{"id":26375,"date":"2026-01-06T09:10:39","date_gmt":"2026-01-06T15:10:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/?p=26375"},"modified":"2026-01-06T09:11:03","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T15:11:03","slug":"standout-elementary-custodians","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/2026\/01\/06\/standout-elementary-custodians\/","title":{"rendered":"Sustainability Spotlight: Standout Elementary Custodians"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"26375\" class=\"elementor elementor-26375\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section data-particle_enable=\"false\" data-particle-mobile-disabled=\"false\" class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-f3f3c9f elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"f3f3c9f\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-d0916c7\" data-id=\"d0916c7\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-03752a9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"03752a9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Sustainability Spotlight: Standout Elementary Custodians<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-770ff4f elementor-widget elementor-widget-post-info\" data-id=\"770ff4f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"post-info.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"elementor-inline-items elementor-icon-list-items elementor-post-info\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item elementor-repeater-item-514fab4 elementor-inline-item\" itemprop=\"datePublished\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text elementor-post-info__item elementor-post-info__item--type-date\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<time>January 6, 2026<\/time>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section data-particle_enable=\"false\" data-particle-mobile-disabled=\"false\" class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-4a5102e elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"4a5102e\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-dbd0fa9\" data-id=\"dbd0fa9\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-89fd351 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"89fd351\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>This month\u2019s Sustainability Spotlight is shining on three exceptional LPS elementary school Assistant Custodial Supervisors!<\/p><p>Our team visits all school cafeterias each year, and these Assistant Custodial Supervisors have really gone above and beyond this school year with helping students and schools achieve their sustainability goals. They and their teams are integral to managing waste programs and supporting sustainability efforts across the district and inside elementary cafeterias.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section data-particle_enable=\"false\" data-particle-mobile-disabled=\"false\" class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-1754b68 elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"1754b68\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-6cb3e26\" data-id=\"6cb3e26\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f0cfbc2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"f0cfbc2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Leif Tomas at Hill Elementary<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c4db1fb elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"c4db1fb\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Over the last year, Leif Tomas has been transforming cafeteria composting at Ruth Hill Elementary into an opportunity for environmental education. His enthusiasm for composting is contagious. Through daily interactions with students, he\u2019s built a team of young advocates who eagerly help with waste sorting efforts.<\/p><p>What started as simple guidance has evolved into something more engaging. Tomas shares fun facts about compost and its environmental impact, capturing students\u2019 natural curiosity. The results have been impressive.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-599c41b\" data-id=\"599c41b\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-acc3d9a elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"acc3d9a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"26399\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/2026\/01\/06\/standout-elementary-custodians\/attachment\/1000001270\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/files\/2025\/12\/1000001270.jpg?fit=2048%2C1536&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2048,1536\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Galaxy A15 5G&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1752429211&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;3.56&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;320&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0166&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"1000001270\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/files\/2025\/12\/1000001270.jpg?fit=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/files\/2025\/12\/1000001270.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/files\/2025\/12\/1000001270.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-26399\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/files\/2025\/12\/1000001270.jpg?w=2048&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/files\/2025\/12\/1000001270.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/files\/2025\/12\/1000001270.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/files\/2025\/12\/1000001270.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/files\/2025\/12\/1000001270.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" data-attachment-id=\"26399\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/2026\/01\/06\/standout-elementary-custodians\/attachment\/1000001270\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/files\/2025\/12\/1000001270.jpg?fit=2048%2C1536&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2048,1536\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Galaxy A15 5G&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1752429211&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;3.56&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;320&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0166&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"1000001270\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/files\/2025\/12\/1000001270.jpg?fit=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/files\/2025\/12\/1000001270.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Leif Tomas, ACS for Ruth Hill Elementary <\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section data-particle_enable=\"false\" data-particle-mobile-disabled=\"false\" class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-3369235 elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"3369235\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-6d439d8\" data-id=\"6d439d8\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-dbd471b elementor-blockquote--skin-clean elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-blockquote--align-left elementor-blockquote--button-color-official elementor-widget elementor-widget-blockquote\" data-id=\"dbd471b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"blockquote.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<blockquote class=\"elementor-blockquote\">\n\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-blockquote__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\u201cA lot of the kids didn't know where things went, but they pick up on things really fast. And so it's actually really efficient and really nice to get to compost, and I think it's done really well.\u201d\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-q-footer\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"elementor-blockquote__author\">Leif Tomas<\/cite>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d804234 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"d804234\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3494649 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3494649\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>His patient, encouraging approach has helped students become genuinely invested in making a difference, one lunch tray at a time.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section data-particle_enable=\"false\" data-particle-mobile-disabled=\"false\" class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-7151bc3 elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"7151bc3\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-d9df117\" data-id=\"d9df117\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-496376d elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"496376d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"26402\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/2026\/01\/06\/standout-elementary-custodians\/img_20260105_082434_1\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/files\/2025\/12\/IMG_20260105_082434_1.jpg?fit=2048%2C1595&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2048,1595\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.88&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Fairphone 6&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1767601474&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;5.59&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;435&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.019999991999843&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"IMG_20260105_082434_1\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/files\/2025\/12\/IMG_20260105_082434_1.jpg?fit=300%2C234&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/files\/2025\/12\/IMG_20260105_082434_1.jpg?fit=1024%2C798&amp;ssl=1\" width=\"1024\" height=\"798\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/files\/2025\/12\/IMG_20260105_082434_1.jpg?fit=1024%2C798&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-26402\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/files\/2025\/12\/IMG_20260105_082434_1.jpg?w=2048&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/files\/2025\/12\/IMG_20260105_082434_1.jpg?resize=300%2C234&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/files\/2025\/12\/IMG_20260105_082434_1.jpg?resize=1024%2C798&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/files\/2025\/12\/IMG_20260105_082434_1.jpg?resize=768%2C598&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/files\/2025\/12\/IMG_20260105_082434_1.jpg?resize=1536%2C1196&amp;ssl=1 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" data-attachment-id=\"26402\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/2026\/01\/06\/standout-elementary-custodians\/img_20260105_082434_1\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/files\/2025\/12\/IMG_20260105_082434_1.jpg?fit=2048%2C1595&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2048,1595\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.88&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Fairphone 6&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1767601474&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;5.59&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;435&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.019999991999843&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"IMG_20260105_082434_1\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/files\/2025\/12\/IMG_20260105_082434_1.jpg?fit=300%2C234&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/files\/2025\/12\/IMG_20260105_082434_1.jpg?fit=1024%2C798&amp;ssl=1\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Lou Damm, ACS for McPhee Elementary<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-7de837f\" data-id=\"7de837f\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4047398 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"4047398\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Lou Damm at McPhee Elementary<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5968dbe elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5968dbe\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>At McPhee Elementary, Lou Damm has spent five years perfecting the art of making sustainability accessible. Their strategy? A friendly face, custom signage, and an open door policy for questions. The combination has been very effective in increasing sustainable behaviors. Students of all ages now confidently navigate composting in the lunchroom.<\/p><p>Damm has witnessed a steady increase in student participation over the years. More importantly, they&#8217;re teaching a skill that extends far beyond the cafeteria walls.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section data-particle_enable=\"false\" data-particle-mobile-disabled=\"false\" class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-8e21334 elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"8e21334\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-0eb7fad\" data-id=\"0eb7fad\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-eab420c elementor-blockquote--skin-clean elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-blockquote--align-left elementor-blockquote--button-color-official elementor-widget elementor-widget-blockquote\" data-id=\"eab420c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"blockquote.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<blockquote class=\"elementor-blockquote\">\n\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-blockquote__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\u201cI think just being there and being a friendly face will help the students feel more comfortable and be able to ask questions.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-q-footer\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"elementor-blockquote__author\">Lou Damm<\/cite>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a28e176 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"a28e176\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7582ea6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"7582ea6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The curiosity Damm encourages has led to a noticeable increase in student engagement. Students notice every new addition to the signage and actively seek guidance on proper waste sorting. \u201cI\u2019ve always told them they can ask me questions. They always want to know more. If I add something to the sign, they\u2019re like, \u2018what is that?\u2019 Or, you know, they asked me, \u2018where does this go?\u2019 And I\u2019m always wanting to help them.\u201d<\/p><p>It\u2019s this willingness to engage that Damm hopes students will carry with them as they grow.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section data-particle_enable=\"false\" data-particle-mobile-disabled=\"false\" class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-44f0cfc elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"44f0cfc\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-8ef0f24\" data-id=\"8ef0f24\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4f988a5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"4f988a5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Jerry Goreham at Brownell Elementary<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-10b8efb elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"10b8efb\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Since starting at LPS in 2016, Jerry Goreham has brought a lifetime of environmental stewardship to his work. Composting and recycling since childhood, Goreham now channels that experience into inspiring the next generation.<\/p><p>His four years at Brownell have been rooted in empathy and connection. Rather than focusing on rules, Goreham talks with students about keeping the Earth and its creatures (worms, caterpillars, and all) happy and healthy. By framing sustainability as caring for the world around us, he taps into each student\u2019s innate desire to help.<\/p><p>Gentleness and positivity define his method, and students respond by genuinely trying their best. For Goreham, this work is deeply personal and forward-looking.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-803afa3\" data-id=\"803afa3\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2b6ea77 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"2b6ea77\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"26405\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/2026\/01\/06\/standout-elementary-custodians\/img_7817\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/files\/2026\/01\/IMG_7817-e1767631608952.jpg?fit=1536%2C1403&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1536,1403\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.5&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 14&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1767608800&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;5.7&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;125&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.016666666666667&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"IMG_7817\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/files\/2026\/01\/IMG_7817-e1767631608952.jpg?fit=300%2C274&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/files\/2026\/01\/IMG_7817-e1767631608952.jpg?fit=1024%2C935&amp;ssl=1\" width=\"1024\" height=\"935\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/files\/2026\/01\/IMG_7817-e1767631608952.jpg?fit=1024%2C935&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-26405\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/files\/2026\/01\/IMG_7817-e1767631608952.jpg?w=1536&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/files\/2026\/01\/IMG_7817-e1767631608952.jpg?resize=300%2C274&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/files\/2026\/01\/IMG_7817-e1767631608952.jpg?resize=1024%2C935&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/files\/2026\/01\/IMG_7817-e1767631608952.jpg?resize=768%2C702&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" data-attachment-id=\"26405\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/2026\/01\/06\/standout-elementary-custodians\/img_7817\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/files\/2026\/01\/IMG_7817-e1767631608952.jpg?fit=1536%2C1403&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1536,1403\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.5&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 14&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1767608800&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;5.7&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;125&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.016666666666667&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"IMG_7817\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/files\/2026\/01\/IMG_7817-e1767631608952.jpg?fit=300%2C274&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/files\/2026\/01\/IMG_7817-e1767631608952.jpg?fit=1024%2C935&amp;ssl=1\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Jerry Goreham, ACS for Brownell Elementary<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section data-particle_enable=\"false\" data-particle-mobile-disabled=\"false\" class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-7678b55 elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"7678b55\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-af494c6\" data-id=\"af494c6\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7040318 elementor-blockquote--skin-clean elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-blockquote--align-left elementor-blockquote--button-color-official elementor-widget elementor-widget-blockquote\" data-id=\"7040318\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"blockquote.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<blockquote class=\"elementor-blockquote\">\n\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-blockquote__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\u201cWe have to leave this world in a better place than what we came into it. We can\u2019t destroy it for our children and our grandchildren. They must be able to do what I did, run around outside, barefoot, carefree, have fun. If we contaminate it with plastics and chemicals, they can\u2019t do that.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-q-footer\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"elementor-blockquote__author\">Jerry Goreham<\/cite>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section data-particle_enable=\"false\" data-particle-mobile-disabled=\"false\" class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-d0d2843 elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"d0d2843\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-cfafe05\" data-id=\"cfafe05\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-de5d567 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"de5d567\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>We are so grateful to have custodians like Leif, Lou and Jerry in our district! Every one of them is dedicated to making things a little better for staff and students every day, and we couldn\u2019t imagine LPS without them.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sustainability Spotlight: Standout Elementary Custodians This month\u2019s Sustainability Spotlight is shining on three exceptional LPS elementary school Assistant Custodial Supervisors! Our team visits all school cafeterias each year, and these Assistant Custodial Supervisors have really gone above and beyond this school year with helping students and schools achieve their sustainability goals. They and their teams [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12383,"featured_media":26636,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26375","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/files\/2026\/01\/Update-Feature-16.png?fit=630%2C420&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5XcXY-6Rp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26375","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12383"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26375"}],"version-history":[{"count":47,"href":"https:\/\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26375\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26684,"href":"https:\/\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26375\/revisions\/26684"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26636"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26375"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26375"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/home.lps.org\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}