While students cycle through a day of school work and extracurricular activities, they are often unaware of the actions going on behind the scenes. Custodians spend hours during the day and night to keep the building as clean as possible and provide an environment that students and staff take pride in. It can be a thankless job, but is of great importance to the school. Each custodian provides a service that, whether knowingly or not, helps each day run more smoothly for all the building’s inhabitants. 

“I like doing things for people,” lead custodian Albert Woods said. “What better way to do it [than by] cleaning up a high school?”

Woods has been in the Blue Valley district for almost 30 years and began his career at BV West on the day the school opened. His familiarity with the building and love for high school’s fast-paced atmosphere has helped him develop an effective system for cleaning. He has learned to lead, problem-solve and serve the school with the help of his expertise and his team.

“I just work it out [when there are problems],” Woods said. “It makes me think more and I just come up with an idea and go with it. If I need to bring administration in on it, they don’t have a problem in helping me out with any issues that I have. I have a good crew also that helps me out with getting this building straightened up every day.”

This analytical thinking is critical in a job where there are constantly new situations and adjustments to be made.

These time constraints and more expansive spaces to clean have been challenges for the staff.

In addition to the difficulties brought by JAG, Woods has been working with an influx of new employees for several years. With the help of his assistant lead custodians, he has trained incoming staff members and coordinated with his coworkers to make sure the day and night shifts run smoothly and fulfill the required tasks. Although this process is not always easy, Woods continues to work to keep the building in shape, no matter the circumstances.

“Nobody loves this building more than Mr. Woods,” principal Dr. Brett Potts said. “He is always, always, always thinking about how he can make it look better, how he can become more functional for our students and staff and how he can be more responsive to our needs. That attitude rubs off on those who work with him, the other custodians.”

The custodial staff’s commitment to excellence is a major factor in their success. Their individual efforts help the day run smoothly, but the commitment of everyone who uses the building is important in preserving cleanliness. It is easy to forget how impactful an improperly cleaned building could be.

“I don’t want our students to take for granted that they come to school in a beautiful facility that is very well taken care of,” Potts said. “If these custodians slacked off just a little bit, people’s experience here and their attitude and pride they have in our school would be diminished.”

A clean school affects everyone who steps foot in the doors of BV West. Each window washed, bathroom cleaned or trash can emptied helps eliminate obstacles to health and functionality, making the learning process occur more smoothly . With the custodians’s contributions each day, BV West is a place where all can take pride in what they do and the work they accomplish while in the building.

“I take a lot of pride in what I do,” Woods said. “It wasn’t going to be my life’s ambition to be a custodian, but it’s a stable job. I have fun seeing kids come into the school as a freshman and then graduate… it’s good that we can put them into a nice, clean and safe environment on an everyday basis.”