Debrilla Stancevic, a willowy woman with glasses and graying hair, is a substitute easily recognized by almost any South student. Often spotted with a bike over her shoulder, she has earned the nickname “The Bike Lady” in the hallways of South.
While not a superhero as her moniker could imply, Stancevic does have a sort of substitute teacher superpower. “She always knows everyone’s name, it’s insane!” said junior Natalie Rummel. “She doesn’t even have to call out names to take attendance. She just looks around the class.”
Stancevic traces her skill back to a lesson she learned when she first began teaching. “My first teaching job in Apple Valley… this teacher told me his worst flaw, and he was very beloved, was that he couldn’t remember students’ names and it bugged the heck out of him and I could see that it did. So I set a goal that I’d learn all 150 kids’ names in three days. And I did,” said Stancevic.
Stancevic’s background is in teaching biology, mostly in the St. Paul school district, but she said she enjoys teaching other subjects just as much or better. “I really like all subjects. That is one of the neat things about subbing. You get so focused on your one subject when you’re a teacher, [and now] it’s like I’m learning stuff just through subbing,” said Stancevic.
One of the most noticeable things about Stancevic is her great love of biking. She can be seen walking into South many mornings with a helmet encasing her head and her hands wheeling a bike. Stancevic explained, “I think I can save the world two wheels at a time.”
Stancevic has been biking nearly her whole life, only taking breaks while her children were too young to be taken along. However, despite her great love for the hobby, the fixie fad that swarmed South passed right over her.
“I am way too dorky for that! Those are for the cool people. I’ve never been accused of being cool and I won’t change now,” Stancevic asserted. “You know anything bike related is fine with me. I’m all in favor of [reckless biking], it’s your call. The more bikes the better.”
In addition, you won’t see her on a recumbent bike anytime soon. “I’m saving that for when I’m really old! Its like a line that you cross, I think it would just be really sad.”
Perhaps the only thing Stancevic likes more than biking is the University of Minnesota’s mascot, Goldy Gopher. “Ever since I moved to Minnesota and learned that they had a mascot there’s been a connection,” she reflected. “He’s just always smiling! It doesn’t matter [that the smile’s stitched on]! He just makes me laugh!”
Stancevic has attended so many events where Goldy is present, the people inside the suits have begun to notice. “People think I’m making it up, but one time he [Goldy] recognized me, and dived over a table to see me and I was like, ‘He knows me,’” said Stancevic excitedly. Despite being from Wisconsin, Stancevic has no love for her home mascot, the University of Wisconsin’s Bucky Badger. According to her, he is “just nasty looking” in contrast to Minnesota’s mascot. “Goldy gopher just checks all the boxes,” said Stancevic.
Aside from her love for Goldy, Stancevic has also appeared in a real life Lady Gaga flash mob. Stancevic explains she enjoys flash mobbing but “would have like to be in a better one where we actually rehearsed.” The mob only had one rehearsal and according to Stancevic did not add up to an amazing result. “I don’t know why anyone would look at that but it was really fun,” she commented. Stancevic went on to explain that it was not initially Lady Gaga that attracted her to the event, but simply the experience of the flash mob itself. “I do like her though,” she added.
Even though Stancevic has been a regular sub at South for many years, she does not have any previous connection to the school, but discovered it via word of mouth. “Former students who I would bump into at the U or people who would say ‘Oh, my kid goes to South.’”
Stancevic does substitute for other schools but prefers South. “It’s my favorite. I have relationships with the students and staff here,” she said. “I do like the diversity and the students. I’m not gonna lie; its the weirdness of it, it just appeals to me. It’s undefinable. Tigeriffic. It really is tigeriffic.”
Substitute teaching at schools like South has left Stancevic with a very positive view of students nowadays. “[If they could see South] I think people would be amazed by how brilliant kids are and they would stop talking about how our future’s doomed when they hear crappy things about kids,” she said.
It is that view of students that keeps Stancevic going and keeps her positive despite all of the built-in challenges of being a sub. “That is the neat thing about subbing, because tomorrow’s a whole new day. And I think about that when I clip on my helmet and I’m out, I’m like, ‘Tomorrow’s gonna be a good day.’”
