A positive, thriving school community goes beyond just teachers and students. It’s the people behind the scenes who keep our community running.
According to the ECHO student survey, at least 82 percent of respondents could not identify any of East’s custodial staff, and only 20.9 percent knew the correct number of custodial staff East has.
Leonard Starnes, Lorenzo Cotton and Dora Flores are East’s three custodians. Each of these custodians are to thank for keeping our school clean. Very few students are aware of our custodians and their efforts despite being vital parts of East.
Starnes, who has been working at East for 13 years, is considered a leader amongst the custodians having worked here the longest.
“[Starnes] took me under his wing. He’s taught me a lot of things,” Cotton said.
Each custodian expressed that having a strong relationship between staff members is one of the best parts of the job. Spending time with one another every day has allowed the custodians to not only work well together, but to get to know each other. Even more, however, the custodians love to interact with students.
“Especially the Latinos, but other students too, just the ability to be able to practice [Spanish] with me,” Flores said.
Cotton finds joy in simply knowing how kids are doing. He likes keeping up with students and their lives, saying hello every time he sees them.
“I like interacting with the kids a lot. Seeing everybody come to school and getting to know how they’re doing in their classes,” Cotton said.
Junior Jonathan Mnguto describes his relationship with Cotton as a “friendship.” Mnguto is able to joke around with Cotton as well as receive valuable life lessons from him. Every time they see each other, words and a few laughs are exchanged.
“I’ve learned life lessons from him being an adult and living more life than me, learning from some of the past mistakes he’s made,” Mgnuto said.
Starnes also likes to help students out with life advice, giving them pieces of wisdom he learned growing up. He values having that connection with students.
“It reminds me of my own two daughters when they were coming up in school,” Starnes said.
At 6:30 a.m. when most students are still asleep, the custodians start their day by preparing the building. This can consist of turning on the lights, replenishing bathrooms and taking out the trash. Once the day has started, custodians are kept on their feet to ensure the school is clean. It’s quite the non-stop job, and at a school as sprawling as East, the need for maintenance presents itself often.
“I would say maybe eight, nine [hours] out of the day. I might be here 12 hours, I might be here 10 hours. But in that period of time, I’m always doing something,” Starnes said.
Long hours coupled with nearly 1,500 kids proves itself challenging. Anyone who has ventured into the Quad A bathrooms could agree. So when students don’t pick up after themselves, it makes the job harder for custodians.
“What would make things better is kids making sure they clean up behind [themselves] after lunch and not trying to make a mess in the school,” Cotton said. “Try to make it easier for us.”
Other difficulties were explained as well, such as not being able to directly access their own budget, which presents an issue with acquiring the equipment needed to most properly and efficiently clean the school. Flores wishes the custodians had “a little more control over what [they] do.”
Despite this, each custodian expressed a love for their job and their connections to the East community. Relationships with staff and students are the biggest contributors to their experiences.
“I just love being here every morning,” Flores said.
A clean and well-run East relies on the efforts of custodians. They play an integral role in maintaining a flourishing school environment. Their work, beyond just cleaning, merits the level of respect one would give a teacher or administrator.
“Custodians are one of the lowest paid in the school system and we do more than just our job, stuff that other folks in the district don’t see,” Starnes said.
Even with the unnoticed nature of their work, Starnes, Flores, and Cotton remain dedicated and passionate about their contributions to the school. Recognizing them is a key part of upholding a culture of community and inclusion at East.
