Walking back to class after lunch, looking around campus, one might find a sea of wrappers tumbling along the floor, empty lunch trays on benches, or even school lunch food thrown across the quad. Ever notice how it just disappears by the end of the day? Why hasn’t all the trash built up? Why aren’t there piles and piles when school starts? Where is it going?
“The custodians and janitors are the unacknowledged rock stars holding the place together,” said Statistics Teacher Margret Schmitten. Many teachers have come to recognize how much our custodial staff has done for the school and greatly appreciate all the time and effort that is put into keeping the campus safe and clean.
The custodians are able to deal with unexpected things efficiently and easily because of their diligence and strategic work system. “Each custodian is responsible for 25 percent of the school, and with an eight hour shift to clean the quad, take care of the visitors bathroom, stand by for clogs, and anything that we could possibly be called for like a busted sink or a broken lightbulb, it can pile up fast,” said Custodian Andrew Cravey.
Recently, the 400 building’s door window was broken and, with a swift call from Principal Michael Paredes, Custodian Jose Villagomes was on it. Originally taped up with masking tape, Plant Operation Supervisor Jack Wavier brought a more long-term fix; it was then boarded up, explained Cravey.
Each custodian has a specific section to clean, called a “beat,” an area in which they work. This divides up the school. This is so they can tackle the school’s cleanliness in the most efficient level. By splitting up the buildings by East and West, it becomes much less challenging to watch over particular areas of the school, with specific classrooms assigned to each custodian. There’s a lot of responsibility in each classroom, emptying the trash, vacuuming the carpet or mopping the floors, not to mention plenty of dusting. “No classroom is the same. They differ in their setups, the way teachers work and how messy it can get; but the better the students can do their part, the more consistently we can work,” said Cravey. Each part of the school has its own complexities, making it a complicated job.
Not everyone appreciates the hard work that is being done. Cravey said, “Signs of disrespecting staff on campus by making messes at any given time just because they can is just wrong to me.” Lots of staff on campus have talked about being disheartened with the lack of care on campus by those who are being picked up after. Schmitten said, “Do you know how frustrating it is to see trash right next to the dang trash can? How hard is it to just put it in there?”
“Eric, Andrew, Jack, Jose, Raul and Felecitas are the unseen forces behind the scenes that keep our campus beautiful,” said Substitute Teacher Sean Rios. Rios takes it upon himself to pick up trash after lunch to do his part when he notices folks missing the trash can.
“The more you keep the campus clean, the easier it is for us. We have so many responsibilities and daily complications. It takes time out of our already busy schedule,” said Cravey. It goes without saying that the custodians here at UC high deserve the utmost respect. Begin by cleaning up your own trash, and continue by picking up a piece of plastic that you happen to pass by. You’ll not only be being green, but you just may be simplifying someone else’s work load.