AWESOME EXIT

Longtime Blooming Prairie educators Barry Olson and John Worke have a combined 72 years of experience, so it should come as no surprise that their favorite topic is … basketball?

“I moved to town in 1983; John was a senior that year,” Olson said. “I still played a lot of basketball myself, so I practiced with the varsity team and got to know him. He was a pretty big stud in basketball.”

Worke laughs at the description, turning it around: “He was our high school teacher, and he’d come in and scrimmage with us – and we thought that was so cool.”

As it turned out, Olson was much more than a scrimmage opponent: He would become a lifelong mentor for Worke, who will retire next month after 36 years with the Blooming Prairie School District – and that’s not counting the 13 years he spent as a student.

First influence

Worke grew up in Blooming Prairie, graduating from BPHS in 1984.

He moved to the family farm near Owatonna, where the original post-graduation plan was to farm with his brother and find a job in town, “but farming in the mid-80s wasn’t good, and factory work wasn’t a good fit for me, either,” Worke said.

College, it was.

He had remained connected to Blooming Prairie by working with the summer park and rec program, directing and coaching different levels of youth ball programs. Olson was his supervisor.

“When I told him I was going to college, we had a conversation about my major – and it was Barry who told me to go into education,” Worke said. “I’ve said this often, but Barry told me, ‘you won’t get rich teaching, but it is a good profession to raise a family.’”

Olson confirmed the story, right down to the part about raising a family.

“He always liked kids, took care of kids,” Olson said of Worke, “and I told him, ‘education would be great for you, John.’”

In September 1985, Worke started his undergraduate degree in education at Winona State University.

Two years later, Olson left BPHS for a teaching job in Owatonna.

In May 1989, Worke graduated from WSU with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, with a coaching certification to satisfy his interest in sports.

“To tell you the truth, after I graduated from Winona State University, I’d been told as a male elementary teacher, people would be beating down my door to hire me,” he said. “I sent out many, many resumes and filled out a ton of applications. Not even an interview,” thanks to the glut of new teachers entering the profession.

“After a year of subbing – and questioning whether my investment in my degree was worth it, Blooming Prairie came through,” Worke said, hiring him as a third-grade teacher. “I am still so thankful the school board and Superintendent (Darwin) Bostic were willing to hire me.”

Second phase

Worke spent the next seven years teaching elementary school, first coaching the junior high girls’ basketball and B-squad baseball teams, then becoming the director of the Blooming Prairie Recreation Association, a role he held for 25 years.

He was hired as the varsity girls basketball coach in 1993.

Four years later, his teaching position was cut due to district finances, but Worke was able to continue coaching the varsity basketball team.

He used the opportunity to return to school for a middle school certification; the next year, Worke was able to put the new licensure to use when he was rehired as a teacher at the junior high level – which put him in the high school building.

In 1999, Olson returned to Blooming Prairie, where he was hired as the high school principal. That was also the year Worke was hired as the activities director for the district – prompting him to obtain a master’s degree in sports management.

In 2008, he got his principal licensure.

“Do you know why I went back for my principal’s licensure?” Worke asked. “Barry Olson. He suggested I do this. Without his foresight, I know being a principal would have been a question mark – and maybe even being a teacher, since he pushed me in that direction when I started college.”

In 2009, Worke became the district’s facilities manager; in 2011, he was named assistant principal at BPHS.

“I hired John as the athletic director,” Olson said, “and when I became superintendent, I hired him as dean of students, because I needed help. We used to argue about struggling students and how to take care of them; I wanted to give them a bigger punishment, and he’d fight me about it. He really cared about all those kids – and still does today. When I say all kids, I mean all kids.”

Worke said he has learned to gain the trust of students, staff and parents by being fair and consistent, and maintaining professional, positive relationships with them.

“Always remember they are kids – and there will be a new day tomorrow,” he said. “If parents trust the school system and support what we are doing, we can usually make positive gains with the student. You know – it takes a village.”

Worke became BPHS principal in 2015, and gave up coaching varsity girls basketball after 22 years.

One and done

It’s rare for an educator to spend their entire career in one district, especially as they climb up the administrative ladder, but Worke said he “never thought of being anywhere else,” despite looking for jobs the year he was cut.

He had interviews, but also a caveat: He wanted to continue coaching the varsity basketball team.

Along the way, Worke met Mary Sampson, the woman who would become his wife.

Olson – who else? – had hired her as a school counselor.

“It was easy for me to stay” with the Blooming Prairie district, Worke said. “We raised three wonderful children, and they all went through our school system. It goes back to Mr. Olson’s words when I was 18 or 19 years old: ‘You won’t get rich, but it is a good profession to raise a family.’”

That’s because of his “dedication and commitment to Blooming Prairie,” Olson said. “He is so focused on the details of things; I admire him for that. He takes care of all the little things, whether he’s coaching or doing his job as a principal.”

Worke was rehired as the varsity girls basketball coach in 2023, and hopes to build on his 25-year tenure in the role.

“I would love to continue coaching” the team, he said. “Since I returned three years ago, I have a newfound appreciation for the opportunity to do this. Besides, it makes my winters fly by.”

He will remain a part-time facilities manager for the district, supervising the custodial staff and student workers, and “always looking for ways to improve our facilities while maintaining what we already have,” Worke said.

But it’s time, he said, “to step aside and let the younger staff make decisions,” a trend he already sees.

“Blooming Prairie School does a nice job of staying on top of things and following changes coming down from the state and national levels,” Worke said, adding that the expectations can be “exhausting.”

Instead, he’ll be spending time on the family farm in Owatonna, helping his brother organize the outbuildings that contain 116 years of items and memories.

“Of course,” Worke added, “basketball will still be in the mix. I am already planning and strategizing for next year.”

Though he wasn’t referring to his mentor, Olson had a warning:

“I still can kick him,” he laughed.