While the critical role custodians play in education often goes unnoticed, the Sylvania City School District in Northwest Ohio prioritizes celebrating their value. Through its Kudos for Custodians program, each month the district highlights custodial staff based on nominations submitted by students, staff, and the community.
The program was started by Dawn Watson, director of custodial services for Sylvania Schools, who was inspired after attending a conference. A speaker gave a presentation “about doing things
to uplift their staff,” she recalled. “And I’m always looking for stuff to just let my staff know how important they are and that we really can’t do what we do without them.”
Encouragement is a powerful tool for Watson. “For me, encouragement is something that really helps us all to want to do better, to want to do more,” she said. “I’m a firm believer that we need
to let each other know when we do things that are worthwhile [and] that make a difference.”
Sylvania City Schools covers the city of Sylvania and Sylvania Township in Lucas County. The district has 14 buildings cleaned by approximately 57 contracted and 20 substitute custodians. All
custodians can be nominated, Watson said.
The program’s effect
Parents, students, employees, and others can submit a nomination recognizing a custodian for doing a good job, going above and beyond, or performing a random act of kindness. Occasionally, one custodian stands out by the sheer volume of praise. “Sometimes I get a custodian who has four or five nominations from different people,” Watson said.
The district announces winners in its newsletter, Leaning Forward. “We give [the winners] the same questions just to ask them about motivators—different things that make them tick. And then we put those questions and answers in with their picture,” Watson said.
Along with recognition, the honored custodians receive a gift and a traveling statue.
“We also send those letters to the nominees, the letters that have been emailed about them,” Watson explained. “I think that’s a morale booster by itself.”
She added that after reading the letters, the custodians are often surprised that people notice their work.
For the custodians themselves, the recognition is significant. Jeremy Pulhug, an award recipient from earlier this year, said, “[It’s] a blessing to see how appreciated we are. We do walk around
sometimes thinking that nobody sees us—and our great boss Dawn, with this beautiful star trophy, lets us know that we’re appreciated, that we’re seen; it’s a really good feeling.”
