Everybody knows the hard work that teachers, counselors, deans and so much more of our staff go through in a day to help our school keep running smoothly, but not many know the crucial importance of our Campus Operations team.
Campus Operations include maintenance, grounds, housekeeping and transportation.
I have recently interviewed the Campus Operations Assistant Director and supervisors.
As soon as I got there, I was kindly greeted by Mr. Kenny Fete, a maintenance supervisor, who showed me the way.
We walked through the building towards Ms. Kelli Anderson’s office, surrounded by all kinds of electrical equipment.
When we entered the office I was warmly welcomed by Ms. Anderson (Assistant Director of Campus Operations), Mr. Raul Carpenter (a grounds supervisor), and Mr. AJ Tirade, (a housekeeping supervisor).
After introductions, I took my seat, and I began the interview.
I curiously began by asking them what a typical day in their lives was like.
Even though no day is predictable, they tried their best to answer my question.
First, housekeeping makes sure everything is clean and sanitized, and takes care of any accidents or areas of concern.
I can say that they are doing an amazing job, as it takes so much work and dedication to keep a great campus like the one we have.
Grounds crew ensures a safe environment clean of debris from the bridge, mows the lawn, maks sure the flower beds look as pretty as they always do and so many more helpful and possibly dangerous tasks.
And, maintenance takes care of those many tickets around campus that require fixing things, like the A/C, lights, plumbing and much more that helps the school look and function great.
Then, as we all could imagine, the answer to my question, “Which role is usually the most underestimated?”, cleaning the bathrooms came out on top.
The staff gently asks for less vandalism in the bathrooms, especially in the boys’ bathroom.
This could make their daily lives easier, and it is also more respectful to the housekeeping staff, who have to clean up the mess.
Since no day is predictable, sometimes there are problems on campus where the Campus Operation team has to be ready to act quickly.
A time in which this happened was last year when a tree fell on the electrical box that keeps our school running, and while we were having an amazing morning being woken up with the news of school being closed, Mr. Carpenter and his team had to quickly respond and fix the problem, for the next day to be all back up and running.
This wasn’t the only occasion where the team, or the family as they call themselves, had to work while we were having fun at home with our family and friends, because they also work during the breaks to keep our school running while we are not there.
To recognize and support this hard work, the school hosts food outings, and the Parents’ Association has also helped out.
They also mentioned how students have also been great and have been showing their appreciation by writing the team thank you cards, helping out by giving them water when working outside on hot summer days, and being polite by greeting each other in the hallways when passing by.
They also support each other, and see themselves as a big family of 47 members who help each other out whenever they need.
During the interview I also had the chance to meet the Director of Campus Operations, Mr. David Hess.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have the chance to meet the transportation staff, but I can confidently say that they are loved by lots, especially Nathalie Rackley’28 who says that “the bus drivers are awesome and make me smile every day”.
Overall, I had a great experience, and I am very honored to show the amazing work that goes behind our school, and the very kind and hardworking people that keep it going.
Thank you so much to Ms. Kelli Anderson, Mr. AJ Tirado, Mr. Kenny Fete, and Mr. Raul Carpenter, for the interview and helping show everybody the amazing work that goes into this role every day.
Image courtesy of Andrew Budgewater.
