By Jesse Snider
When you walk the halls at Lincoln High, what do you think of? Do you think of the tradition that this school has built? Do you think of getting to class?
Because I sometimes think “How are these halls always so nice?” And the answer is, the LHS Custodial staff. This custodial staff works day and night to make this school what it is.
Did you know they spent 8 hours a day all summer clearing out every classroom, cleaning the room top to bottom, and then putting everything back in them? They also clean the lockers and the floors of the whole building.
I asked custodian Mike Howard what his favorite and least favorite parts of the job are. He said, “Working with the students and staff.” He had no least favorite parts
Then I asked custodian Norman Zock how much the custodial staff works, specifically their hours. He said, 8 hours a day, every weekday, summer and school year, and over breaks.
When I talked to Head Daytime Custodian Robert Neal, I asked him if he believes that students take the custodial work for granted or are in general, appreciative. He said that most students are appreciative, but some don’t really care. And I believe firmly that we should all care. Because they do such a great job for us.
Finally, when I asked custodian Deb Coffee what her favorite part of the job was she said it was “seeing everyone’s smiling faces, and saying hi to all the kids.” I asked her what the custodial duties are over breaks and summer and she replied,”Clean, clean, clean, clean , clean, clean.” I mean, think about it, cleaning isn’t a fun thing for people who don’t love cleaning things, and even then it’s probably frustrating. Imagine cleaning up after 1,600 students every day for a living.
That’s what they do, and they are still sane, and respectful, and not resentful in any way shape or form. So when you see a custodian in the hallways, tell them thank you, because our staff deserves it for all of the wonderful things they do for us.
