Following the death of Middletown Primary School’s custodial worker Mike Morten, the MPS school staff is coming together to keep the school clean while waiting for a replacement.
There are hundreds of chores to be done around schools to keep them sanitary for students and faculty, and the staff at MPS has learned exactly what kind of work goes into that.
With only three custodians remaining at the MPS, the staff has been helping to keep the school clean by lending a hand to their colleagues and taking over jobs around the school to lift some of the unbearable workload off of their shoulders.
Special Ed Pre-K teacher Belinda Sheroda said everyone started taking out the trash and vacuuming their own rooms. She mentioned how the “classroom seems bigger” after cleaning it herself.
The school is running like a well-oiled machine, according to Assistant Principle Susan Amarena. All the teachers have stepped up and assumed responsibilities that are not part of their typical job descriptions.
“I’ve even seen the second grade team mopping the halls,” she said. Pre-K Special Ed Assistant Kathy Masser adds that she’s even witnessed “staff members cleaning the kids’ toilets.”
When asked about how needing to come together has brought the community closer, Sheroda said that it made people “more aware as a community, and how we can help other people.”
After doing jobs for themselves, staff members said that being a custodian is “much harder than I thought.” It’s a lot of physical labor and hard work, and a rigorus responsibility. All the little custodial jobs, like decorating the front of the school, deserve more recognition.
Amarena said that the custodians are a “pivotal” part of keeping the school running, and Masser adds that the staff assistance only goes to show “the support and respect” between teachers and custodians.
Masser said that helping out was necessary and everyone has adopted the “all hands on deck” mentality. The staff has been doing what they can and will continue to do so during this period of adjustment.
