Anyone who works at DGS deserves some serious recognition. After all, it isn’t easy working with teenagers. However, a special commendation goes out to the people that work behind the scenes: the Custodial, Maintenance, and Grounds (CMG) Staff. Every single person who is a part of that crew deserves our deep gratitude. To show mine, I met with John Sweeney, a custodian that usually works the first shift mainly in the cafeteria.

Sweeney has worked at DGS for about eight years and has picked up a few life lessons along the way. One of them is to “be versatile.” Although most people would agree that a custodian’s duties are strenuous, we still underestimate the unpredictableness of their job. Sweeney shared that when he first started working at DGS, “it was surprising at how much was going on behind the scenes,” and that it’s “much more than just custodial type stuff.”

However, because of his ability to adapt, Sweeney is able to accomplish whatever task comes his way. Mike Reyes, the CMG supervisor and a peer who has worked alongside Sweeney since the beginning, noticed this and said that, “John is a very hard worker. There’s nothing that we give him that he can’t complete for us, from the small little sweep-ups to the big massive water leak somewhere.”

As a senior getting ready to prepare myself for a career, I was given another important piece of advice. Sweeney offered the essential life lesson of taking opportunities. Sweeney has had a couple different careers in his life, a custodian being his third. He stressed how important it was to “take opportunities when one presents you with them.” At first, his job as a custodian was temporary but when the opportunity arose for him to be full-time, he took it. And is most definitely glad that he did so.

Over the course of his career, there have been plenty of good times. Because of Go Green Tuesday, a day specifically set for students to help out with recycling after school, our CMG staff has been able to work closely with a diverse group of students, especially the special needs kids. For Sweeney, one of his most memorable moments here at DGS would be when he took a photo with the special needs kids after their basketball championship and also getting the chance to see a boy named Colin play the drums alongside our marching band. And there are still many memorable moments yet to come.                                                             

In my opinion, our school has done such a great job of recognizing students and staff. But there’s always room for improvement. Let’s make it a point to go up to anyone from the CMG staff and personally greet them.

When I asked Sweeney if many students have come up to him personally to express their appreciation, he responded with, “It doesn’t happen very often.”

I responded with a follow-up question, asking him if he would like it if more people would say something but he simply said, “it’d be nice but it’s not necessary.”

I, however, disagree. I think it is absolutely necessary to say thank you to people like Sweeney, a hard worker who is a crucial part of our school. Without our CMG staff, our school would simply not function. So please, make it a point to express your appreciation to the staff.

If you don’t have the chance to speak to them personally, there are still a bunch of different ways you could show your gratitude. It’s as simple as cleaning up after yourself. It takes two seconds for you to walk to the garbage and throw your trash away. Not only are you helping the custodians, but you’re also being considerate of the people coming into the lunchroom after you.

Therefore, I want to give a huge shout out to the entire CMG staff. You guys are a key component to our school and deserve all the credit in the world. Your hard work sets an example for all of us. Thank you and keep up the excellent work.