Header Photo Caption: Sylvester Williams, a custodian at Tanglewood Elementary School, works recently to clean W.H. Knuckles Elementary School. Williams is part of a team assigned to clean various schools this summer.
School may be out, but summertime doesn’t mean that all PSRC staff members are on vacation. In fact, many staff members like custodians remain hard at work as they prepare for the upcoming school year.
Teams of custodians and maintenance workers are dispatched to schools in the summer to clean and prepare buildings for the upcoming school year, said Mark Oliver, PSRC’s custodial supervisor.
“We work all through the year,” he said.
“We’re going in cleaning and stripping the floors,” Oliver said.
PSRC Maintenance workers can also be seen arriving at schools to give various walls and classrooms a fresh coat of paint. But, newly painted walls aren’t the only improvements students will enjoy in the new school year.
In the upcoming school year, students also will enjoy new HVAC systems, playground equipment and outdoor classrooms at various schools throughout the district.
Ensuring that schools are welcoming to students and staff members is very important.
“As everyone returns to school, we want our buildings to represent a fresh clean start for all,” said Bobby Locklear, assistant superintendent for Auxiliary Services at PSRC.
“If they return to a clean environment, they can learn better,” Oliver said of students.
Fairgrove Elementary School’s Head Custodian Donnie Hunt was working to move furniture and clean floors at Rosenwald Elementary School recently.
Hunt, who has worked with PSRC for 14 years, said he is committed to making sure the job is done correctly and that schools are beautiful and ready for students’ return.
Vinson “VI” Henderson has been working for six years as a custodian with PSRC and has been working with teams to prepare four schools for the new school year.
“It’s all about a team effort,” he said.
He said that when custodians and maintenance workers work together in teams, it makes the job easier and more can be accomplished.
Henderson also said when summer returns, he always tries to “think ahead” so that he can accomplish goals and complete tasks more efficiently.
As custodians are working to clean schools, PSRC Transportation workers are inspecting buses and finalizing routes ahead of the school year. Child Nutrition staff members continue to feed students throughout the summer as part of the Summer Feeding Program, which began on June 12 and ends on Aug. 11.
Staff members like school principals, secretaries and all 12-month employees across the district continue to work in their roles to prepare for the academic year.
PSRC leaders also are hard at work hosting meetings and coordinating preparation efforts for the year ahead. Professional development sessions will be offered soon to educators as they get ready for the 2023-2024 academic year.
“Great things happen when we all work together to support student success. The most important part of our job is ensuring we are providing the best environments possible for our students to learn and thrive in our schools,” Locklear said.
Caption: Candace Graham, head custodian at W.H. Knuckles Elementary, mops the floor of the school recently. Graham is part of a custodial team working to clean various schools throughout the district in preparation of the school year.
