Most students in RIS walk the halls so worried about their math test that they don’t notice how spotless the floors are. Thanks to our amazing custodians, the school always looks pristine.
There is a face to every spill that is cleaned up, every table that is wiped down, and every dirty mess that is swept. Those faces are Head Custodian Mike. Rivera and his staff, Marianna Moran, Robert Kolterjahn, Tino Guinta, Bill Drahos, and Kyle Fincke.
We asked all of them the following questions so that the students of RIS can get to know them better:
- What’s your favorite part of the school community?
- “What made you want to work at Roosevelt?”
- What town are you from/live in? “
- What is your favorite hobby outside of work?
- “What is your ‘go to’ snack?”
Starting with the one who runs them all, Mr. Riviera. The head custodian of RIS. He stated, “My favorite part of the school community is how everyone gets along. We all work together, and we are just trying to always make it better for the next generation.” He mentioned that since the job was open at the time, that is what made him come to Roosevelt. He has been working at the school for 42 years! He lives in Scotch Plains, NJ.
His favorite thing to do outside of school is woodworking. His final answer for his favorite snack was abrupt: “potato chips.”
Next, our only female custodian, who always has a smile on her face, Marianna Moran. She explains, “My favorite part of the school community is how nicely the teachers communicate!” She feels very comfortable around children and loves to learn from them every day here at RIS. That’s the main reason she decided to work at our school, RIS.
Not only does she help our school community, but she also helps out at an animal shelter in her free time! She passionately responded that her favorite snack is Dubai chocolate ice cream.
Moving on to a super-determined custodian, Robert Kolterjahn. Robert commented, “I really like how we are closely knitted together, and we are always supporting each other whenever anyone is in trouble.” Previously working at the Essex County Turtle Back Zoo, his mom recommended this job for him.
Along with us, Robert is from Westfield, New Jersey, and, fun fact, his dad went to Edison. When not working, Robert likes to play video games and snack on Kettle Chips.
Following Robert, there is a custodian who stays committed no matter the situation. This is Tino Guinta. Tino expressed, “RIS is a nice school.” He came here because he was working at Westfield High School, and got moved to RIS. He lives in Wayne, NJ. Though he doesn’t know his favorite snack, he does know his favorite hobbies – driving and dirt biking. He is very into cars.
Lastly, this is a custodian who works very hard after hours, Kyle Fincke. His favorite part of the school community is that all the staff are very nice and caring, including a great sense of humor. He then spoke, “The thing that made me come to RIS is that I am following in my grandfather’s footsteps because he worked here too.” He also lived in Westfield for a while. He now lives in Cranford.
His favorite hobby outside of work is building Legos and model airplanes. “I also just like to relax on the couch.” It was hard for Kyle to choose one favorite snack, so here are some of them: white cheddar popcorn, KitKats, Chomps, Oreos, Doritos, and Mike and Ikes.
We hope this helped all the students and staff in RIS to get to know all the custodians. Now that you know more about the custodians, feel free to do more than say hello when you see them. Engage in conversation with them!