All of the amazing people that are part of the custodial staff at the Salida High School work incredibly hard to keep our school clean and thriving. A lot of people might take the custodial staff for granted, but, in reality, they are a core part of the school.
A typical work day for the custodial staff includes completing small tasks like sanitizing, checking the boilers, and cleaning up messes, as well as getting set up for activities and then cleaning up after them. One of the biggest tasks at hand, according to Eric Huston, the facilities supervisor, is keeping a schedule of when things need to be done and where each day.
Huston has been working for the school district for almost five years. When he moved to Salida and was looking for a job he thought that working as a custodian would be a perfect fit for him, due to his love for working with people and kids. One of his favorite things about working at SHS is getting to spend time with the other amazing members of the staff.
“[One of my favorite things about working here is], well the people. They are just fun, it’s a good group of people to work with; keep(s) it interesting, you know.” says Huston.
As SHS is rapidly growing each year, the custodial staff feels that there is more responsibility that comes with keeping up with custodial tasks. For them, it is important to get down a routine and further focus on tasks, to stay on top of sanitizing, and to manage time wisely so that they don’t get behind on projects.
Every day the custodial staff tries to bring positivity into the school. One of their main concerns is destruction since it is not easily able to be cleaned and causes a lot of stress on the behalf of the custodial staff.
For the staff, keeping the school clean is important so that the students can learn the importance of keeping a clean space to be successful. Most kids are able to observe the work that the staff does and appreciate how even what may seem like a little thing like cleaning can make a big impact on daily life. The staff are very forgiving of mistakes or messiness that the students make.
Huston says that, “they are just kids, children, and you know I was a kid once so I understand. I feel like I am not under-appreciated.”
One of the most important skills that the custodians use is social skills. It helps them to communicate effectively, to keep the school clean and also makes their job a lot more enjoyable. Having connections with not only the other staff members at the school but also students makes it so much easier to communicate new ideas and encourage the rest of the school to also take part in keeping the school clean.
