I first wanted to ask him about his average day to get a better understanding of what he does throughout it.
He said he starts his day by arriving at school at 6 a.m. and turning on all the lights in the building. He mentioned how cool it is to see the school in the dark and to have the honor of opening it. Once he has turned on the lights and unlocked everything, he does a few cleaning and maintenance jobs. After the students arrive and breakfast is over, he often cleans the tables or, on Fridays, goes to the gymnasium to tell jokes. After this, he is on call all day, performing maintenance, cleaning, or handling tasks staff members need to get done. He finishes his day at 2:30 p.m. He works Monday through Friday and continues working throughout the summer.
I then asked why he chose to be a janitor. He explained that he had worked as a flooring installer full-time for 35 years. As he got older, it became harder on his body. So, when he saw a janitorial job opening at EMS, he accepted it, thinking it would be less stressful on his body.
I also asked him what he enjoys about his job. He said he enjoys hanging out with the staff and students, as they motivate him to get through his day.
After his day is complete, he either goes to prep the softball field or sometimes helps with cross country.
