With less than 400 students, Technology High School is small. As a result, students tend to be closer with each other and with the school’s staff. Students tend to learn the names and natures of fellow students on a deeper level, and form more personal relationships. Of the staff, it’s generally common to get to know teachers the best. Students interact with them directly and often daily, so they can understand each other quicker and better.
Staff members that aren’t interacted with on a regular basis often don’t form these connections to students. If Tech High were larger, this could very well have been the case for us, but given its small size, the student body here tends to be more appreciative as a whole of the staff that supports our school. Among the staff is Charles “Charlie” Green, the Maintenance Custodian of Grounds at Tech High. As described by Green, “The campus is in my hands.”
After working at Tech High for twenty years, Green is pretty used to his job. However, that doesn’t mean that we as a student body can’t help him to make it easier. He expressed special appreciation to the students who help him set up rallies, and stay behind to help him take them down. Because it requires so much time consuming organization of chairs and benches, students are encouraged to help with the process.
In addition to rallies, it’s important to remember that keeping our campus clean and functional is a group effort. Students that deal with messes on their own are extremely helpful. Picking up trash, cleaning up a spill, putting away papers or other supplies are all excellent ways to assist Green. The less that he has to focus on cleaning up after us, the more time he can spend ensuring that our school is well-kept and functional.
Generally speaking, Green is known well by the student body, and is a loved and appreciated member of the Tech High community. That being said, many people are unaware of an interesting passion of his: Green is an excellent rock guitarist! He started playing guitar at nine years old and still plays today, sixty years later. He was also a member of a rock band titled Bits and Pieces.
Green is vital to our school, and therefore to our education. Students can best show their gratitude to him through the little things, like saying “hello” or taking care of the messes that they make. At Tech High, these kinds of friendships between students and staff are important. They must be intentionally acknowledged and maintained to preserve the culture of our school.
