Stillwater's dynamic duo riding into retirement

Collaboration and teamwork are among the many goals that coaches and athletes strive for through participation in activities and athletics. It’s also something Jacki Delahunt and Ricky Michel have been putting into practice for a combined 30-plus years as the faces of the Stillwater Area High School Activities Department.

It has been a successful partnership that helped pave the way for thousands of student-athletes to learn and develop their talents with experiences outside of the classroom, but change is underway this summer following Delahunt’s retirement as activities secretary on June 13 and the upcoming retirement of Michel as activities director. His last day is slated for Aug. 15.

“I’ve been with district for 39 years so it’s really a major life change to not be going into work and doing it any more,” said Delahunt, who joined the activities department in 2006, two years before Michel took over for Dennis Bloom as AD. “It will sink in and I genuinely will miss it because I really enjoyed my job. It’s kind of mixed, in that I’m excited to be retired but will miss the interaction with the students and all the people there.”

Both attended Stillwater schools — with Michel graduating in 1981 and Delahunt in 1983.

“Way older, not wiser,” Michel quipped.

He is also looking forward to his final day, but also remains a little sentimental about the experience.

“Mixed emotions,” said Michel, who has worked in the district for 33 years overall. “I’m grateful for everything Stillwater has done for me. I got an education here, a job here and then a career here, and having kids go through Stillwater schools and a couple of them work here. It’s kind of come full circle and the community has been very good to me.”

The hours, duties and responsibilities extend well beyond the typical school day and the effective partnership provided calm amongst the chaos with so many simultaneous demands and tasks.

“We had the same work ethic and knew we could count on each other do things,” Delahunt said. “You kind of know after working with somebody for so long, these are the things that have to get done so we just make sure it happens. I was also very blessed, I never felt like I worked for Ricky, I felt like we worked together, which today is harder to find.

“We both respected each other a lot with the different things we contributed to the department and how we got things to work. I’ve known Ricky for a long time. We both went to Stillwater, and raised our families here and have this connection and pride with the history of Stillwater, which added to it as well. We felt a responsibility and it became a lifestyle for both of us. I was blessed and fortunate that we got along as well as we did. If we didn’t, it would have been more of a job.”

Delahunt’s earliest introduction to the work came while spending time as a student with Hazel Ulrich, the long-time activities secretary.

“I would visit Hazel and she was always very engaged in what kids were doing,” Delahunt said. “I was a manager for the boys and girls swim teams and also got to know Hazel more that way. She asked me one time what I was going to do after high school and I flippantly said, ‘Someday when I grow up I want to be like you.’ Sure enough, that’s what happened.”

Early in her career while working at Central Services, Delahunt was also influenced by Assistant Superintendent Mary Jo Weingarten and her favorite saying.

“I didn’t work with her directly, but she was somebody I respected and admired and saw on a daily basis and that was just her motto — ‘it’s always what’s best for kids,’” Delahunt said. “You do what is best for kids. That always resonated with me when I started in the district in 1985 and that always stuck with me. That carried over into all the different jobs I had in the district.”

Michel credits Delahunt for keeping things running smoothly, especially with the many changes over the years that lead to how things operate in 2024.

“Jacki is the best,” Michel said. “She is probably the most underpaid person in the district.

“She was usually a point person for things and trouble-shooting in areas where people did not know what to do. She knew how everything worked. She is the one person that is going to be missed the most in our office, there is no doubt about it. Without her it couldn’t have run. I can do some things, but when it comes to 2024 technologically, I’m two decades behind. She’s fantastic, and she carries us.”

Working for the school and community and contributing to the continued success of so many programs has been rewarding, Delahunt suggested.

“We took such ownership of it and were invested,” she said. “My kids were third generation Ponies and that’s where we were invested. Sometimes when things didn’t go well it was harder to leave it at school, but it felt like we gave our all and if things didn’t work out it was more disappointment. There was a level of pride.

“Stillwater is steeped in tradition and everybody talks about how it used to be. I think the fact that we still live here and the school is so much a part of our community and how things have been. You see the same people in the back row at the basketball games and you respect the past as you’re moving forward. We are fortunate to have that history in Stillwater and to have those people coming back even after their kids are gone.”

She won’t miss everything, however.

“I’m going to miss a lot, but I’m not going to miss standing out at a football game when it’s raining or snowing,” Delahunt said. “I definitely won’t miss that.

“I think I’ll miss the people and the interactions with all the students and staff and some of the community members. There are relationships you develop and take for granted. I was very lucky that I got a job that I enjoyed and lucky to be part of a community that was respected and that typically we were offering things for kids that let them shine. I was very fortunate to be part of that. Even though a lot of what I did was behind the scenes, we hosted a lot of things that allowed kids to achieve their goals. I’m going to miss that feeling of helping people.”

There have been significant challenges, especially when COVID disrupted countless activities and led to the cancellation of the spring sports season in 2020.

It wasn’t going to make up for the opportunities lost, but Michel personally delivered a note of appreciation and an “honorary letter” to each of the senior athletes denied an entire season of competition. The deliveries took three days and covered about 200 miles in all. It was that kind of personal attention that endeared Michel to so many athletes and coaches.

“What I’m going to miss the most is being around young people,” said Michel, who taught at Lily Lake Elementary before moving into administration. “Just to see them in the early part of my career as a teacher learn and get it, that’s pretty cool. As I went to the high school, to see them compete and excel and see the talents of young people today is amazing — and that’s really kind off fun.

“One of the reasons I liked going to a lot of events was that I learned to appreciate a lot of things that, quite frankly, when I was in high school I wouldn’t have gone to like a concert or play. But to watch people perform in those venues is pretty neat, and you realize how talented these young people are.”

Michel felt it was important to provide a place for students regardless of their chosen activity and/or talent level.

“Stillwater is a big school, but with being a big school comes the opportunity to have a lot programs,” Michel said. “You want to try and connect with your students in some way and find something that they like and connect with the school and being on a school team. You want kids to be a part of something and have a little pride in their school and what they do.

“Our participation numbers continue to be very strong, especially when compared with other schools in our conference and around the metro. We have a lot of kids getting involved in a lot of things and that’s great.”

There are so many positives that occur as a result of participation in activities and athletics, but the one thing each said they would like to see improve is appreciation and respect for coaches and officials. Coaching positions don’t draw as many candidates as they used to and a shortage of officials has increased demand and led to schedule changes in some sports.

“When I first started as AD, I worried more about student behavior and now I worry a lot more about adult behavior,” Michel said.

Michel, who was involved in soccer, wrestling and baseball as a prep, has served as the volunteer goalkeepers coach for the Stillwater girls soccer team the past several years. He hasn’t decided if that will continue, but he plans to continue as manager for the section wrestling and baseball tournaments, and as site manager for the state baseball tournament.

“People have asked what are you going to do,” Michel said. “I don’t know. I know that I’ll be able to golf more and, if I want to, work out more. Fortunately for my wife I’ll be available to do more things for her. I’ll have to do more house projects that I’ve always had a built-in excuse to get out of.”

Additional sports and activities have been added since Michel started in the job.

“I think the one thing, anytime you’re a person that takes over something, you always want to ask did you leave it in a better place than you got it, and I think I did,” Michel said. “Not to say Denny didn’t, but we added a couple adapted sports, added boys volleyball and solidified lacrosse during my time. We were pretty successful. We have trap shooting and a mountain biking team that has won state six years in a row, so we’re in a good place.”

There are many of ways to measure success — and thankfully most don’t involve the potential for vandalism.

“I didn’t lose a mailbox while AD and only one as a coach,” Michel said. “If you’ve been doing it for 30 years, that’s not too bad.”

Contact Stuart Groskreutz at stuart.groskreutz@apgecm.com