Ranch and go home at night), she also support residential students, paraprofessionals, teachers, and parents.

“I relay what happens during the day to our day program parents,” Jessi said. “When they are having problems at home, they tell me so I can support their child the way they need to be supported in the classroom.”

In addition to just being with the kids, one of Jessi’s favorite things to do is to put music on their mp3 players.

“Asking kids about their favorite music styles and songs is a great way to connect with them. Music can be healing. It can make life make sense,” Jessi said. “Sometimes you have big feelings you can’t explain. And then you hear a song that explains it perfect, and you’re like, ‘Wow! I’m not alone with these feelings or hardships.'”

Jessi has also become a role model to students in managing their emotions.

“Throughout the day, there can be a lot of negative emotions. You want to make everyone happy, but it’s hard to do that while uphold expectations,” Jessi said. “When those emotions get to me, I can respond, ‘Whoa, hold on. I’m not in a good headspace. I’ll come back in five minutes.’ I think modeling that in real time and showing the kids how I deal with my own emotions is good for them.”

Jessi spoke about one student we’ll call Teddy, who came to the Ranch as a fifth-grade day student.

“He couldn’t be in the classroom for more than a minute. His emotions and thoughts were everywhere,” Jessi said. “We got him into Dakota Family Services [the outpatient mental health clinic affiliated with the Ranch] for medication management, therapy, and occupational therapy. This year has been a lot different. He still has his struggles, but he has gone from every day being a hard day to more like one hard day a week. Even though he still gets mad, you can tell he feels like he belongs here. I love being around him. It’s so awesome to know he is making strides in the right direction and that things are getting easier for him. We don’t let the hard days win!”

Jessi’s family and faith keep her grounded. She and her husband love sports—they attend their children’s games, coach their children’s soccer and football teams, watch football and baseball, and talk about sports. Jessi also enjoys going to the gym and playing with their dog.

“My faith has been like a rock these last couple of years. I grew up Christian, but when you go out into the world, you kind of leave that on the back burner and do life the way you think is right,” Jessi said. “Being at the Ranch has helped me realize you can’t do much without God. When you put Him at the forefront, everything else starts to fall in place. God brought me here for a reason. I have these talents, and I want to use them with kids who might not have much of a chance without our help.”

Aurie Coffey, Education Support Specialist

“I want to help people see that where they come from doesn’t have to define where they are going.” —Aurie

Aurie Coffey’s childhood was anything but easy. By the time he was ten, he had already attended 10-12 different schools throughout Minnesota, Texas, and North Dakota. In many ways, he found himself stepping into the role of caretaker—looking after his younger siblings, and sometimes his parents. Those early challenges shaped not only Aurie’s resilience, but also his deep desire to guide others toward a brighter future.

“In many ways, I think I’m at the Ranch and doing what I do today because of my own experiences,” Aurie said. “I had to survive. I had to find ways to get to the next day, and to get my younger siblings to the next day. I love my parents with every part of my being, but because of the choices they made, I had to grow up fast. I wasn’t just stepping into the role of parent. I was making sure my siblings were cared for and had what they needed.”

At the age of 12, Aurie’s younger brother and sister moved to a small town southwest of Minot, ND, to live with their grandparents. A short while later, Aurie moved to the same town to live just down the road with his great grandmother.

“She gave me a home and took care of me. She never gave up on me. She was my everything, my rock, my person,” Aurie said. “Everyone was welcome. No matter what they’d done, Grandma welcomed them with open arms, loved them, cooked for them, and made sure they were good before they left. I am the person I am today because of her.”

Aurie graduated from Parshall High School, and then attended Newtown Community College where he started pursuing a computer science degree. When his son was born, Aurie stepped away from school and took a job working the overnight shift at an inpatient drug and alcohol rehab facility for adults. At the time, he planned to finish his degree, but seeing first-hand how deeply people needed help led him to choose a different path.

“One night this big fella walked up to me,” Aurie recalled. “He was having chills and sweating all over. I was 19 and had not seen anything like this in a while. We sat together and talked. That is when a part of me realized I wanted to help people see that where they come from doesn’t have to define where they are going.”

After spending a year in Wisconsin, Aurie and his son moved to Whiteshield, ND, where they spent time living with his grandparents.

“My grandpa inspires me to be a better person. He helped me get over my hills of depression and all the trauma I was going through at the time,” Aurie said. “He helped me see who I wanted to be in this world and that I had a chance to make a difference in other people’s lives.”

Aurie’s grandfather, Pete Coffey, Jr., a voracious reader, tribal historic preservation officer, and cultural liaison, often reminded him that knowledge is power.

“He said, ‘Knowledge will give you wings and take you somewhere,'” Aurie recalled. “That’s when I went back to school and changed my degree. I started to pursue a degree in addiction counseling.”

Aurie attended community college while raising his son on his own, before the pandemic interrupted his plans. After the pandemic, Aurie moved to Minot to live with his brother and began his career at the Ranch. He started as a residential treatment specialist, then worked as a paraprofessional in the school, and now is an education support specialist, primarily with day program students.

“Creating the environment we have at the Ranch starts in the morning with setting the tone for the day,” Aurie said. “I start the day greeting the kids, making sure they get breakfast, and passing out morning meds.”

From there, every day looks different, depending on how the kids are feeling.

“My whole day is about being there and building relationships with the kids, from the beginning of the day to seeing them off after school,” Aurie said.

He spends much of his time supporting kids who are struggling with emotions and behaviors, and showing early signs of distress—something all Ranch staff are trained to recognize.

“I give kids time to process what is going through their mind. Sometimes they need to exert energy, so we go outside and they sprint down the sidewalk and back,” Aurie said. “It’s very rewarding to go with them through their struggles and see how much they appreciate you being there.”

Aurie talks about a boy, now a 16-year-old day student, who came into residential treatment about the same time he started working at the Ranch.

“He has come such a long way, from causing all kinds of chaos in the cottages to showing up for school and doing well academically,” Aurie said. “He sits down with me, and we talk about music and video games. He is very polite and can have civil conversations now. I’ve been on the journey with him since I started here and he is a completely different kid.”

In addition to Aurie’s love for the kids, he appreciates his coworkers.

“I work with people who have had their own struggles in life and understand these kids’ points of view. We make a difference together. We get it done,” Aurie said. “What I love about this place and my coworkers is that we are used to the obstacles coming our way and we are ready to take them on for these kids.”

When he isn’t working, Aurie enjoys golf, spending time with his two kids, and playing Smite, a role-based video game he once played professionally.

As for what he wants Ranch donors to know, “You’re donating to someone’s life,” Aurie said. “For the rest of their life, you could be the difference in their world. I wish I knew about a place like this when I was a kid.”

Harris Hanson, Education Support Specialist

“I love being the healthy role model some of these kids have never had.” — Harris

Harris Hanson came to the Ranch after working for several years for local construction companies.

“I began looking around, trying to find something that would help people out and be rewarding,” Harris said. “The Ranch was always in the back of my mind because I grew up across the street [from the Minot campus].”

He started at the Ranch as a residential treatment specialist. When he later moved into the position of Wellness Coordinator, which focuses on planning and participating in group activities, it took Harris just a few months to realize he preferred the one-on-one connections he made with the kids in his previous position.

“I missed the rewarding feeling that comes with working closely with each child,” Harris said. “I ran into a former resident, and when he saw me, his eyes lit up and he came running over. He gave me the biggest hug and told me how much he missed me. That was it for me. I knew I needed to move back to the cottage.”

In October 2024, Harris moved to his current role as an Education Support Specialist at Dakota Memorial School. In his new position, he continues to work closely with the kids, while having a schedule that allows him to spend more time with his wife and kids.

“We support residential and the school,” Harris said. “We help out on the floor, make sure everything is running smoothly, update the master treatment plans, and keep the cottage and school informed. It’s important that everyone knows what is going on with each child.”

Harris also attends trauma-informed care meetings once a week with teachers, paraprofessionals, and staff from the residential side.

“We do a rundown on each of the kids and talk about any questions or concerns,” he said. “We ask questions like, ‘Is there anything different we can do to help?’ ‘Does anyone have concerns?’ ‘What is working for a kid that we can try in other situations?’ If anyone has questions, we find the answers and get back to the team.”

Harris’ favorite part of the job is building rapport with the kids.

“I love being that healthy role model some of these kids never had. Just being there for them, listening, and taking them on mindful breaks,” Harris said. “The kids are great. They have their strengths and weaknesses, just like everyone else. I love working with them and helping wherever I can.”

Harris said staying true to what you tell the kids is important in building rapport.

“Their trust has been broken so many times, so it takes a while for them to feel safe talking to you,” Harris said. “If you tell them you are going to do something, you just do it because you don’t want to break that trust. If they ask you for something and you don’t know the answer, you find out and get back to them. If you tell them you’ll reach out to their staff or nursing, whatever it may be, you do it.”

Harris said the kids are often surprised when he shows interest in them.

“One kid was telling me about a YouTube video he watched. I watched it that night and brought it up with him the next day when he was having a moment,” he said. “It stopped him in his tracks. We were able to talk about the video, and he completely forgot about whatever it was that was making him angry.”

When Harris has a challenging day, he tries to step back and remember the difference in a child from when they first came in to now.

“Seeing those changes is what recharges the batteries,” he said. “We had one kid who, when he got here, was hardly ever in class. He’d run around campus and was physically aggressive. Over time, he started building relationships with his teachers, support staff, and others. He went from being in class maybe 10% of the time to close to 100%. It was incredible seeing him walk away from situations that he wouldn’t have been able to handle when he arrived.”

One of Harris’ roles is to work in the afterschool program. He and Aurie lead the Pokémon Club for students interested in playing the Pokémon Trading Card game, a collectible card game where players use characters and energy cards to battle one another.

“Pokémon works your mind,” Harris said. “The kids work on their reading skills because they have to read about the characters and what each move does. They have to keep track of the damage the attacks do, which brings in math. And there is a lot of creativity and strategy behind it.”

In addition to the kids, Harris enjoys his coworkers and is proud of the work they do.

“I really enjoy it here. We offer opportunities to these kids…things they might never get the chance to do. And we see so much success,” Harris said. “There’s a lot of really great people here, and we try to do great things day in and day out for the kids.”

When he’s not working, Harris claims to be a homebody. He enjoys spending time with his wife and kids.

Heidi Allen, Education Support Specialist

“[These kids] want somebody to care. They want to do better in life.” — Heidi

Heidi Allen knew she wanted to work with kids from the time she was a little girl playing school with her siblings.

“I was always the teacher and made them do their work,” she said. “My grandma, a big support in my life, was a schoolteacher and I wanted to be like her.”

Heidi learned about the Ranch from a coworker at another job and she was drawn to the opportunity to make an impact on kids. She started as a residential treatment specialist at the Ranch’s Bismarck campus in 2014. While she worked elsewhere for a while, she came back to help with summer programming a couple of years before returning full-time in 2020 to work in the school. She recently accepted an Education Support Specialist position.

“The direct care schedule didn’t work for my family, but I missed the kids. My heart has always been in this place,” Heidi said.

Heidi can relate to the kids at the Ranch as her two younger brothers both started struggling with addiction when they were in their teens.

“They were in and out of the Youth Correctional Center and I visited them there while I was in college,” Heidi said. “It was a heartache, so when kids come to the Ranch with those same problems, it really hits home.”

Heidi, who became a mother at age 16, is proud of her accomplishments.

“When I found out I was pregnant, I dropped out of high school and got my GED. One of my biggest accomplishments has been getting my two older daughters through high school,” she said. “Now my oldest daughter also works at the Ranch. I think I’ve done a pretty stellar job, despite my challenges.”

In her new position, Heidi assists students in and out of the classroom, coordinates the Empower Ed summer school program, and helps kids get excited about learning.

“Many of our kids struggle with academics,” Heidi said. “I’ve had a couple of kids tell me they can’t do the work. I sit down with them, tell them they can do it, and help them out. It just makes my heart happy when they look at me, surprised, and say, ‘I get it!’ I love to see kids really wanting this and wanting to get that education.”

One of Heidi’s students excelled academically but struggled with her behavior in the classroom and towards other students.

“If a peer got upset or said the wrong thing, she would start yelling,” Heidi said. “About a week ago, she came to me and asked if she could work with a staff one-on-one outside of the classroom. She said, ‘I have a meeting coming up and I don’t feel okay to be in the classroom.’ She knew if someone got on her nerves, she might have an explosion. Recognizing her limits and advocating for herself was a big step.”

Heidi said the kids at the Ranch have been through a lot of trauma and have experienced so many things, yet they are wonderful.

“They have great personalities and good hearts. They are the sweetest things,” Heidi said. “A lot of them haven’t had people there to help them and guide them. They want somebody to care. They want to do better in life. We can impact them in a positive way and encourage them to make positive changes.”

Outside of work, Heidi enjoys baking, cooking, and spending time with her children.

The power of connection

The work of Education Support Specialists at the Ranch illustrates the power of connecting with and supporting children, especially children who have been impacted by trauma and mental illness, in both their academic and personal journeys.

Through their diverse backgrounds, unwavering commitment, and keen understanding of the intricate needs of each student, Jessi, Aurie, Harris, and Heidi serve as essential bridges between the school and residential environments. Their stories are a testament to their dedication, compassion, and tireless efforts to make a meaningful difference in the lives of the children at the Ranch.