Ricardo Gomez’s work is the first thing you’re likely to see at Bannon Creek School. If you spot nothing wrong, he’s doing something right.
As lead custodian, Gomez takes great pride in keeping school facilities clean and safe, with cafeteria tables wiped, tiles swept, trash picked up.
Principal Amreek Singh said the custodian’s “smiling face and friendly demeanor” often are what families see first when they walk onto campus, which is just fine because there’s no second chance to make a first impression.
“He is committed to Bannon Creek and to giving teachers what they need and when they need it,” Singh wrote of the school’s recent honoree as Classified Employee of the Year. “He never ‘passes the buck’ and has a ‘can do’ attitude. If I need it, he finds a way to get it.”
Gomez smiled when asked how he feels about being recognized as an outstanding employee.
“Sometimes we think nobody sees us or notices what we do,” he said of custodians. “It surprised me that they know. I was happy, but I was surprised.”
A father of three adult daughters and grandfather of two young boys, Gomez said he gets particular satisfaction and motivation when young students or their parents stop to compliment him. “They tell me ‘thank you,’” he said. “I say, ‘That’s my job.’”
Asked to describe himself, Gomez said he is “very honest, responsible, professional and I always try to do my best.”
Whatever needs doing, Gomez is willing to give it a shot, Singh noted, adding that the custodian has worked “numerous times beyond his hours to make sure our school is clean.” Gomez put it differently, “If I see something, I do it. It’s our school, we need to work together.”
