Wiping down desks, mopping and vacuuming floors, cleaning up and taking out garbage, picking up after students, checking restrooms and unplanned extra duties are just some of the responsibilities of the Freedom High School custodians.
At FHS, there are seven total custodians: 3 full-time and 4 part-time workers that are willing to help students and staff in need.
Mrs. Sherrie Blinn is one of the full-time custodians, and throughout the school day, students can find her around the school in multiple places. Blinn has been working for the school since 2003 and has recently had a change in shifts. She used to work evening, but was changed to daylight, which has made her happy.
“I get a lot of interaction with the students, and I enjoy that immensely,” Blinn said.
She also enjoys the daylight shift because she gets to see her family more often than she did when she worked in the evening. Blinn feels that being switched to daylight is one of the best things to happen to her as a FHS custodian.
“[Freedom students] are great. You’re friendly, you’re easy going. Ultimately you have to know that I’m here because of you guys, and that’s appreciated,” Blinn said.
According to Mr. Timothy Dadich, our school custodians “fill an important role [at Freedom]” and provide students with a clean and safe learning environment. Students can walk into the building, knowing that their school has been cleaned and tended to, and at any time, students can receive valuable service from the custodians.
Another full-time custodian, Tina Ruckert, enjoys helping the students and staff.
“I guess I’m the person who likes doing things for others, so when the kids come and ask me for things, I get to do it and they appreciate it,” Ruckert said.
Ruckert works evening shifts from 2:30-11:00 p.m. According to Ruckert, each of the custodians has set areas in the school to clean. Her area is in the back of the building near the custodial staff’s office, which is where she can be found.
A typical work day for Ruckert is wet-mopping the kitchen floor, cleaning desks and chalk boards, the auditorium and band room, washing down the water fountains, sweeping the front entrance, taking out garbage and whatever else the school needs from her.
Blinn typically has the same duties as Ruckert, in addition to setting up the cafeteria for lunch and breakfasts, and cleaning up after each. Blinn also “maintains what the evening custodians clean.”
Ruckert said that the custodians have to work around the school events and activities. For example, if there is a sporting event, they must wait until everyone leaves to clean that specific area. Although being forced to work around an event may cause the staff to stay longer, this is not the worst of their custodial duties, according to Ruckert and Blinn.
The boys’ bathrooms, according to Ruckert and Blinn, are one of the worst parts about cleaning. “It can be pretty gross in there sometimes,” Ruckert said. Last summer during football practice, Ruckert also had to clean up after an athlete who vomited on one of the water fountains by the cafeteria. Ruckert said that that was one of her worst experiences at FHS.
Blinn cited the bomb threats in recent years as contributing to her worst days spent here at Freedom because her main concern is the safety of the students.
On the other hand, the custodians explained that they really do enjoy their jobs. Ruckert and Blinn both love helping the students out, and every so often, the students show their appreciation. Ruckert has been personally thanked near the end of some of her night shifts by Drama Club students and athletes. Ruckert was surprised one day with a note on her desk written to the custodial staff.
Occasionally, parents show their gratitude as well. The parent of a Drama Club member sent her a bouquet of wooden roses with a thank you letter, which read, “Thank you for going above and beyond.”
“[Feeling appreciated is] the most rewarding thing, and knowing that they thank you,” Ruckert said.
Overall, the custodians feel that FHS is a cleaner school. Blinn said that she may be biased, but since her children attend school here, she wouldn’t expect anything less from herself and her co-workers. Blinn described the staff as “close-knit,” and some of them are friends outside of work.
Dadich is thankful for the custodial staff and “hasn’t been disappointed.” He said that the overall cleanliness of the building has improved over the last few years.
“One of the first things I heard last year was, one of the issues they saw at the end of the day was vandalism and garbage left around in the hallways,” Dadich said. There’s no tobacco being left in the water fountains anymore, and because of the hallway garbage decrease, the custodians get to spend more time cleaning the classrooms. Dadich believes the key issue was the lack of enforcement. “I like my job. No matter how demeaning some people may find a janitor custodial job, I enjoy my job,” Blinn said.
While Blinn and Ruckert enjoy their jobs, the students can help them out, even in small ways. Throwing away bottles, plates, wrappers and other garbage could help out.
A different way that students can help is by pushing in their chairs at lunch. When chairs are left out in the open, students that are not paying attention can walk into it and be easily injured. Blinn feels that these simple things are all about being respectful to the school.
Ruckert feels that the easiest thing we can do as students is “tidying up the restrooms. It’s not that they’re messy; that’s what I’m here for.”
Senior Tyler Dunbar has recently been employed by Freedom as a part-time custodian, and he enjoys the work.
“I like it because it’s cool to be in the school after hours and talking to the teachers and seeing how teachers act when everyone is gone,” Dunbar said.
After hearing that the custodial staff was seeking more help, he inquired with Gary Mortimer, Head of Custodial Staff. Dunbar was hired around December and is a substitute, on-call every day until 4:00 p.m. unless he’s needed.
Dunbar’s hours fluctuate weekly depending on who calls off. He is employed to step in at any of Freedom’s schools, but he has spent most of his time at FHS and Big Knob Elementary. Personally, his favorite part about cleaning the schools is cleaning the floors, and his least favorite is cleaning the restrooms.
As a student and custodian at the same school, Dunbar feels that he has grown to respect the custodians more. He even tries to pick up random garbage he sees lying around. He feels that students are simply unaware of what the custodians do for the student body and school in general, and he reassures that the schools are clean.
FHS custodians are more than willing to assist anyone in any time of need, and they appreciate any type of thanks, and everyone loves a compliment or two. At a time when there is a mess, consider the amount of hours that the custodians already work to clean up after us.