Staff Development Day Unites City Employees Ahead of Busy Summer

A tense game of tug-o-war between two City of Del Rio departments ensues during Staff Development Day, May 16, 2025. Courtesy photo: City of Del Rio

On Friday May 16th, the entirety of the City of Del Rio government, from City Hall to Parks and Recreation (minus essential services like 911), shut down for a day of team-building activities and morale boosting ahead of the busy summer season. Dubbed ‘Staff Development Day’, the full schedule of events took place at Rotary Park and the nearby Casa de la Cultura.

“Today we are appreciating all of our city employees and we are giving them a time of respite and a time of fun, so we hope to have a lot of laughs and enjoyment today with one another,” said Shawna Burkhart, Del Rio’s City Manager.

With a schedule packed with teamwork-focused and therapeutic activities like team-sports tournaments and art-making sessions, the day-of-play kicked-off at 8AM with a rousing speech by Frenchey McCrea. The coach-turned-athletic director for SFDR-CISD is known for his energizing speeches delivered to his students and athletes. On this day, he spoke on themes of teamwork and heart-felt citizenship to the approximately 100 city employees, also known as Team Del Rio.

“This is the reason I came back to Del Rio, because of people like you,” McCrea began his pep talk. “We cannot survive in the city without Team Del Rio […] Everything that I do comes across somebody’s desk in the City of Del Rio. And I’m proud to say that I am a member of this community.” McCrea ended the day’s opening remarks by sharing his famous words of encouragement, a mantra he repeats to every group he speaks to. 

“I can, I will, I must,” McCrea asked Team Del Rio to repeat back to him, then explained. “You can do all things if you put your mind to it. Because if you don’t do it, no one will. And you must, because the other day my wife got rear-ended and guess who was first on the scene? Officers and fire department,” he says, evoking the image of strangers, employed by the city, coming to the aid of a loved one. A kind of work, McCrea signals, that must be done in the context of the bigger picture each role serves.

Following the enlivening words, the day’s activities began immediately with a spectacle of an event: a fire-truck pull. Teams of 10-15 would pull a firetruck via rope across a set distance and compete for the fastest time. In the end, perhaps foreseeably, Team Fire Department performed the winning time of 15 seconds, beating out teams from other city departments.

The day continued forward with activities ranging from volleyball and basketball tournaments, to painting lessons led by local artist Krystal Acevedo, or @KikiAceArt, as she’s known on social media. 

The Casa de la Cultura, who facilitated a pottery-making session, shared on their Facebook page, along with photos, “City of Del Rio employees took a creative break and got their hands muddy at [the Casa]! From throwing clay on the pottery wheel to sculpting beautiful coil pots, staff members explored the joy of art and hands-on learning.”

City communications director, Peter Ojeda, shared some additional details with Connect Del Rio about the sponsorships that made the day possible.“Throughout the year, [the City of Del Rio] focuses on setting up events for the community to enjoy, but this is an opportunity for us to refocus and get to know the team [that makes up the city of Del Rio]. And more than anything, we want to thank our sponsors for making this event possible. From our gifts to our food, it was all provided by them. And I think it really shows that our community cares about us, and I think that makes our staff feel really good.” 

Photos from Staff Development Day, and a full list of sponsors, can be seen in the post below.