When Nathan Graf, senior executive director of transportation, saw the call to honor front line workers as Mother Ginger in Ballet San Antonio’s The Nutcracker, he knew just who to nominate.
“Mother Ginger is a larger-than-life, kind character,” Graf said in his nomination letter. “She is often described as having a communal, generous spirit, too. These attributes perfectly describe Katelyn Saenz. Truth be told, Katelyn Saenz and Mother Ginger are one and the same!”
Saenz has been with the district for five years, starting as a substitute teacher and then working her way up in transportation, starting as a dispatcher, then moving up to a router and now serving as transportation routing supervisor.
“I oversee all the bus routes, adding bus stops, building the routes, field trips — anything that comes in or out of here, I oversee to make sure it is running on time and properly,” Saenz said.
In total, she manages 140 routes that service nearly 10,000 students, but she and her routers handle logistics for so much more. They have a hand in planning door-to-door outreach walks, they coordinated the delivery of senior signs during the COVID shutdown, and planned and executed food deliveries during the height of the pandemic. It was that service that earned her the nomination.
“Katelyn made her way to work every day to ensure that our 100 food delivery school buses were properly scheduled, staffed, and full of food to deliver to our families at home who were unable to safely make it out of their homes,” Graf said in the nomination. “Katelyn even made sure that families whose children were on special diets received the specialized food that was needed to sustain these children, too.”
On a typical day, he added, more than 25,000 meals were delivered under Saenz’s care.
His nomination worked. On Nov. 3, Katelyn Saenz opened a surprising email. She learned, out of 120 nominees across the city, she was one of only seven front line workers representing multiple vocations — educators, nurses, a paramedic and a doctor — selected to make a cameo as the iconic character in the holiday classic.
“I’ve never been and I always wanted to go see it, and now I’m going to be in it,” Saenz said. “It’ll be one of those things to look back on and be like ‘man, I did that.’ It’s one of those once-in-a-lifetime things.”
Saenz is quick to deflect the recognition for the food delivery program, noting all the people that made it happen. She said her department is great because they have the autonomy to make decisions on how to best serve students, and they know their efforts are appreciated.
“We have this great environment,” Saenz said. “It’s very positive. Our boss believes no person is too little. Bus drivers move up to journeyman mechanics, trainers, dispatchers, or routers. We do a lot of employee appreciation, and it’s that appreciation that really makes this department shine.”
The community will have the chance to appreciate Saenz again during her performance at the Dec. 10 show, when in the second half, she will be rolled out on a platform, donning a wig and an enormous hoop skirt, from which the Polichinelle children will emerge. Her rehearsal was Tuesday.
"Rehearsal went well,” Saenz said. “The platform is a little intimidating, but they let us climb up in it to try it out. It was really neat to be on stage and get to see what the whole theater looks like lit up and empty. They explained the entire performance and expectations for day of, so I am as ready as I can be.”
As part of the honor, Saenz was given tickets to share with family and friends. She is bringing her family – husband, son and daughter, and parents — and has also given tickets to Graf and her work family.
“I invited all my routers here, just to show them appreciation,” Saenz said. “Even though I’m being recognized, they’re also part of the process and they worked during the pandemic as well. We’re a close-knit group and we really worked together during all of this.”