Page 7 - Mid Valley Times 1-20-22 E-Edition

Thursday, January 20, 2022
Custodians reach milestone at KCUSD
The View From Here
A lot has changed over at the Kings Can- yon Unified School Dis- trict’s Main- tenance De- partment building.
Juanita Adame
By Juanita Adame
Mid Valley Times
The safety standards with- in the KCUSD Maintenance department are contagious. They have now spread from the grounds department to the custodial department.
The custodial team has now reached 372 days with no work related injuries.
“Coming into this team, I was the head custodian at one time just like the rest of the guys here,” said Bryan Har- man, the district’s custodial supervisor. “I know what it means to work together, work as a team.”
Harman said the director of maintenance, Joseph Gon- zalez, inspired him to take a chance and have his team be- gin their own challenge.
“He came to us and said hey its time to take it to the next level,” Harman said. “I thought it would be easy, we communicated, we thought this would be easy. We man- aged to get to 90 days, then had an injury.”
The geographical distance between the school sites also proved to be a challenge at first with the district's farthest school site being in Dunlap, nearly 30 miles away.
Harman wasn’t sure if the goal was attainable. At one point, his team didn’t think so either.
“Frank Carillo, our past supervisor started the pro- cess and we went for a few months and then someone was injured,” said Angel Ramirez. “By us getting the same in-
For starters, Frank Car- illo, the former custodial su- pervisor has since retired. I interviewed Frank when I worked on the safety goal story back in early 2019.
I also noticed there are more COVID-19 precau- tions around the building. When we all first met, we had no idea how much of an impact COVID-19 would have on our society and our lives.
One thing that hasn’t changed however is the teams dedication to safety protocols. They set out a goal way back then and have not just continued the goal, but have managed to bring another department in on the challenge.
On the morning of Wednesday, Jan. 12, I met custodians; Angel Ramirez, Tony Klassen, Arte Misa, and custodial supervisor, Brian Harman.
“We’re really proud and excited that we’re catch- ing up to the maintenance department,” said Angel Ramirez.
So for those who are unfamiliar, the Mainte- nance and Grounds depart- ment takes care of all the grounds, custodians keep track of the classrooms.
“It’s all one big umbrel- la, the maintenance depart- ment under Joseph but we work separate.”
So the last time I met with the maintenance de- partment my story was focused primarily on the grounds department.
I remember back then having the custodial de- partment join in was just an idea. Well, the idea was planted and now it's grow- ing.
“I enjoy everything about my job, talking with people,” said Arte Misa. “People ask me for some- thing I want to show them I can do it.”
Another challenge the custodial department has faced is of course the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. That entire year took their jobs of disinfecting, cleaning and wiping down surfaces to a new level.
Tony Klassen told me they will likely keep all the same COVID-19 protocols of cleaning and disinfect- ing from now on. It not only helps to stop the spread of COVID-19 but other illness- es as well.
Great job custodial de- partment, keep up the great work!
Photo by Juanita Adame / Mid Valley Times
From left, Joseph Gonzalez, director of maintenance at KCUSD, Tonly Klassen, Arte Misa, Angel Ramirez and custodial supervisor, Bryan Harman.
'Earth Dome' visits Silas Bartsch in Reedley
Mid Valley Times
The Dinuba Chamber of Commerce is now accepting nominations for their annual chamber awards dinner on Feb. 18.
The chamber is asking anyone who would like to nominate an honoree to visit their website SurveyMon- key.com.
Ticket price information will be posted on the cham- ber website soon.
Contributed
Students at Silas Barts h sat in the school cafeteria on the morn- ingof Jan.13tolearnabouttheplanetEarth.TheinflatableEarth globe reached the ceiling of the cafeteria.
Contributed
Students at Silas Bartsch were introduced to Earth Dome on Jan. 13 to learn about the planet they live on.
Presenters taught students about geography, animals and weather in regions around the world. Students were also en- gaged in the lesson by intro- ducing them to locations that are popular in Disney movies,
such as Madagascar.
After students toured con-
tinents on the outside of the dome, they stepped inside where they learned about con- tinents in the northern hemi- sphere.
The assembly series will continue on February 11 with Sky Dome and conclude on March 1 with Forces and Mo- tion.
Contributed
This photo of 20 month-old, Gage Huerta helping put wreaths on VeteransgravesideforWreathsAcrossAmerica lastmonthwas sent in by Cheyenne Huerta. Volunteers also helped remove the wreaths following the holidays. Have a photo you'd like featured? Email juanita@midvalleypublishing.com.
formation and being on the same page it feels more like a team because when everyone gets different information, it makes everyone feel scattered and not together.”
“We had to regroup,” Har- man added. “Joseph advised that we go out there, talk to the guys, listen to what their needs are, what do they need at their sites?”
“We started communicat- ing more than just once a month,” Harman continued. “And we began going out to sites and looking for things that allowed them to go home safe everyday.”
The custodial department has now reached 372 days, and they don't plan on slowing down anytime soon.
Photo by Juanita Adame / Mid Valley Times
Bryan Harman said keeping his team safe was a number one pri- ority when he took the position as head custodian.
Dinuba Chamber awards dinner set for Feb. 18
Photo of the Week