{"id":9955,"date":"2021-02-03T09:54:50","date_gmt":"2021-02-03T14:54:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/?p=9955"},"modified":"2021-03-19T11:09:20","modified_gmt":"2021-03-19T15:09:20","slug":"you-can-tell-we-take-pride-here-custodians-keeps-schools-clean-and-safe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/you-can-tell-we-take-pride-here-custodians-keeps-schools-clean-and-safe\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cYou can tell we take pride here.\u201d \u2013 Custodians keep schools clean and safe"},"content":{"rendered":"

Millie Hernandez has a slogan that inspires her work at Landstown High School: \u201cWhat makes them happy, makes me happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe parents want a clean school, so I keep it clean,\u201d she says. \u201cWhen you come to my school, you can tell we take pride here.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Millie Hernandez, head day custodian at Landstown High, holds the disinfectant used to clean surfaces.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While students were learning from home, Virginia Beach City Public Schools\u2019 620 custodians kept up their daily routines \u2013 making hallways, classrooms and bathrooms shine brighter and brighter. Everything is in tiptop shape for students to return.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe school is clean,\u201d says Joseph Davis, head custodian at Indian Lakes Elementary. \u201cThe floor looks like ice, and that\u2019s the way I like it.\u201d<\/p>\n

At Landstown High, Hernandez and the night supervisor are part of a team of 18 custodians who have been keeping everything sanitized. In recent weeks, students have been coming into the building for SOL tests and for winter sports.<\/p>\n

Extra attention is given to cleaning athletic equipment, explains Hernandez, who leads the daytime staff. Bleachers, barbells and basketball hoops are disinfected multiple times before and after competitions and practices.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of kids in here starting at 3 p.m.,\u201d he says. \u201cWe want to keep it germ-free.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hernandez\u2019s staff members are sticking to their regimens.<\/p>\n

\u201cI make sure they are wiping down the phones at night, even if the phones may not have been used that day,\u201d Hernandez adds. \u201cWe have to do it right every time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Davis sets the same high standards at Indian Lakes.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I pressure-wash the walls, I have the other custodians come after me and wipe them down,\u201d he explains. The work can be repetitive \u2013 \u201cEven if it\u2019s been wiped down, we wipe it down again,\u201d Davis says \u2013 but it\u2019s all worth it to keep the students safe.<\/p>\n

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Joseph Davis, head custodian at Indian Lakes Elementary, shows some of the equipment that helps keep his school clean.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nothing is left untouched \u2013 from plastic shields to light fixtures to air vents. They\u2019re all kept clean.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do things by the book,\u201d Hernandez says.<\/p>\n

Landstown Assistant Principal Jason Stanley can\u2019t say enough good things about Hernandez and the custodial staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re super-blessed to have her here with us,\u201d he says. \u201cToday when I came into the office, a custodian was there to make sure everything was clean and that my trashcan had been emptied. They\u2019re really on top of everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Area Supervisor Francine Kerbo, custodians have adjusted to new equipment and shifting schedules this past year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re so many things we do, and it\u2019s always changing,\u201d Kerbo says. \u201cYet we\u2019re adapting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of the area supervisors commend our custodians for their steadfast commitment and support for making sure every day that our schools are kept clean and sanitized for students and staff,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n

Davis is glad students are returning to school.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love the kids,\u201d he says. \u201cI look forward to them coming back.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Millie Hernandez, head day custodian at Landstown High School, has been with Virginia Beach Public Schools for 17 years. She was working as a secretary in Manhattan on 9-11 and had a harrowing experience escaping the disaster area. She decided it was time for a change and moved to Virginia Beach, where her sister teaches. She gave custodial work a try, and fell in love with the people at Landstown. \u201cI found it was a great place to work. I love this school.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Joseph Davis, head custodian at Indian Lakes Elementary School, has been with VBCPS for 20 years and worked 25 years at Norfolk Public Schools. He credits his grandmother for his work ethic. \u201cShe used to say, \u2018If you do a job, do it right the first time.\u2019 \u201d He says it\u2019s important to show everyone respect, and he\u2019s set up a snack station in his office for visitors to stop by and grab some refreshments. \u201cI love what I do,\u201d he says. \u201cI let my work speak for me.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Rufino Bioc uses a riding scrubber to clean and polish the gym surface at Landstown High School.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"""\"<\/a>
Virgo Pillega sprays down the bleachers at Landstown High.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"""\"<\/a>
Custodian Fe Ranay uses a mister to clean a classroom at Indian Lakes Elementary School.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Millie Hernandez has a slogan that inspires her work at Landstown High School: \u201cWhat makes them happy, makes me happy.\u201d \u201cThe parents want a clean school, so I keep it […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":9963,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9955","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9955"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9955\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9980,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9955\/revisions\/9980"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9963"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}