No Day is the Same for Rural Nebraska Woman

Cassie Spencer (above) fertilizing Weiland Field in McCook, Nebraska, is one of the few women on the McCook Public Schools maintenance staff. While she helps maintain the fields, she also sits in the stands and watches her sons play football for the McCook Bison.

McCOOK, NE - Cassie Spencer of rural McCook was already busy before she joined the maintenance staff at McCook Public Schools. She is a mother of six and runs a family farm with her husband, Rick, which includes many animals plus family pets. Her family is all heavily involved with 4-H, sports and the community as a whole.

Being a mother of six, Cassie was always going to her children's activities and field trips. So eventually she decided to volunteer as a bus driver at McCook St. Patrick Elementary School where her children attended. Once her youngest began school, she decided to get a full-time position at McCook Public Schools for an all too common reason: to gain medical benefits for the family.

Cassie has been a bus driver since fall 2015, so for nearly a decade, but it was not full-time. To become a full-time employee, she took on the role of maintenance worker, which is generally thought of as a “man’s job.” She does a lot of landscaping, moving, spraying weeds, painting parking lot lines - any job that pops up on the McCook schools’ campus.

As Cassie’s children move through the school system, she will stay busy driving them to sporting and school events, working around the school and volunteering around the community. What happens after her youngest daughter, Emily, graduates is still unknown, but until then Cassie can be found working and driving for the McCook schools.

Cassie with her two youngest daughters, Lily (center) and Emily (right) as they collect eggs on their home farm. The family raises many of their own animals and food, which helps keep costs down.

Cassie Spencer digging out milkweeds with her two youngest sons, Derrick (left) and Aaron (right), one of the many chores necessary on a family farm. Weeds are an ongoing, never-ending issue for farmers.

Cassie Spencer gets ready for her daily bus route with McCook Public Schools, one of her many duties with the rural school system. She started driving the school bus as a way to attend her children’s activities such as FFA events, swimming meets and football games, since was going anyway.

Lily Spencer, one of the younger Spencer kids, shows up her favorite chicken. Another activity the Spencer family is heavily involved in 4-H, showing animals at both the county and state fair level; making sewing projects; and producing food items for judging....all which take up a lot of time for the family but has long-term benefits.