Students come to Clackamas Education Service District’s Heron Creek Therapeutic Program from all across Clackamas County after facing challenges in more traditional educational settings. The Heron Creek staff provides personalized support to help these students overcome barriers, build self-regulation skills, and successfully return to their home schools. For over 15 years, Heron Creek team member Casey Krieg, program specialist, has played an important role in fostering a nurturing environment where students can overcome obstacles and build on their strengths.
Whether it’s coordinating special events, filling in for absent staff, or delivering food baskets to students’ families who are in need, Casey is always looking for ways to serve Heron Creek’s students, families and her fellow staff.
“There’s nothing Casey doesn’t do at Heron Creek, and she does it all with a smile,” says Stacey Sibley, assistant director for therapeutic programs.
As a program specialist, Casey is involved with many facets of Heron Creek’s transformative work with students, from overseeing required assessments to finding meaningful ways to celebrate students’ achievements.
“Heron Creek is always evolving to find new ways to change a student’s story and help them feel special,” says Casey. “So many of our kids come to us with difficult histories at school, and when they finally get an award for something positive they’ve done, it’s a huge moment for them. They say, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s never been me before.’ Even the middle and high school students who act like they don’t care about the awards — their parents often report that they still take them home and display them on their walls.”
Casey is passionate about working with “misunderstood and mislabeled” youth and finds it rewarding to help kids who “come with hard stories” find success.
Casey recalls one kindergartner who was initially seen as aggressive due to his size and use of inappropriate language. After spending time with him, the team discovered that he loved music and was simply repeating song lyrics without understanding their meaning.
“When we took the time to get to know him, we realized he wasn’t aggressive; he was just a musical little kid who sometimes had big feelings he didn’t know how to manage,” Casey reflects. “Helping rewrite a kid’s story so others can see their strengths is the powerful work we do here at Heron Creek.”
