At 2:35 p.m., the last bell of the day rings at Oak Park High School. Students file off campus, excited to leave the school day behind. For Head Custodian Richard Ortega and the OPHS custodial staff, the day is just beginning.
Ortega can be spotted putting out fires across campus throughout the day—opening jammed lockers, preparing for sporting events and vigilantly emptying trash cans before they overflow. On the day of his interview, he was sitting in his golf cart, sporting a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses; his skin tanned from sun exposure.
“I take care of all the sports teams, the teacher requests and the Pavilion,” Ortega said. “One of my biggest strengths is staying organized and being prepared. School is repetitive, so once you’ve gotten a few years under your belt, you know what to expect.”
With custodian Edgar Ramirez out on medical leave, the remaining four members of the custodial staff find themselves working overtime to keep the campus in top shape.
“The district allows for four hours of overtime to make up for [Ramirez] being out,” Ortega said. “We have Chris Rodriguez coming in an hour early and staying an hour late, and then Adolfo Ferales and I have been alternating, staying two hours and cleaning the two buildings that [Ramirez] normally claims.”
Ramirez typically monitors the G-building, the F-building, the office and the main bathrooms. Teachers on this side of campus recognize the struggles of the short-staffed crew.
“The impact is–with more than 150 kids walking through the room–that little pieces of trash, dirt and pollen are tracked in,” math teacher Cathy Lory said. “It also impacts the rotation regarding cleaning all the bathrooms on campus and the office. To maintain the cleanliness, we have to be extra vigilant.”
Ortega and his team are 12-month employees, which means that, when students and teachers head off for summer break, the custodial team gets started on summer procedures
“You would think that we would step back and take a breather during summer break, but right on the first day of summer, work starts,” Ortega said. “Then, when school starts, we’re shot out of the canon.”
With overtime work and extra tasks needing to be completed, there are ways students can help ease the burden of the custodian staff.
“It would be great if [students] could utilize the correct trash cans,” Ortega said. “But more importantly, just getting the trash into the trash can totally helps. We’re in an open campus and we don’t have fences, so when the wind blows, it goes into the street.”
Sometimes the work can feel repetitive, especially for the nighttime staff. Cleaning pieces of ripped paper and vacuuming classrooms that were clean the night before can leave one with a sense of deja vu.
“It’s like Groundhog Day, every day,” Ortega said. “I’m like, ‘Wow, I just cleaned all this yesterday, and now it needs to be cleaned again.’ The little things matter: being mindful, not leaving pens and pencils on the floor, putting up chairs.”
The team is always grateful for the help that students give. Although they have a constant workload, they still have time to show their appreciation.
“Everything’s always appreciated. I tell kids all the time, ‘Thank you for using the trash can.’ Because, you know, just to give them that, ‘Hey, it’s what you do when nobody’s watching, right?’”
Teachers and staff understand the importance of custodians and their vital role at OPHS.
“Our custodians work so hard,” Lory said. “When we didn’t see them, like after school, on weekends, and all summer, they worked really hard to get the school open for the new year.”
The custodial staff recognizes the connection between them and the students. While working alongside OPHS students, they see their growth and maturity every day.
“I appreciate the students that we have. We get to watch them grow up for four years,” Ortega said. “For the most part, they’re very aware of how their footprint affects the custodial staff.”
Although the team faces challenges, they continuously conquer them with a positive attitude. The custodians embrace the beauty of Oak Park and try every day to maintain it.
“I never get tired of coming to work,” Ortega said. “Sometimes, I’ll be out on the football field and look over at the hills, and it just never gets old.”
The hours of hard work that go into keeping OPHS clean often go unnoticed, but the custodial staff truly is the backbone of each event in Oak Park. Their dedication and unwavering commitment to this school lay the foundation for a smooth school year. When there is a mess, they recognize the potential that lies underneath.
“We’re in a beautiful place, so let’s keep it beautiful,” Ortega said.
