3 minute read
From Dawn ’til Dusk: Celebrating Roger’s 45 Years at Bayview Glen (The Glen, Fall 2024)
from The Glen, Fall 2024
by Bayview Glen
Most days, Roger Curtis is at Bayview Glen by the time the sun comes up He gets here early, before most of us.
Historically, too, Roger was at Bayview Glen before most of us 45 years ago, he started in the valley, driving the school bus before joining the maintenance team He also fed the horse, Moonlight In the building and the growing of our school, Roger has been so important Even if we didn’t know about the valley or the horse, we’ve always known that.
Roger is still here before most of us, making his rounds well before the first soccer practice, the first early meeting, the first parent bench drop-off Spring, summer, autumn, and winter, we can see Roger checking doors and pathways, moving through the valley, making sure all is as it should be, proprietary in the best sense, the consummate custodian When we arrive, he may be the first person we see.
And Roger may be the first person a child sees when they arrive, perhaps for the first time We all know his kind greeting, his wry and knowing smile, the twinkle in his eye How reassuring, how promising it must be for a child - even a nervous child, an anxious child, a child who can’t quite leave a parent behind - to meet Roger at parent bench, to have him wish them good morning, take them by the hand, and lead them to the day’s adventures How wonderful a day could be when it begins like that.
And in the same way that Roger welcomes children in the morning and sends them safely on their way in the afternoon, he welcomes teachers back to school every September and sends them on their way at the end of the year by co-ordinating and dedicating his effort and attention to the setting up and dismantling of the Lower School classrooms So many Lower School teachers tell stories of searching for furniture, tracking down supplies, painting and moving and arranging, with Roger as their good-natured champion These transition periods are a huge undertaking of schedules and moving trucks and endless blue boxes, but like all of our maintenance staff, Roger is willing and unfailing; he works hard to make things easy for the rest of us.
45 years is a remarkable career That Roger has spent it with us in valuable work and problem-solving, in storytelling and friendly conversations, in caring for scores of teachers and other co-workers and students by the thousands, singing and whistling his way through the halls and the days, is our good fortune.
Roger, thank you so much for everything you’ve done for us and everything you’ve given us We are endlessly grateful to you Your warmth and welcoming, your compassion and commitment, represent the best of everything Bayview Glen aspires to be We will miss you when you leave us, but it will be a rest well-deserved We will look forward to seeing you again soon and hearing your stories of family and friends back home but, until then, every day when we wake up early and come to school, we will watch the sun rise and think of you.
