From August to May, the students of CHS spend seven hours a day, five days a week, learning, hanging out with their friends, and rushing to complete homework. Along with students, CHS houses 77 staff members who ensure the school functions at its best. While most people are aware of the roles teachers and administrators play, the custodians and their vast importance are often overshadowed.
The custodians are often the first to enter the building, and are the last to leave. In between, they are working to ensure the school is a safe, clean, and comfortable place for the students. “As soon as I walk in the door, I’m looking, I’m smelling, I’m listening, because we have a lot of equipment to take care of,” Head Custodian Cecil Cohn said.
Certainly, between checking the HVAC systems, alarms and latches on the doors, coordinating with teachers, coaches, and administrators on short notice, and cleaning up after students, the custodians have their hands full. “There’s just so much. It’s unbelievable. Sometimes I get overwhelmed with all this stuff I’m responsible for. They say, ‘If you don’t notice anything,’ then the custodian’s job is successful,” Cohn said.
Despite this, the CHS custodians work well together and have developed a solid system. “It’s kind of hard, but we all work together as a team. We get along pretty [well]…right now we have probably the best crew everyone gets along with,” Cohn said.
Not only do custodians have to take care of the technological aspects of CHS, they also have to clean up after the 640 students. Not to mention, the other 72 staff members, in several classrooms, plus the gymnasiums, bathrooms, hallways, auditorium, and cafeteria. There is one easy way to greatly simplify this task. “[Students can] pick up after themselves. Sometimes there’s trash from here to the end of the table, and there’s a trash can right there, and they’ll just leave it,” Cohn said.
This is not to say that no students appreciate their role. “I’ve stayed late after school when the janitors start cleaning up. They do so much work behind the curtain. There is no way to properly thank them in a few short words,” said sophomore Charlotte Ogan.
The custodians are not the only overshadowed staff members. CHS employs five cooks: head cook Hazel Swain, Laura Castellano, Paula Denham, Lori Jones and Laurie Robison. They are humble about their job, but without them, hundreds of kids would not be fed. “Always be prepared, and make sure there is always enough food. That’s what we do,” said Swain.
There are also six teacher aides, three secretaries, and two student supervisors, social workers, counselors, and interventionists. For a high school to create and maintain a safe and healthy learning environment, countless people have to collaborate. Each person plays a vital role in maintaining the physical and social environment of CHS, and they should all be recognized and appreciated.
