Clean bathrooms, working heat and empty trash cans are things taken for granted by students at Hollis Brookline High School (HBHS). An average student wouldn’t think about who was doing all of these tedious jobs while enjoying their outcomes. However, for Stephen Cortez, these things are always on his mind.
Cortez has been the Building and Grounds Supervisor at HBHS for almost 10 years. His average day starts at 5:30 a.m. with checking his email and the heat around the school. He will then go to the boiler room and all about the school to make sure everything is in order. Throughout the day, Cortez goes around the building answering “tickets”, which are staff-reported problems around the school.
Along with Cortez, there are usually at least two other maintenance workers in the building: Casey Quinn and Cindy Whitney. Contrary to popular belief, all of these staff members are not considered custodians. “Custodians work the second shift and are more in charge of cleaning,” said Cortez.
All of these staff members work extremely hard to keep our school clean. If you see one make sure to say thank you!
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