The Revere High School (RHS) custodial staff keeps the building clean and in working condition throughout the day, making sure that all the students who attend school here have a safe, comfortable working environment.
RHS principal Doug Faris works with the custodial staff on a daily basis to help keep track of any mess and maintenance needs.
“[Other staff at RHS] couldn’t do what we do without [the custodial staff] every single day. . . . A crew of seven or eight custodians do everything that goes unseen in the building every day,” Faris said.
The custodial staff ensures that the building runs smoothly. The small staff cleans the building, run by RHS’s head custodian Phil Tacke. Tacke started working at Revere as a custodian at the high school on the second shift, the night shift, where there is little-to-no interaction with students and the focus is mainly deep cleaning. Night shift workers rarely see students or get gratitude for what they do, although the building is clean in the morning. Tacke now works the first shift where he can get to interact with students and staff members as well as help clean up messes made during the day and assist with maintenance.
“[The staff] is all a team that makes the building operate the way it should,” Tacke said.
The staff works as a team, and Tacke does not see himself as above his coworkers; he believes that the custodial staff works together as a team to get work done. Paul Warnock works at the high school for the first shift, the day shift, and also helps keep the building running.
“I like working at Revere because the pay and benefits are quite good, it’s a stable workplace, [there are] no layoffs or staff reductions, the other staff are nice to interact with and the students are pleasant to be around . . . . My favorite part of the job is being able to see students that I have known and watched for four years graduate and move on with their lives, ” Warnock said.
Kaitlyn Fisher works the second shift, the night shift, and she enjoys the peace it provides her and the option it gives for some movement. Fisher cleans certain rooms during the year, but during the summer, she works with the rest of the crew to clean the high school from top to bottom.
“I like the physical aspect of it; you get a lot of steps in each week. I also really like being able to listen to podcasts while I clean. It makes the nights more fun. . . . I clean the science wing, the art rooms, some English rooms and the guidance offices, but during the summer, we work together to deep clean the building and all the furniture,” Fisher said.
Fisher describes that during the year, they each generally clean certain rooms, but the entire staff works together to deep clean the building during the summer to make sure things like walls and furniture are spotless. Like Fisher, Nick Wodogaza cleans certain areas in the building and enjoys what he does to help the students.
“I clean the kitchen, the cafeteria, the main office, and the dressing rooms. . . . I like knowing the students have a clean environment to learn at,” Wodogaza said.
The custodial staff, although they all work to make the building clean and safe for students, deserve students’ gratitude for what they do to keep our building safe and all of us healthy and ready to learn.
Editor’s Note: All Revere High School custodians were contacted by Lantern for this article. Those included in the article are those who responded.
