keeping clean

The ongoing pandemic has made this school year different and challenging for all of us. Our students are adapting to masks and socially-distanced classrooms. Our athletic teams and student organizations have had to adjust or even cancel big events. Our teachers and staff have had to get creative in developing lesson plans.

However, there is one group of our staff who has gone above and beyond to make this year a success. It’s our custodial team, led by Head Custodian Lori Gardner. We recently spoke with Lori about how her team is working to keep the school clean and keep the doors open.

“It’s been a big challenge,” Lori said. “We’re doing a lot of the same things we normally do, but just doing it more times. For instance, we’re cleaning the same surfaces multiple times to make sure it’s clean. So it’s really expanded the amount of work we have to do each day.”

Lori added that this week during the closure, the team has been working diligently to clean every surface in the school. They’re using an electrostatic sprayer to apply disinfectant to every surface.

“The sprayer has a wider radius and a finer mist, so the disinfectant adheres to surfaces better than it would with a regular spray gun,” she said. “I’ve been handling the gym because that’s where we have a lot of activity during the day. My team members have been covering the halls, restrooms, classrooms, and more.”

Lori credits her team members, Marilyn Hinkle and Tim Dierkes, for keeping the building clean and sanitized. “It’s a total team effort,” Lori said. “We could not do this without all three of us giving our best effort. I really appreciate the work Marilyn and Time provide each day.”

Lori also credited the school’s staff and students for during their part to keep the building clean. “The students have been great about wearing their masks, throwing away their trash, and wiping down their desks before they change classes. That’s a huge help for us because it reduces the number of surfaces that we have to clean multiple times,” she said. “We also really appreciate everything the staff is doing to help us out. This is a total team effort all the way around.”

All of us at Monroe Central appreciate our custodial team and their efforts to keep the building clean and open this year. We look forward to seeing our students and staff back in school very soon!