The caretakers of Terrace

THE DAILY ACTIVITIES OF THE CARETAKERS OF TERRACE

By Terina Papatu and J Gurney

While most confuse the two and there are a few similarities, there is a difference between custodial and janitorial staff. There’s not too much of a difference, but as a janitor, a person’s job includes mostly cleaning the building and keeping it maintained. Even though custodians do a decent amount of cleaning, they can be considered the ‘caretakers of the building’ because in addition to cleaning, custodians are also problem solvers and handymen.

The general job description of a custodian is to keep the

building and grounds clean, safe and up to decent standards. The job is also physically demanding and as tiring as any other job in the school. In an eight-hour shift, head custodian Darren Sheehan works for about six to seven hours, doing easy repairs and what he calls “on-call cleaning.”

During the summer, custodians are at the school the same amount as they are from September to June, sometimes even more than teachers. Custodians deep clean common areas like the HUB, courtyard, and gym as well as all the classrooms and offices. According to Sheehan, during the height of the pandemic, there would be one person cleaning a classroom at a time which took roughly eight hours alone.

Along with this, they keep the school running in more ways than one. Who is called when someone pukes in the classroom, or at the end of the day when there’s urine all over the bathroom floor? You wouldn’t want to clean that. Pretty sure nobody would. Who keeps the floors sparkly even after there’s paint splattered on them? When someone spills their latte in first-period science?

While there are some staff members that mind students acting, well, the way teenagers act, Sheehan believes the opposite about students at Terrace.

“Nothing bothers me too much, just kids being kids. The students are still learning how to be humans,” he said.

The difference in shifts isn’t much, the latest currently ending at midnight for night lead custodian Bryan Oakley. This wasn’t always the case, however. During his first two years as a custodian at MTHS, Sheehan said there was a graveyard shift ending at 5 a.m., so there was someone in the building 24/7.

When dances, assemblies, sports games or any other events end, the person cleaning it often rotates depending on whoever wants to work overtime. Sometimes, day custodian Se Oh may do it. Other times the task falls on Modestus Owaezuoke, who focuses on the athletics areas like the locker rooms and gyms, as well as Oakley.

How custodians are treated differs on where they are. For example, while one certain group of custodians may feel like they’re treated, well, as human beings, others may feel the opposite based on the group of people that are around them. No matter your position, no matter the setting, the way you treat someone shouldn’t be based on their job title, but rather on what they’re like as a person. At Terrace, the custodians are treated better than custodians at other schools might be.

“I feel like I’m a bit more lucky with this school. Not all schools are as respectful,” Sheehan said.

Everyone has their own favorite parts of their job. One of Sheehan’s is problem-solving and just being around the school environment. Since he walks around the school a lot during the school day, he gets to see what students are doing. For example, when he sees students that regularly skip classes, they become familiar by talking every now and then.

Something most people might not be aware of is that when the fire alarm goes off, nothing happens until the custodians find out where the problem is. If you remember the multiple fire alarms that went off in the 2021-2022 school year, custodians were always the last people in the school. They check the halls and classrooms to make sure everyone’s left, and then try to find the source of the problem. Of course, if there is really a fire, then they leave. When you think about everything they do, we all rely on custodians without realizing how much we do, and how much they do for us. H

CHARLI GILCHRIST | HAWKEYE

HISTORICAL FICTION READS

By Sicily Weitz

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Although student life has been stressful with school starting again and the sudden increase in homework, people still might want to sit down and read a book, whether it’s for personal enjoyment, a school project or anything else. If you’re not sure where to start, here are some recommendations.

Published in 1945, “Animal Farm” by George Orwell is a heart-wrenching satire of the Russian Revolution. This is a classic example of not to judge a book by its cover, or title in this case. To avoid spoiling the story by saying too much, just know that this is a great book for any school report, or even for casual reading. The characters are easy to get attached to, and at most points in the story they’re compelling to root for. As the story continues, moments with the characters really pull on the reader’s heartstrings, and it feels like time flies by while reading. It’s masterfully written, and even though I’m personally not usually interested in historical books, I thoroughly enjoyed it after being assigned it in class. A slight warning to keep in mind before delving into the book is that it’s dark. There are multiple violent scenes, including murder, brainwashing, political sabotage and manipulation. If you’re someone who can’t handle these topics, this book may not be the best option for you.

The historical fiction book “Into the Killing Seas” by Michael P. Spradlin has the right amount of action and characters that are likable from the second they’re introduced. In the story, two boys in the middle of World War II get separated from their parents and are forced to board a U.S. Navy ship in hopes of getting home. To the boys’ surprise, the ship goes under fire by Japanese torpedoes and they must manage to survive in the middle of the ocean. The ending is shocking and has a big twist that will leave you feeling many emotions at once. When reading the book for a second time, it’s also much easier and exciting to pick up on all the little hints and clues that were easy to miss the first time around.

“A Night Divided” by Jennifer A. Nielsen is yet another historical fiction book, this time immersing the reader into the life of someone living during the 1960s while the Berlin Wall was being built. The book centers around a girl named Greta whose family is divided by the wall. Her family on the west side is trying to get her family on the east to a tunnel underneath where they can escape to safety. There are some incredibly tense moments that keep the reader on the edge of their seat. If you enjoy suspenseful books, this is a great option.

These three books are all suspenseful and the authors do a good job of telling their stories. These are great books to read if you want to immerse yourself into an action-packed world from the past. H

Teacher book recommendations

By Denise Tripp LIBRARIAN “A Taste for Monsters” by Matthew Kirby. In 1888, seventeen-year-old Evelyn Fallow, herself disfigured by the phosphorus in the match factory where she worked, has been hired as a maid to Joseph Merrick, the Elephant Man--but when the Jack the Ripper murders begin, she and Merrick find themselves haunted by the ghosts of the slain women, and Evelyn is caught up in the mystery of Jack’s identity. H

RODNEY BUDDEN | HAWKEYE

By Stephen Merlino

ENGLISH TEACHER/AUTHOR

“Something Wicked This Way Comes” by Ray Bradbury. A nighttime carnival comes to town and two boys, allured by its dark wonders, find horrors behind its shiny curtains and flee for their lives. Bradbury’s prose is haunting and beautiful, and his meditations on childhood and life stay with you after the last page.

“The Graveyard Book” by Neil Gaiman. A completely original and imaginative young adult novel of a boy raised by ghosts and pursued by supernatural monsters for reasons no one knows. The audiobook is magnificent and lyrical, read by Neil Gaiman himself. I’ve listened to it at least twice. H