Six months ago in March of 2023, Aliso Niguel High School welcomed their newest head custodian, Edgar Mendoza, a new face dedicated to keeping our campus clean.
As the head of the custodian team, it is Mendoza’s job to do what is best for the school and look out for the trash around campus. However, with around 3,000 teenagers that occupy Aliso Niguel High School, the workload can be quite vicious. Kids who want to eat outside of the lunch area only own up to making Mendoza’s job more time consuming due to the scattered trash everywhere.
When questioned about what the dirtiest part of the school is, Mendoza responds, “The lunch trash for sure… since there are no boundaries at this school, the trash is pretty much everywhere.”
Though it may seem to be an easy fix by asking teens to clean up after themselves, there is always a sense of immaturity among some students. “We try putting trash cans all around campus,” said Mendoza, “but somehow the trash does not make it into the bins.”
His hard work pays off however because recently, on Sept. 8, Mendoza got awarded with the ‘Wolverine of the Week’ award, given to hard working staff members. The achievement he received is evidence of the amazing effort he puts into the school and into helping the teachers and other staff. Also, because of his willingness to help and his kind nature, Mendoza has gained popularity amongst the students as well.
Student Kylie Lefefe (11) says, “Edgar is so sweet he’s always just walking around with a smile on his face…he is not the most social person, but if you would go up to talk to him he will have a nice conversation with you.”
Many people overlook custodians, not seeing how much they do for schools. However, with Edgar’s sweet energy, and friendliness, he never fails to make his smile contagious. The impact he has had on Aliso Niguel in the past six months has always managed to receive positive recognition from the students and staff.
“It’s going great and I like it here, so I have no complaints,” said Mendoza when asked about his new experience. He is starting the new school year strong, with a love for his job, and determination to work hard. With this year being his first full year at ANHS, Mendoza is ready to take on the challenge of tidying up when needed.
That being said, Edgar does an excellent job making sure Aliso Niguel High School is flawless.
