Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) building service teams cleaned up during a recent awards ceremony organized by the school’s system’s operations and supporting services department.
Staff in the operations office, which is headed by supervisor April Murphy, completes building inspections before the start of the school year. After the inspections, “we sit down and talk about what schools looked exceptional and in what areas they truly shined,” Murphy said.
Since October 2022, the department has given out awards for Manager of the Year, Assistant Manager of the Year and Building Service Worker of the Year. There is an award for outstanding floor maintenance. The Green Thumb Award goes to building staff that maintain outstanding grounds, and the Platinum Award is awarded to a building that “wows” those who are conducting inspections.
This year the awards were given out during an Oct. 14 meeting of building service managers held at Westlake High School. During the meeting, schools that earned 100% on the preopening inspection were also honored and will have the achievement recognized on a perpetual plaque that hangs in all CCPS schools and centers.
This year’s winners include:
Manager of the Year, Joseph Brawner, Henry E. Lackey High School.
Assistant Manager of the Year, Keya Young, Westlake.
Building Service Worker of the Year, Gloria Ventura, North Point High School, and Kevin Proctor, St. Charles High School.
Green Thumb Award, Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building, Gale-Bailey Elementary School and North Point.
Platinum Building Award, Dr. Samuel A. Mudd Elementary School.
Outstanding Floor Care, Billingsley Elementary School.
The Green Thumb Award is given to schools that value curb appeal. At North Point, Victor Woodland, building service manager, directs members of the staff to cut the grass late in the week. It’s a strategy to make the school grounds look sharp to weekend house hunters in the area, Murphy said. “The grounds at North Point are elaborate. Woodland and his staff do a great job keeping it up to par,” she said.
Gale-Bailey and Starkey also received the Green Thumb Award. “The building service team at Starkey is a small group but they are responsible for maintaining a large property,” Murphy said. “The Starkey campus includes the administrative building, Annex I, Annex II and the maintenance shop. There is a lot of cutting, trimming and edging to take care of. It is obvious that they take great pride in the facilities.”
The staff at Dr. Mudd was given the Platinum Award for maintaining the facility to the highest standards. “It is obvious when you pull in the parking lot, and it becomes more obvious when you walk in the door,” Murphy said. “The manager, Norbert Farmer, and the assistant manager, Leland Burns, are two individuals who strive for perfection. They work well as a team and lead by example. The team at Dr. Mudd is very intentional with their work and it shows with the appearance of the building.”
Building service staff that were awarded 100% on preopening inspections were from the following schools.
Elementary schools
Billingsley Elementary School.
Gale-Bailey Elementary School.
Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School.
Malcolm Elementary School.
T.C. Martin Elementary School.
Mary H. Matula Elementary School.
Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy Elementary School.
Dr. Samuel A. Mudd Elementary School.
Middle schools
Matthew Henson Middle School.
General Smallwood Middle School.
Benjamin Stoddert Middle School.
High schools
Henry E. Lackey High School.
Maurice J. McDonough High School.
North Point High School.
St. Charles High School.
Thomas Stone High School.
Westlake High School.
Centers
F.B. Gwynn Educational Center.
Nanjemoy Creek Environmental Education Center.
Early Learning Center, La Plata.
Robert D. Stethem Educational Center.
To learn more about a career in building service or another support position with CCPS, visit www.ccboe.com and click on the Careers option under the main slideshow.
About CCPS
Charles County Public Schools provides 27,765 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 38 schools that offer a technologically advanced, progressive and high quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, careers and higher education.
The Charles County public school system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age or disability in its programs, activities or employment practices. For inquiries, please contact Dr. Mike Blanchard, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 Coordinator (students) or Nikial M. Majors, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 Coordinator (employees/ adults), at Charles County Public Schools, Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building, P.O. Box 2770, La Plata, MD 20646; 301-932-6610/301-870-3814. For special accommodations call 301-934-7230 or TDD 1-800-735-2258 two weeks prior to the event. CCPS provides nondiscriminatory equal access to school facilities in accordance with its Use of Facilities rules to designated youth groups (including, but not limited to, the Boy Scouts).