Custodians’ Role Extends Beyond Cleaning
Crew Does Set Up, Tear Down, More
March 10, 2022
School custodians have long been the force behind cleanliness in schools. Performing the hard tasks time and time again, they keep the building ready for students and staff. Despite what some may think, the role of the custodial staff extends beyond just cleaning the school.
The custodial staff helps set up sporting and musical events, community events and banquets, all of which bring together the community and connect students, teachers and parents.
“Setting up for some of the events here is definitely one of the toughest things to do,” custodian Kyle Goff said.
School events mean quite a bit of setting up furniture, then moving it and putting it away.
“The hardest part is just keeping up with everything and the events we have,” head custodian Ryan Crane said.
There is a custodian on duty from very early morning until late at night to ensure the school is clean as well as set up for the day of school.
“My daily schedule goes from 2 to 10 p.m. for the year and a half I have worked here,” Goff said.
The custodians showed a pattern of working after their shifts ended.
“My shift is from 6 a.m to 2:30, but I don’t get out until about 4,” Crane said.
Crane has worked at Staley for four years.
“I get to work at 7 a.m. and get to leave at 3 p.m.,” custodian Maria Mcvey said. “I have worked at the school for five years.”
Students notice the work the custodial team does.
“I always see them cleaning before, during and after school,” freshman Gage Adkins said. “We have a great custodian staff.”
Behind the scenes, the school is able to effectively function with the help of the custodial staff. While many may not appreciate or understand their role and have misconceptions about their job, their work contributes to a fully operating school community. And students play a role in making their job a bit easier.
“Students can help out a lot by just doing the smallest thing like cleaning up after yourself,” Adkins said. ”Cleaning up at your lunch table is very easy and can go a long way for a custodian during their long day.”
The “Devious Lick” challenge earlier in the school year from TikTok was one of the worst times for custodians. A TikTok challenge encouraged students to vandalize and steal items from school. There were soap and toilet paper dispensers broken along with other vandalism.
“I felt very bad for the custodians when students were vandalizing the school for no reason,” freshman Karsen Schwartz said. “It was probably making their job way harder than it should be.”
The custodial staff provided a clean and sanitary facility for the students and staff, cleaned what needed to be cleaned and fixed what needed to be fixed. And that kept the building up and running.
