On the morning of our interview, Greg Leipold got a text asking if he could cover a classroom. He couldn't — he was already booked. But that's the kind of day it usually is.

Leipold is Tri-Valley's safety advisor, a role that has evolved quickly since he joined the district. Last year, he started as a part-time substitute teacher who also advises on security. The ratio was roughly 20/80. This year, funded in part by the countywide 1% school facilities sales tax, it's flipped — 80/20, maybe 90/10 in the direction of safety. He's still a certified sub and fills in when the call comes, but the primary work now is making sure every building in the district is as protected as it can be.

"My motivation is to make sure every one of these kids and staff is as safe as possible," he said. "For their entire day and entire school year."

Leipold retired from the Normal Police Department after 25 years. He served as a community service officer, supervised patrol operations, and led the SWAT team. He's lived in the area all 57 years of his life. He's not a Tri-Valley alum, but all three of his kids — now 29, 26, and 23 — went through the district and graduated here. Many of their teachers and principals are still in the buildings.

"My heart is here," he said.

That's the distinction he draws between himself and an outside consultant. A firm comes in, does an assessment, makes recommendations, and goes back to wherever they came from.

"I stay here," Leipold said.

He stays, and he follows through. In partnership with Dr. Derges and district leadership, Leipold has helped implement a series of security measures over the past two years: adding a School Resource Officer, installing 911 alert badges for staff, upgrading locks at the middle school, planning protective window film installation this summer, adding exterior speakers, and rolling out the "I Love U Guys" Foundation Standard Response Protocol districtwide — a system that gives every student and staff member a shared, simple language for emergencies ranging from a sick kid in the hallway to the scenarios no one wants to think about but everyone needs to be ready for.

He also serves as the direct liaison between the superintendent's office and local law enforcement — the Downs Police Department and McLean County deputies.

The safety work is serious. But Leipold's presence in the district isn't limited to it.

He's the head softball coach at both the high school — going on two years — and the middle school, where he's approaching his fifth season. After the interview, he was heading straight to the diamond for a 3:30 practice. And he notices kids even when he's not coaching them. Kylee Crider, a fourth grader, isn't old enough for the middle school team yet, but she shows up to school in her softball shirt regularly. Leipold always tells her he loves it.

"She's not in seventh grade yet," he said, "but I hope to get her to play at some point."

That kind of presence — the safety advisor who knows a fourth grader's name and her favorite shirt — is what makes the role work. Leipold isn't monitoring the district from a desk. He's in hallways, in classrooms, on the field, in the buildings. He knows the staff. He knows the families. He knows which doors need better locks and which kid needs a word of encouragement on the way to class.

When asked how he describes Tri-Valley to people who've never been, Leipold called it "an extremely small but not so small school community" — a Goldilocks zone where every teacher knows every student personally and wants them to succeed.

"Every single teacher cares about every single kid personally," he said. "And I'm going to tell you, all the way down to the facilities coordinators — everyone wants every kid here to be safe and successful."

He doesn't overstate the facilities, either. The buildings aren't flashy. They're purposeful.

"I don't think we go overboard with the luxuries of luxuries," he said. "But we absolutely give them all the tools they can receive."

When told his own story was a good one, Leipold deflected. "It is a pretty great story," he said, "only because Tri-Valley is involved, to be honest with you."

Then he grabbed his gear and headed to softball practice.