Custodians fight the forces of daily destruction

By Rosa S.

This school would not be the same without a team of trained professionals who work around the clock to keep it in order. The head of this squad has been fighting the forces of destruction at Peacock for thirteen years, and when it comes to experience in his field, he has it. Who is the leader of this group of determined individuals who stop at nothing to do their job? His name is Mr. Daniel E. Raschk, the principal custodian at Peacock Jr. High. He works with two full time custodians, one part time custodian, and one helper-when-needed custodian. They are Mr. Keith, who works in the cafeteria and does the downstairs cleaning, Mr. Glen, who is the night cleaner, Mr. Rob, who works part-time, and Mr. Frank, who helps when he is needed. Mr. Raschk has numerous jobs, both big and small, that he has to complete on a daily or yearly basis.
He gets to school at 6:15 A.M. to open up the building on normal days, but if it has snowed, he arrives at 4:00 or 5:00 A.M. Upon entering the building he must check the temperature of the building, making sure it is not too warm or too cool. He also has to examine the rooms to make sure they are clean. He looks over all of the work that the other custodians have done as well as what he has previously done. Throughout the day he does maintenance work, jobs that teachers ask him to do, plumbing and electrical (if necessary), locker room and gym cleaning, recycling, chorus and band concert set-up and clean-up, snow removal and carpet cleaning (including gum and spot removal). He also changes filters in the rooms (three times a year), changes roof filters (two times a year), orders supplies (he orders supplies for all three District #10 schools), and on the weekends, he comes in to check on the boiler.
Of course his job does not stop there. Mr. Raschk is on 24 hour call, and if an alarm goes off or there is some other emergency situation at Peacock he must go and investigate it right away. Mr. Raschk said that he loves his job and commented that the best thing about it is the atmosphere he works in and the people he works with.
Some humorous things have happened to Mr. Raschk while working with District #10. For example, he and Mr. Art (a custodian at Franzen and Benson Schools) were sent to Mallard Lake (a garbage dump) to try to find records of a kindergartner that were accidentally thrown out. They trudged through the garbage for hours, but never found those lost records. On a personal note, Mr. Raschk lives in Roselle. He is married and has a five-year-old daughter named Courtney, and two cats and one dog.
This man has done a great job at Peacock for more than a decade, and it is a shame that many people take the cleanliness of the school for granted. Maybe the next time you see him walking down the hall you should say thanks for a job well done. Thank you Mr. Raschk and the whole custodian team, for helping out the school in so many ways.

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Mother Nature hits with a flurry!

By Kyle A.

On a bitter cold January day, the very first day to be exact, our Chicagoland area was hit hard with the beautiful stuff, called SNOW!!! Some people were unhappy, others were depressed. My dad was not happy because he just had knee surgery and with no snow blower, he had to shovel our extra long driveway plus my aunt's driveway over and over again. But unlike most, he just kept on laughing.
The complaints were practically everywhere about how the schools closings were not scheduled properly, the buses, the inconvenience for so many people, etc...I think that no blame goes to any one person but Mother nature-herself. It's up to each person to make a "freak of Mother Nature" into a good or bad situation.
At my house, we chose to have fun with it! I think Mother Nature was sick or something. Well, her sickness is over for now. So I say to all, next time (and there will be a next time) just-go-with-the-snow-flow.

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What I Think of Cupid and Valentine's Day

By Gina M.

Oh cupid, cupid, cupid,
I'm sorry to say but I think you're stupid,
because you made-up Valentine's day.
I look at Valentine things and think to myself,
Valentines is toxic to your health.
To have people give everyone a card,
oh Cupid, you're just a lump of lard.
I have now said what I have to say,
of that horrid Cupid and Valentine's Day,
so I'll say good-bye for now,
I'll say bye how Sarah Z. says it, ciao.

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To Drill - A Valentine Story

By Christa M.

If I may, I'd like to depart,
From the Valentine tales of the heart,
And share with you a story,
Which to me, at one time, seemed gory.

You see, I was frightened of IA,
Industrial Arts, you would say,
With its saw blades, awls, and drills,
It was something that gave me the chills.

Now, however, I laugh at such things,
And reflect on the joy that it brings,
Why working with wood is a blast,
While laughing heartily at the past.

Now I know Mr. Cousineau must be proud,
Although he won't say it out loud,
For I've written the poem he asked for,
And that's all there is, there'll be no more.

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Love

By Susan C.

Love is so sweet,
Love is so kind,
Love is always on my mind,
When I'm with you everything in the world is fine
Even if we've fought,
You are still always in my thoughts

Love is about trust,
Love is about fate,
Love is about everything, even from the first date,
Everyday that we are in love we're either joyful or sad,
Yet we're also happy or mad,
No matter what we're feeling, happy or sad, kind or mean, I'll be by your side.

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Valentine's Day

By Amanda S.

It's a day that comes once
A year from your
Heart and all
Around.

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