🧑🔧 BEHIND EVERY SCHOOL DAY IS A TEAM THAT MAKES IT POSSIBLE: D99 CELEBRATES NATIONAL CUSTODIAN DAY! 🧹
Today, We Celebrate the People Who Keep District 99 Moving!
Long before the first student walks through our doors each morning, members of the Cicero District 99 Buildings & Grounds team are already at work.
And long after the last bell rings, many of them are still here.
Today, on National Custodian Day, we recognize more than 100 dedicated employees who work across our buildings and behind the scenes to make sure our schools are clean, safe, comfortable, welcoming, and ready for our students and staff every single day.
They are our Head Custodians who lead their buildings and somehow always seem to know what needs attention.
They are our Day Custodians who respond to countless needs throughout the school day while keeping our buildings running.
They are our Night Custodians who do so much of their work after our hallways empty — cleaning classrooms, floors, restrooms, offices, cafeterias, and countless other spaces so that when students return the next morning, their school is ready for another day.
But the Buildings & Grounds family extends far beyond custodial services.
District 99 is fortunate to have an incredible team of specialized maintenance professionals — including painters, electricians, HVAC technicians, plumbers, and carpenters. Their expertise allows us to handle an extraordinary range of work within our own district, from everyday repairs and preventative maintenance to emergencies and major projects.
Our Service Center team keeps the district moving — sometimes quite literally — coordinating deliveries, equipment, furniture, supplies, moves, setups, and the countless requests that connect our buildings.
And our Buildings & Grounds directors help coordinate this enormous operation, making sure more than 100 people across the district have what they need to do their jobs and serve our schools.
There is so much work that most people will never see.
The early mornings. The late nights. The snow and ice. The summer heat. The leaking pipe that needs immediate attention. The classroom that needs furniture moved. The electrical problem that can't wait. The heating or cooling issue that needs to be diagnosed. The unexpected mess five minutes before an event. The emergency phone call. The weekend project. The thousands of little things that simply get handled.
When Buildings & Grounds does its job exceptionally well, sometimes the greatest evidence is that nobody notices anything at all.
The lights turn on. The building is warm in the winter and cool when the weather turns hot. The classrooms are clean. The sidewalks are cleared. The plumbing works. The deliveries arrive. The doors open. And school begins.
That's not an accident. That's people.
It's more than 100 individuals, working different shifts, performing different trades and carrying different responsibilities — but ultimately working toward the same purpose: taking care of the places where our children learn and the people who walk through our doors every day.
And in District 99, it truly is one big family. National Custodian day also carries a deeper meaning for our District 99 family.
Two years ago today, we lost our former Executive Director of Buildings & Grounds, Brian Dominick. His passing left a lasting impact on the many colleagues and friends throughout District 99 who knew and worked alongside him.
So while today is a day of celebration and appreciation, it is also a day when we remember. Some in our Buildings & Grounds family simply call it "BD Day."
And perhaps there is no better way to honor those who came before us than to recognize the people who continue showing up every day, taking pride in their buildings, supporting one another, and carrying the work forward.
To every Head Custodian, Day Custodian, Night Custodian, maintenance specialist, Service Center employee, director, and every member of the District 99 Buildings & Grounds family:
We see you. We see the work that happens before most of us arrive. We see the work that happens after most of us leave. We see the jobs that are only noticed when they aren't done. And we know that our schools simply could not operate without you.
On National Custodian Day—and BD Day—from everyone at Cicero District 99:
Thank you for taking care of our schools. Thank you for taking care of our students and staff. And thank you for taking care of each other.
Happy National Custodian Day to the entire District 99 Buildings & Grounds family.
And today, as always, we remember Brian. 💙