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Johnny Daniels

Schools without custodians is a hard thing to think about. People agree that things would be different without them.

“If custodians were gone, we’d be in a whole mess of trouble,” journalism teacher Kimberly Creel said.

Friday, Oct. 2, is Custodian Appreciation Day, and though we owe a lot to the custodians, many people don’t know who they are. They have different stories and are wildly different people in demeanor and personality.

Johnny Daniels, who works during the school day, is from Louisiana where half his family lives and the other in Houston.

“My first job was in Cinemark and my second job [was] at iPic theaters [as an usher],” Daniels said.

Most of the custodians aren’t from nearby but from other parts of the United States or other countries.

“I used to live in Houston but I’m from Colima in Mexico,” says Jonni Aguilar, a custodian who works on the evening crew.

They have also worked at other places before coming here, and it wasn’t always janitorial services. Some have worked at grocery stores and some at Sam’s Clubs in Mexico.

“I was a reconciler for U.S. Bank, a reconciler is like a low-level accountant,” said Kris Schlolvin, a custodian on the evening crew. “And I was in property preservation prior to coming to Allen High School.”

But even in the end, the custodians think that the students treat them well, saying that the students have been exceptional. They’ve received respect and have felt very welcome.

“Allen is a great school,” Schlolvin said. “I do wish that I could do high school all over again and attend Allen High.”