Empty trashcans, clean bathrooms, clean cafeteria floors, washed desks, the list goes on and on.  Although some may believe things magically happen in a school building, it takes an entire maintenance and custodial staff to keep things running.  Doug Dibert is head of custodians. 

“I do everything from scheduling to repairs,” Dibert said.  “If it is broken, I actually assess the damage, or, if I can fix it, I fix it. I help set up, and I help tear down. I even help manage the guys on the floors. I’m actually the one that sets up the areas where they work and they clean. I get here at seven in the morning, and I’m here until five or six at night. I make sure that the guys have supplies they need. I order supplies, and I distribute them,” 

Dibert is not above doing anything. He helps his employees any way he can even if that means jumping in to pick up a broom or mop.

Currently there are positions to fill in his department.

“I will help do interviews and there’s a process for that. The way they do this is: they (custodians) start as subs, work in different schools, and then they get hired on what they call a part time job. Then, as a position comes open, they get hired in those positions part time. They can bid in as far as full time positions. There’s a spot  open in this school. I’m down a person right now. If you’d look on our website, there are positions open,” Dibert said. 

There are 21 different custodians in this school. Each custodian has a different position and shift. The shifts are 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., 3 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. to 7 a.m. 

“I break the school down in certain areas,” Dilbert said. “We have three shifts here. I usually have five of us on the first shift, 11 to 12 people on the second shift and five to six people on the third. It’s Monday through Friday. On Monday, Saturday and Sunday, I only have two people in, but it’s usually three shifts.” 

Cleaning the classrooms and the bathrooms is done mostly by the employees on the second and third shifts. 

“I have guys on the first shift that go around the hall picking up the big stuff, and they check the bathroom. The guys will go through checking the hallways as best they can, but when we have 2,200 kids in the school, it’s a big job,” Dibert said.

Dibert feels his job is appreciated for the most part. 

“The teachers and kids treat us pretty decently, but there are some kids that kind of look down. That’s just normal,” Dibert said. 

Juniors Kate Pielmeier and Isaac Walker see the custodians and Dibert doing their jobs during school hours. 

“The custodians do a lot of work, and I respect the effort that they put into such a large school,” Pielmeier said. 

“I appreciate what they have to deal with everyday, and they do it with no issues.  I feel like the janitors should get more appreciation for what they do everyday,” Walker said. 

Different people have different jobs. 

“For the most part, I do love my job, but it’s a challenge,” Dilbert said.”The worst I’ve seen is the stall walls taken off. I’ve seen toilets ripped out the floor. I’ve seen sinks torn off the wall. I’ve seen a lot of damage in the school. Unfortunately, I don’t like to shut down bathrooms but sometimes I do because when students are tearing sinks completely apart. It’s very rough.”