Portions of the quotes below are translated from Spanish.

The freshly stocked toilet paper, sparkling glass doors or late-night events are just a few of the things custodial staff prepare as they keep the school running like a well-oiled machine. The custodians we see day-to-day keep the school ready for student learning and recognize a side of the school that teachers or students do not always see.

Senior custodian Jim Mellet, who has worked at the school for over 30 years, oversees the day-to-day operations of the 115 Greenough building, from setting up the STEM commons to managing the bathrooms. He arrives at 5 a.m. and typically leaves at 1:30 p.m., but he sometimes stays at the school late to manage events.

“There’s a lot of things that happen behind the scenes that people don’t realize, and they’re not supposed to [realize],” Mellet said. “Every day you walk into school, I don’t want you to feel that this place isn’t set up. So our goal is that every time someone shows up during the day, it’s ready for whatever.”

According to Mellet, the custodial team used to be larger, and in the early 2000s, Brookline shifted to hiring outside maintenance employees, who, unlike custodians, do not receive health insurance. In the past few years, due to Brookline’s budget deficit, three more custodial positions, among other staff, have been eliminated.

“They always start [cutting] custodial and food service because everyone just thinks we’re so non-essential,” Mellet said.

Senior custodian Nury Jiménez has worked at the high school for nine years and currently splits her time between managing the first floor STEM commons, lunch rush and classrooms. From bathroom to food and waste etiquette, students can be disorganized, said Jiménez.

“Sometimes, they leave all types of trash; feminine products thrown on the floor, a lot of the time they leave food,” Jiménez said. “So, honestly, it’s a lot of work.”

Along the walls of the cafeteria stand trash, recycling and compost bins that were implemented in 2018. Students empty their plates and organize their own waste with the intention of reducing food waste in an environmentally-conscious way. But according to Jiménez, the system’s organization is lacking.

“When they started to [organize] the trash, they began to do it well. Now, it’s disorganized because now that there are three bins, everything gets mixed together,” Jiménez said. “So, I don’t see a difference whether there are compost bins, because everything gets mixed. They still have a ways to go.”

Despite working at the high school for over three decades, Mellet said that while students have not changed all that much over the years, he has noticed the influence of social media in how they spend their time.

“The biggest difference between now and when I was in school is social media. The quad used to be jam-packed on a nice day for lunch,” Mellet said. “But now you look outside on a nice day and you might see one, two, three people or you might see no one.”

Mellet said each school year has its own challenges. In the past, students used to walk off school property to smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol during school hours.

“Last year we had a lot of graffiti and a lot of vandalism,” Mellet said. “This year there’s more of an uptick in people smoking or vaping in bathrooms. We find a lot of empty bottles in bathrooms and I’ll let security know we’re finding [these bottles] in such areas.”

Custodial staff work year round. Custodian Thomas Mulligan, who has been working at the high school for over a year, said during the summer deep cleaning, staff remove furniture, steam rugs and wax the hallway floors thoroughly. Mulligan said summertime cleaning and maintenance is one of the parts of his job he most enjoys.

“That’s all the teamwork,” Mulligan said. “In the summertime [there] is a completely different routine versus when the school’s in session. We’re in a maintenance mode where we’re just keeping the rooms ready for classes.”

This year, Mulligan works mainly on the 2nd floor of the 115 Greenough building, though he occasionally fills in for staff who are out or works with other staff to set up larger events such as basketball games, concerts or plays. Mulligan said it is fun to see and hear students practice, celebrate wins or be lively.

“It’s always nice to see the kids in sports, academics or in the auditorium for musical drama,” Mulligan said. “When the kids are practicing for their play, you can really see shining stars; there’s a lot of talent there.”

Mellet recalled a Sunday night where he was closing up the building when a mother and student asked to be let in to find the student’s homework. Despite having to be back at the high school five hours later to start his day, Mellet said he decided to reopen the building to help.

“We don’t do it for pats on the back or anything like that. I got a thousand of those stories. It’s just helping people, like that is one of the best parts of the job,” Mellet said.

Jiménez said it is important for students to recognize their role in putting things where they ought to be, and she also tries to help when she can.

“A lot of the time students tell me, for example, ‘Look, I forgot my computer on the third floor.’ I don’t have anything to do with the third floor, but I go, open the door and I try to help,” Jiménez said. “I’ll help in any way I can.”

Mellet said custodians are always working for the next event and preparing the school building, year-round. Through all the work behind the scenes, he said he wants others to remember that custodians, food service workers and secretaries are people too.

“Just because something goes wrong in your day doesn’t mean it’s my fault,” Mellet said. “I could be having the same bad day as you, but I have to make sure everyone’s safe. That’s the biggest thing; treat people the way you want to be treated. That just isn’t confined to here, that’s for life.”