Daytime Janitors Work to Keep campus Environment Clean
School custodians put in hours every day to ensure that students come to neat classrooms and hallways.
By Jake Brodrick
School custodians put in hours every day to ensure that students come to neat classrooms and hallways.
By Jake Brodrick
Pioneer’s custodians work their hardest to ensure that the campus is clean everyday. Without their help, the school would be flooded with trash and the school would not be a suitable learning environment.
The daytime cleaning crew is led by head custodian Antonio Orozco, who works with groundskeeper Jose Garcia. The custodians clean the campus by picking up trash, trimming trees, cleaning out garbage cans and cleaning bathrooms.
Biology teacher Robert Zaccheo feels that custodians do more than just clean.
“They kind of run everything in the background, obviously they’re there to clean but they also show that people care about our campus and care about it being clean. They care so much for the look and the cleanliness of the area which then bleeds to a good classroom, in a way they’re the foundation,” said Zaccheo.
The idea that custodians are more than just for cleaning is a shared sentiment among teachers and the custodians themselves. Running the campus in the background is a main portion of their job.
“Well I maintain the school during the day, I make sure we have plenty of paper supplies, paper towels, toilet paper, keep the bathrooms clean, just overall maintenance of Pioneer,” said Orozco.
The cleaning of classrooms is slightly different compared to the rest of the school, having more structure and based on the individual class.
“The custodians empty the trash cans in our classrooms everyday. I believe the floors get swept and mopped twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays for my classroom,” said biology and chemistry teacher Linda Vu.
Classrooms are a major part of cleaning the campus, but the rest of school takes a lot of time and is more influenced by students and their actions. It’s not just the staff that’s responsible for keeping the campus clean, students should spend more time helping by cleaning up after themselves.
“Just be aware of what you’re doing, don’t leave stuff around, not just inside the classroom but outside of it as well, take responsibility for making Pioneer a place where people want to be and I think cleanliness is a big part of that and I think it’s a pride thing,” said Zaccheo. “They know it’s bad but they don’t take that extra step and they just push that off, it takes everybody to keep this place(clean)”
English teacher Michelle Bowman believes that students treating the school like it’s their own space would help keep it clean.
“Put trash in any trash can. Take their trash from the classroom and put it in the trash can. Be aware of their surroundings. Treat the school like they treat their bedroom, car, or home,” said Bowman.
Orozco has had concerns about the cleanliness of the ground itself, regarding stains and other long term residues.
“Well at the moment there are a lot of areas that need pressure washing because they have food stains, chocolate milk stains, things that have been spilled and need to be cleaned up,” said Orozco
Another concern that many people have but is especially important to custodial staff is the seagulls.
Garcia says that the seagull droppings present a problem when trying to clean up the floors outside of classes as it requires the custodial staff to stay ahead of the problem.
Orozco also feels that if students made sure their trash got to a garbage can and were more careful with their food then his job and all the other custodians would be much more simple. Teachers and staff share the general sentiment that students need to step up and start cleaning up after themselves. Being conscious of the effects of littering not only in the classroom, but in bathrooms and the outdoor spaces so the school environment is a lot nicer.
“I think if more students practiced the idea of leaving a place cleaner than they found it, that would help keep the campus clean. Even if you personally didn't drop any trash on the ground, you could still pick it up if you saw any. There are students who will only pick up or clean up things if they made the mess themselves. I see it in my class,” said Vu.
The daytime cleaning crew is led by head custodian Antonio Orozco, who works with groundskeeper Jose Garcia. The custodians clean the campus by picking up trash, trimming trees, cleaning out garbage cans and cleaning bathrooms.
Biology teacher Robert Zaccheo feels that custodians do more than just clean.
“They kind of run everything in the background, obviously they’re there to clean but they also show that people care about our campus and care about it being clean. They care so much for the look and the cleanliness of the area which then bleeds to a good classroom, in a way they’re the foundation,” said Zaccheo.
The idea that custodians are more than just for cleaning is a shared sentiment among teachers and the custodians themselves. Running the campus in the background is a main portion of their job.
“Well I maintain the school during the day, I make sure we have plenty of paper supplies, paper towels, toilet paper, keep the bathrooms clean, just overall maintenance of Pioneer,” said Orozco.
The cleaning of classrooms is slightly different compared to the rest of the school, having more structure and based on the individual class.
“The custodians empty the trash cans in our classrooms everyday. I believe the floors get swept and mopped twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays for my classroom,” said biology and chemistry teacher Linda Vu.
Classrooms are a major part of cleaning the campus, but the rest of school takes a lot of time and is more influenced by students and their actions. It’s not just the staff that’s responsible for keeping the campus clean, students should spend more time helping by cleaning up after themselves.
“Just be aware of what you’re doing, don’t leave stuff around, not just inside the classroom but outside of it as well, take responsibility for making Pioneer a place where people want to be and I think cleanliness is a big part of that and I think it’s a pride thing,” said Zaccheo. “They know it’s bad but they don’t take that extra step and they just push that off, it takes everybody to keep this place(clean)”
English teacher Michelle Bowman believes that students treating the school like it’s their own space would help keep it clean.
“Put trash in any trash can. Take their trash from the classroom and put it in the trash can. Be aware of their surroundings. Treat the school like they treat their bedroom, car, or home,” said Bowman.
Orozco has had concerns about the cleanliness of the ground itself, regarding stains and other long term residues.
“Well at the moment there are a lot of areas that need pressure washing because they have food stains, chocolate milk stains, things that have been spilled and need to be cleaned up,” said Orozco
Another concern that many people have but is especially important to custodial staff is the seagulls.
Garcia says that the seagull droppings present a problem when trying to clean up the floors outside of classes as it requires the custodial staff to stay ahead of the problem.
Orozco also feels that if students made sure their trash got to a garbage can and were more careful with their food then his job and all the other custodians would be much more simple. Teachers and staff share the general sentiment that students need to step up and start cleaning up after themselves. Being conscious of the effects of littering not only in the classroom, but in bathrooms and the outdoor spaces so the school environment is a lot nicer.
“I think if more students practiced the idea of leaving a place cleaner than they found it, that would help keep the campus clean. Even if you personally didn't drop any trash on the ground, you could still pick it up if you saw any. There are students who will only pick up or clean up things if they made the mess themselves. I see it in my class,” said Vu.