Often, that which so often goes unnoticed is that which students take for granted; a great example of this being janitors and lunch ladies. On Thursday, May 18, the Key Club at Windham High School hosted a luncheon for the janitors and lunch ladies to thank them for their hard and not always pleasant work.
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| A Windham High School Key Club member writes a thank you note to be presented to janitors and lunch ladies at the school. The club hosted a luncheon for janitors and lunch ladies at WHS to thank them for all of their hard work. PHOTO BY MASHA YURKEVICH |
Noelle Denslow is a senior and is the Vice President of Key Club and said the luncheon gesture is a way of telling valuable school staff members they are appreciated.
“The idea for the luncheon was born in an officer meeting that we had last year, out of the spirit of pointing out and appreciating the effort of those who are often taken for granted,” said Denslow. “Quoting one of the janitors, ‘this is one of the most thankless jobs out there’. We wanted to change that.”
To prepare for the luncheon, the Key Club fundraised for a month or two by collecting donations in the main office and announced it via the daily-emailed announcements. Then they communicated with the principal and the janitors to determine where they would like to spend the money and what food they would want. Club members also gathered and made thank-you cards.
“The luncheon turned out better than I expected,” said Denslow. “We were instructed to host the luncheon in a small teacher's room, and so many Key Club members came to help that we couldn't all stand in the room at one time. A few of the members, myself included, stayed behind at the end to talk with them as they ate. It was really special to hear how much it meant to them to be seen and heard.”
Scott Loring is the head custodian for WHS and has worked for RSU 14 for 17 years.
“We are so grateful for the lunch that the Key Club provided for us, this is a very rare thing for a custodian to see,” he said. “I have an amazing crew that works extremely hard to keep this 220 thousand square foot building clean and ready for kids and teachers every day. These are the people — along with the kitchen staff — that make this all possible.”
If high school students want to join the chapter of Key Club at Windham High School, they can sign up at the start of every school year. There are $11 member dues to help the international-level leadership fund and support efforts worldwide, but there is help for those who have financial hardship. If community members want to help, they can reach out to Ted Becker who can be reached at tbecker@grsu14.org to help volunteer or aid with fundraising. If there is a need in the community that needs to be met, either with a fundraiser or with manual labor, Ted Becker is a great contact, and he said something could be organized to meet that need.
Key Club members will continue to do projects such as school cleanups, winter clothing drives, Animal Refuge League collections, and volunteering for organizations such as Furniture Friends or Maine Needs. Other, more unique projects also come up, including the Community Softball Tournament coming up at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, May 27 at the Manchester School baseball field in Windham. Ages 9-plus are invited to play, and playground access and face paint will be provided for younger children, who will be chaperoned by Key Club Members, WHS students, and WHS staff. Concessions will be provided. There is a $2 buy-in for each person attending this event. All proceeds go to the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital.<
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