One can only imagine what is running through a  student’s minds as they stroll down the hallways at school, but it’s probably not admiration for how clean their surroundings are.

“If you look what we have to do to get this school ready from when you graduate to when school starts and then what it looks like now, it sort of makes you disappointed. Like all that hard work we put in,” said head custodian Lance Walker.

Due to various summer activities, custodians are laboring in the building all year round to keep it in shape and ready for occupants in the fall. Once school is back in session the pressure to keep the hallways fresh increases.

“It’s pretty demanding as far as what we have to do. There’s somebody here at our school twenty four seven, holidays, every day. We don’t have a day off,” stated Walker.

There is obviously a constant workload heaped on the custodial staff with hundreds of students in the building. The staff’s responsibility is made even more difficult when numerous students seem to not notice, or even care, where they put their trash.

“I don’t like it when some people take their school food and leave their whole tray in the halls,” said junior Golda Dopp. “I think that’s not having pride in their school. It’s more than just laziness, it’s rude.”

While trash may continue to litter the halls, one student found the time to express their appreciation. Walker recollected,

“I’ve had one kid say thanks for the way the school looks this year. It’s been the first time in probably 15 years that a student actually said thanks. That means a lot to me because we put in time and effort and if the students appreciate it that means a lot more than anybody else.”