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By Wyatt Ashpaugh

The Backbone Of DHS

   

From six in the morning until six at night, there is a custodian here at DHS. He or she keeps the school clean and organized every single day. There has been countless times that our custodians have returned clothing, books, and personal belongings that students have lost throughout the school. One of those custodians is Russ Streeter.

    Before becoming a custodian, Russ had some very interesting jobs. He was a military police officer in the Army for six years,  from 1973 to 1979. During his first two and a half years in the service, he was stationed in Germany and loved every second of it. For the next several years, Russ was stationed at Fort Monroe, Virginia, and for his final eighteen months, he was back in Germany. Although he spent several years in the service, he regrets not re-enlisting for another four years. After leaving the military, Russ worked at Leavenworth Federal Prison. He was a correctional officer there for twenty-five years before finally coming to Dekalb High School.

    Russ has worked here for eight years. His daily routine consists of coming in at 11:00 a.m., where he starts his day off by taking out the trash and cleaning the tables at lunch. During the second half of the day, he cleans all of the hallways and commons. After school, Russ cleans every single classroom. On game nights, Russ is the last person to leave; making sure that everything is put away and clean.” I put in ten, eleven hour days every game night,” he said,”I stay as long as the games last.” 

If it wasn’t for Russ Streeter, our school would be in chaos. He needs to be appreciated for all he does. He makes sure everything is completely clean, keeps everything organized, and most importantly, makes friends with everyone here. He is the glue that holds the building together. Russ is and will always be cherished by everyone at Dekalb High School.