Benilde-St. Margaret’s wouldn’t be able to function without the maintenance staff. They do much to help keep this school safe and ready to welcome students. But who are these individuals, and what do they do on the daily to keep our school clean? What is a day in the life of a BSM maintenance staff like?
On a regular day, maintenance staff members have varied operations to complete. Whether they’re cleaning classrooms, shoveling snow, or cleaning the bathrooms, the crew is hard at work. They clean the lunchroom before and after each lunch period so students can enjoy a tidy, spill-free lunch. Kris Vance is one member of the maintenance staff at BSM. “We have many jobs each day that go from opening up the building, which is unlocking everything and turning on the lights, to cleaning the classrooms and the hallways and everything to get stuff ready,” Vance said.
Lauryn Lumpkins is a member of the maintenance staff as well as a facility and event coordinator. To get the job done, Lumpkins must get to school at 5:30 am every day. She fixes worn paint throughout the school, cleans windows, and helps set up events, among other things. “I’m just doing my rounds of cleaning windows. If we have an event to set up with, I set up the event. Other than that I walk around and see what needs to be cleaned,” Lumpkins said.
Even while school isn’t in session, the maintenance crew is hard at work. Over the summer, sports are still practicing, clubs are still running, and summer camps are being held on campus. If sports fields are overgrown or require touch-ups, the maintenance crew is on it. They help prepare for the upcoming school year by painting walls, cleaning lockers, and landscaping around the campus. “In the summer we keep the fields ready. The baseball, the softball, and the track,” Vance said.
Students are busy with their work and sometimes lack appreciation for the work that is being done around them. BSM students may try to keep the school well-ordered, but is there are ways that they could help ease the maintenance staff’s burden such as reminding their classmates to be tidy and keeping others in check. “If we all kind of remind people, ‘Hey, don’t do that’ maybe that will help. In general, the kids do a good job of helping with the building,” Vance said.