School District Honors Custodians for Clearing Roofs of Snow

Layers upon layers of snow accumulated on rooftops last winter, as a series of storms buried the region in white. When reports of roof cave-ins became daily news, many began to worry about the safety of school buildings.

To comply with safety guidelines, custodians coordinated crews armed with shovels and brought in a large crane to lift loads of snow from the school building roofs.

"Never have I experienced so much snow and icicles or had to have people shovel the roofs," Supt. of Schools Dr. Colleen Palmer said recalling how the process had to be repeated storm after storm. "My fondest memory this winter is when we brought the crane in."

Head custodians for Monroe Public Schools were honored for their efforts at the Board of Education meeting Monday night, receiving the "Winter of 2010 Snowflake awards," along with gift certificates to take their crews out to dinner.

Palmer said it was to show "our gratitude for the personal sacrifice you made to keep all of us safe."

There is no safety edge on Chalk Hill's roof, so workers had to be tied for safety purposes while shoveling, according to Palmer.

Board of Education Chairman Darrell Trump said the scope of the custodians' work really hit home for him upon learning that the entire roof over Masuk High School is the equivalent of about 200 homes.

"It was amazing," he said.

Among the head custodians honored were Bill Jarosko of Jockey Hollow Middle School, Robert Orsino of Chalk Hill, John Hayden of Fawn Hollow Elementary School, Dan Krofssik of Masuk, Al Mozzi of Monroe Elementary School, Rodney Perkins of Stepney Elementary School, and Mike Samuelman, a district-wide electrician and plow truck driver.