Walking into Salisbury High School, you’ll probably turn the corner to see the three custodians playing their music, walking together and joking around as they work. Even so, students pass by them every day, heads down and earbuds in, neglecting to recognize and say hello to the people who keep their school clean.
Even without meeting them, you can tell they are happy, funny people. While the students are in their own world, the custodians are in theirs. So, who are the people that keep the school running?
Mr. Nolan Rau who has worked at Salisbury for three years, Mr. Brian Pritchard who has worked at Salisbury for 13 years, and Mr. Mike DelPriore who has worked at Salisbury for 44 years make up the daytime custodial staff at Salisbury High School.
All three were able to find a safe haven at Salisbury, one way or another. Mr. Pritchard was previously a union electrician, Mr. Rau was (and still is) a landscaper, and Mr. DelPriore was a welder. They all had similar reasons that led to the end of their previous jobs and brought them to Salisbury.
Mr. Pritchard explains, “We all went through the layoff situation. When you work in construction that’s what you get, a lot of layoffs.”
Mr. DelPriore, who has worked at Salisbury the longest by far, said, “I lost my job as a welder, and when I came here, I thought it was only going to be a couple years, and it was ever since.”
He’s been at Salisbury for 44 years.
Outside of their work, all three men have interesting hobbies.
Mr. DelPriore said, “I’m a soccer referee, and I have a big garden- fruit trees, bees, making wine, making maple syrup.” Mr. Rau said, “I cut grass every day after work and I have a landscape business.”
Most similar and relatable to high school students, Mr. Pritchard, with a big smile on his face, simply said, “I love Star Wars legos.”
When asked what they love most about their job, they were excited to answer.
Mr. Pritchard said, “I guess the coworkers, more than anything.” Mr. DelPriore added, “The coworkers, and the fact that you do something new every day.”
Their support of each other is obvious; they are always seen side-by-side and laughing, even during this interview.
Their typical day together looks different than most people’s, but they love it.
Mr. Pritchard describes, “It’s more like a surprise. You remember the old Cracker Jack boxes? You never know what you’re gonna get inside. That’s what it’s like sometimes.” Mr. DelPriore added, “Sometimes it goes to schedule, but most times it doesn’t.”
Within the school, it’s easy to find a student complaining about the temperature in their classrooms. Sometimes it’s too hot, sometimes it’s too cold. All of Salisbury’s students are familiar with the issue. But how many people know the custodians’ side of the story?
Mr. DelPriore explained, “72 is too hot. How about 68? Too cold. A big building like this is tough to control. It’s not like a house where you can press 72, and it will stay about 72. In a building like this, you have to bring in so much fresh air from outside to make it safe.”
Along with this popular issue, that hopefully now students are aware of the difficulty of, the custodians have plenty other daily struggles.
Mr. Rau said, “Everything’s now now now. Nobody can wait.” Mr. Pritchard added, “Everybody thinks they’re the most important person in the building when they need something. But we have to attend to everybody. We have to make everybody happy. We have to make sure the students are safe.”
Even though it may be difficult and demanding sometimes, they are still motivated to come to work, for the simple reason of enjoying the work they do.
Mr. DelPriore says, “I love what I do, I really do. To me, coming to work is not work because I love what I do. I enjoy working.”
With their love for the job, and years of experience in the district, comes great memories.
While it was too early in his career for Mr. Rau to have any stories, Mr. Pritchard was happy to explain one of his favorite memories that he shared with a young student when he was a custodian at the elementary school.
“I’ll never forget. It was a first grader. I got a call that one of the bathrooms was clogged. And I don’t even get in the bathroom, and all I hear is the kid saying ‘It won’t go down! It keeps going around and around and around!’ And you have to try and hold your composure. You have to try not to laugh when you walk in. So that actually is amusing to me. I still remember that.”
Mr. Pritchard then shared a great story that happened years ago when Mr. DelPriore was the only one of the three who worked here. It goes to show how dedicated the custodial staff was, and how they still are today.
“A waterline broke out here behind the athletic office. It filled up the vestibule by about a foot. The water went into the old gym, into the athletic office, and down the hallway. It went into about 10 classrooms. There were about seven to eight guys that came here, got it all vacuumed up. School still started on time.”
The dedication this staff puts into this school is truly incredible.
Finally, these men, who spend every day observing and working to keep the students safe, shared what advice they would give these kids as they go through high school. Mr. Pritchard gave a great response.
“Keep your nose to the grind, and just do the best you can. I’ve gotta say too, if you have a dream, stick to it. Work for it as best as you can.”
As a student, it’s easy to overlook the staff that keeps the school running behind the scenes. It’s so easy to miss out on the people who care about the well being of the school the most. For the three inseparable custodians, their job has always been more than just work.
And for students walking past them in the hallways every day, it might be worth taking a moment to realize that.
