The campus of Nazareth Academy is vast and houses over 40 classrooms, dozens of offices, bathrooms, and hallways, two gyms and one dining hall. Add to that, on any given day, there are nearly a thousand people using the facility. While most students, faculty and staff come and go and don’t leave a mess in their wake, the fact is that at the end of the day, there’s a lot of cleaning-up that needs to be done.
Enter the janitorial staff from Buck Services, currently made up of four hard-workers who arrive when most have left the building and work into the night to ensure everything is clean by the next day.
The work of this small but mighty crew often goes unnoticed and the building’s cleanliness is usually taken for granted. But, it is due to their work that we enjoy a fresh start every day.
The head of the crew, Freddy, has over ten years of experience working through Buck Services, the agency that Nazareth contracts to provide cleaning services. Freddy knows what he is doing: if you’ve ever seen him in the hallways, he is efficient and effective. Add to that, he says he likes what he does and appreciates the autonomy of the job. The biggest challenge, he says, comes when mixing the chemicals necessary for cleaning and disinfection.
Susana has been working at Nazareth Academy for over eight years and said she likes cleaning, too. And, in addition to her evening janitorial duties, she also works for Quest Services every morning in the cafeteria. “I like my job, I like what I do, I like to work with other people,” said Susana.
Whether you agree or not, it’s true that some people actually find cleaning therapeutic. Rosalía, who has been working on the team for a few months, says she enjoys her job because of how relaxing it is.
The newest hire who has been on the team since mid-November of this year is Araceli. She says the best part of her job is knowing that when students come to school the next day, they have a clean classroom.
All the staff said that what keeps them motivated to keep working in the cleaning industry is that no matter what, there is always demand for cleaning services.
A common wish among the cleaning crew is that students would take more care of their environment and pick up after themselves. Even though it’s their job, they believe it is important for everyone to have respect for the school and for other students who also plan to use these facilities.
Susana said that she hopes when students enter cleaned spaces like classrooms, cafeterias, bathrooms and other areas of the building, that they recognize the cleanliness and how much work goes into keeping it that way. She hopes that students value their work as a team.
This cleaning crew is committed to their job and playing their part in helping educate the whole person by ensuring the building is ready for everyone each and every day.
