Murray, NEB- The custodians at Conestoga Jr./Sr. High School do a lot for the school, but sometimes they get left in the shadows. Students and staff should recognize and appreciate the people that keep Conestoga a nice environment to learn and work.

As of now there are two custodians at the high school. The night custodian is Tammy Egley. She does a lot of work after school hours that students may not even see. She goes classroom to classroom vacuuming floors and emptying trash cans just so everyone can come back to a clean building every morning.

The day custodian is Beth McDonnell. Many students see her around the school making sure everything is tidy. McDonnell starts a typical work day bright and early at 4 a.m. to open up the building and unlock the classrooms. She then cleans all of the bathrooms until 5:30 a.m. Until 6 a.m. she vacuums halls and classrooms and checks for any messes she may have missed. During school she still works in some classrooms and cleans up after lunch. On game days, she gets to the building early to prepare for the crowd.

Mrs. Fritz’s Life Skills students also play a big role in keeping the school squeaky-clean. These students include Kenneth H, Megan G, Carson H, Trenton M, Ethan W, Christian A, Bella K, and Justin C. The main jobs that kids help with is wiping down tables in classrooms and making sure every table is spotless after breakfast and all three lunch periods. During some sports seasons, the kids also do laundry for the teams so they can play in fresh uniforms. Hayden A is another life skills student. He is currently training to be a part of the custodial staff next year. For his training he gets to do many jobs around school. He takes out classroom trash, vacuums throughout the building, and helps in the kitchen during lunch. “I believe that the students and staff in Ms. Fritz work experience class should be recognized as a big part of keeping our school clean,” says McDonnell.

Even though you don’t always see these hard workers, the custodians put in a lot of effort to create a nice and clean atmosphere. McDonnell loves interacting with students in the halls and helping everyone out whenever she can. Showing some gratitude to the custodians is the least people can do for all the work they put into the school. “I would like the community to be aware that this job may not pay the best, but I have worked here for over 20 years, and have loved and treated every student and staff as some part of my family.” McDonnell said, “I feel loved and respected, there is nothing better in life.”