Beyond the Bell: Overlooked Staff Members at Hillgrove By: Maylene Michel

Hillgrove has many qualified and seasoned teachers, but it is also the epitome of supporting staff being “the backbone of any successful school, playing multifaceted roles that contribute significantly to the educational experience,” as stated by Principalstoday. Despite their crucial contributions, these workers receive public little recognition. Students at Hillgrove have occasionally revealed that they are silent supporters, and their gratitude often goes unnoticed. Hillgrove students have expressed their appreciation mainly for a specific category of overlooked staff: custodians.

Mia Hite, a junior at Hillgrove, speaks on custodians and their “dedication to the ‘grossness’. Like, they have to deal with, like, trash and things like that. It takes a certain kind of person to be able to do that job.” Not only do they silently do the undesirable jobs, they do this work well after everybody leaves. Addison Gorman, another junior at Hillgrove, elaborates on this, noting these janitors stay “after hours, like, to clean up our school, because, like, a lot of us and some teachers, like, get to go home right at 3:30, and they don't because they're still cleaning up our mess.” The custodians’ commitment ensures a clean space for every student who walk through the doors.

One fact worth noting, according to EducationWeek, is “without support staff such as bus drivers, food service workers, custodians, and maintenance technicians, so many critical tasks would go undone, leaving students without safe and comfortable school environments that play an important role in their success,” and Mia Hite has made it clear that she has recognized and appreciate this within Hillgrove’s overlooked custodians. She explains, “them picking up, like, all the trash and keeping areas clean keeps, like keeps us from being distracted by it and keeping us focused on our day and keeping us safe and healthy so that we can come to school every day.” The behind the scenes work also ensures the wellbeing of everyone inside the building.

Keeping in mind that the custodians, although crucial to the school, are only one type of overlooked staff members, it is evident that “their role[s] fundamentally [exist] to support the teaching and learning of the school, either directly or indirectly and in doing so make the school a better place,” as put by Smile UK. They are deserving of commendation, and Mia Hoage’s idea to “shout them out every once in a while, on like the announcements…” is one that the majority of if not all students will agree on. Taking the time to notice them is the least students can do to for those who make the school a better place.