{"id":14142,"date":"2025-06-26T11:27:01","date_gmt":"2025-06-26T15:27:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/?p=14142"},"modified":"2025-06-26T11:27:01","modified_gmt":"2025-06-26T15:27:01","slug":"custodians-recognized-for-invaluable-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/custodians-recognized-for-invaluable-service\/","title":{"rendered":"Custodians recognized for invaluable service"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Custodians were honored for their hard work June 18 at a \u201cCustodian Appreciation Day\u201d luncheon.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By Cindy Butler Focke<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Kingston Elementary custodians and staff attended the \u201cCustodian Appreciation Day\u201d luncheon. From left, custodians Michelle Morinia, Leonor Flores, Deon Jones, Emma Wolf, principal Grant Baker and assistant principal Jennifer Corso.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

VBCPS custodians were celebrated at the \u201cCustodian Appreciation Day\u201d luncheon June 18 at Ocean Lakes High School.<\/p>\n

Director of Custodial and Distribution Services Sam Nix welcomed more than 300 custodians who attended the annual thank you event.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe appreciate all the hard work,\u201d he said to the group. \u201cYou are entangled with everything that goes on in our buildings.\u201d<\/p>\n

And that includes a myriad of projects that take place during the summer.<\/p>\n

Kingston Elementary head daytime custodian Tina Blunt said she enjoys her job and interactions with students and staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are like family,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Known as \u201cMiss Tina,\u201d Blunt said she occasionally gets hugs from students. Some need more attention than others, but \u201cI try to stay available for all of them,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

In addition to deep cleaning the school during the next few months, Kingston will host about 85 students from eight schools for summer school.<\/p>\n

Blunt said they\u2019re ready.<\/p>\n

Alex Felton has worked as a Princess Anne Middle custodian for about four years. \u201cThe quietness is always appreciated during the summer,\u201d he said with a smile.<\/p>\n

His team will be busy stripping and waxing floors, cleaning windows and making sure the building is in great shape for the next school year. Felton said he enjoys being part of a great team.<\/p>\n

Windsor Oaks Elementary custodian Wayne Harrell said one of the best things about his job is the students.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first thing they holler is your name,\u201d he said. Harrell, who answers to \u201cMr. Wayne,\u201d has been a custodian for about 15 years.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
From left: Superintendent Dr. Donald Robertson Jr., schoolboard member Mark Bohenstiel, director of custodial and distribution services Sam Nix and chief operations officer Jack Freeman applauded custodians for their dedicated service.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe benefits are very good and there\u2019s lots of opportunity for advancement,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Superintendent Dr. Donald Robertson Jr., Chief Operations Officer Jack Freeman, Executive Director of Facilities Services Melissa Ingram and members of the custodial leadership team applauded the custodians.<\/p>\n

Ingram noted they are responsible for 11 million square feet of space within 91 buildings.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you for your commitment to beach public schools so students have a great place to learn,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

They also heard from the leadership team about the importance of wearing uniforms, taking care of equipment, training new employees, time management, teamwork and more.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Custodians received a duffel bag and water bottle as a thank you for their hard work during the 2024-25 school year.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Each was given a duffel bag, water bottle, and treated to lunch from Taste Unlimited.<\/p>\n

Robertson said custodians impact the education of the more than 60,000 students enrolled in VBCPS.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour work matters,\u201d he told them. \u201cWe can\u2019t achieve what we want to achieve if our buildings aren\u2019t clean and safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nix agreed and said he was proud of the entire custodial team. He called them \u201cthe eyes, ears and nose of our buildings.\u201d<\/p>\n

Students learn better when they have a clean environment, he said.<\/p>\n

Remember, \u201cthe cleanliness of your space can dictate students\u2019 learning pace.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

VBCPS is hiring custodians, including 18 positions added for the 2025-26 school year. \u00a0For more information and to apply, visit https:\/\/www.vbschools.com\/careers<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Tallwood High School custodians Angie Ronquillo, left, and Amber South were among the more than 300 custodians who enjoyed lunch and fellowship during the \u201cCustodian Appreciation Day\u201d luncheon at Ocean Lakes High School.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
The VBCPS custodial leadership team thanked custodians for their invaluable service during the \u201cCustodian Appreciation Day\u201d event. From left, Paula Gutierrez, Mike Williams, Shay Broadnax, Tomika Know, Sam Nix, Francine Kerbo, Adriene Hill, and Ralph Thorpe.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Cindy Butler Focke VBCPS custodians were celebrated at the \u201cCustodian Appreciation Day\u201d luncheon June 18 at Ocean Lakes High School. Director of Custodial and Distribution Services Sam Nix welcomed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":14147,"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":[213],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14142","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-staff-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14142","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14142"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14142\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14152,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14142\/revisions\/14152"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14147"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14142"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14142"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14142"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}