(The following article was written by: Kathy Hobson and Trisha Niceswanger, and submitted by Rebecca Wallace, Public Outreach Committee Facilitator for the Atlantic High School)

Custodians make our day! As educators, we couldn’t survive without our custodial staff. We constantly heard about the frontline workers being the first line of defense against the
transmission of COVID. In education, our custodial staff are the frontline workers of our disease defense and success. They are our essential workers! The job of school custodian has many hats. There is so much more to their daily contributions than sweeping our floors and cleaning up the lunchroom. In addition to those two necessary responsibilities, they are now called upon to be our safety experts, the local handyman (or woman), a problem solver, a plumbing and heating specialist, our room sanitizers, a public relations liaison, and do grounds patrol. New teachers are always told to get to know your custodian; they are your friends! So very true.

A big reason we were able to be in person during the 20-21 school year was because of the constant cleaning/sanitizer our custodians did in all classrooms and buildings. According to
high school teacher Kathy Hobson, “There wasn’t a day that school year that I didn’t feel my classroom was exceptionally clean and sanitized to start the day.” With the middle school fire last July, the custodial staff had yet another unexpected hat on their plates – getting buildings ready to handle displaced students and staff so we could have as normal of days as possible.

In a matter of two weeks, the Achievement Center went from limited classrooms and several open areas to a building housing several makeshift classrooms and limited open space. Crews
built walls, applied soundproofing insulation and moved student desks. Staff have greatly appreciated the time put in to create a functional environment. 7th Grade Science teacher Michael Applegate commented “They did a ton of the work with setting up and moving items. They helped with putting down carpet squares and adding the additional insulation wall up to the ceiling. They deserve gold medals.”

7th Grade ELA teacher Angela Oglsebee added “The custodians put in many long hours before school started and the first few weeks of school to make sure the AC was ready to go. Early
mornings and late nights were kept in order to get everything accomplished. The custodians brainstormed a lot to help make the AC liveable for teachers and students. They are trying hard
to make a bad situation bearable.” Finally, 7th Grade Math teacher Amberley Schechinger added “Not once have I heard Brian or Wade complain about the extra challenges they are facing.”

Thank you from all educators for a job well done. You are daily lifesavers. You are our unsung heroes in education!