Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) honored the district’s outstanding custodians at its 35th Annual Custodial Award Ceremony. This event intentionally and formally thanks all GCPS head custodians, and their respective custodial teams, for the diligent and dedicated service they provide during the school year. They play a crucial role in creating and maintaining clean and safe school environments – in our classrooms, hallways, restrooms and all the hard-to-reach spaces of our buildings, which is essential for creating a positive and welcoming learning environment for students.
Head Custodian of the Year and Exemplary Custodial Care awards are criteria-based awards, with all head custodians and their respective schools eligible to earn the award each year. The Exemplary Custodial Care awards are based on the best two of three custodial inspections throughout the year. It requires a team of dedicated, diligent, and capable custodians to keep schools clean, safe, and sanitary throughout the school year. Likewise, a school’s custodial care program cannot be exemplary without effective leadership from the head custodian. The Head Custodian of the Year Awards include four additional criteria related to additional responsibilities of the head custodian, including staff development, individual work schedules, policy and procedure compliance, and equipment management. Each element is required for consistent performance. In all, 140 school head custodians and their respective teams earned awards this year.
Superintendent Dr. Calvin J. Watts says the district’s custodians are key members of Team GCPS. “What makes them exceptional is that as head custodians, they are leaders, and managers, and each day as part of Team GCPS, they demonstrate that school custodians are so much more than cleaners,” Dr. Watts shares. “Custodians are part of the fabric of our school community, they build relationships, mentor students, support adults, and they notice everyone in our buildings. They are exceptional because they go above and beyond to positively impact our students, staff, and community.”
Below you will find the schools that won awards for Exemplary Custodial Care, as well as the name of the Head Custodian of the Year honored for that school.
| Elementary Schools | |
|---|---|
| Exemplary Custodial Care Award |
Head Custodian of the Year Award |
| Alcova ES | Will Forrest |
| Alford ES | Tatiana Dontu |
| Anderson-Livsey ES | Eva Lopez (18th AW) |
| Annistown ES | N/A |
| Arcado ES | N/A |
| Baggett ES | N/A |
| Baldwin ES | N/A |
| Beaver Ridge ES (15th CONS.) | Besima Hodzic |
| Benefield ES | Earl Sardin |
| Berkeley Lake ES | Lucia Varga |
| Bethesda ES (21st AW) | Keith Ruise |
| Britt ES | Dragica Lukic |
| Brookwood ES | Sherri Davis |
| Burnette ES | Mihaela Merisanu |
| Camp Creek ES | Peggy Arnold |
| Cedar Hill ES | Ljiljana Baltic |
| Centerville ES | Ken V. Irish |
| Chattahoochee ES | Minka Kolenovic |
| Chesney ES (16th AW) | Xhyla Paloji |
| Cooper ES (18th AW) | Samira Tahirovic |
| Corley ES | Mary Gaddis |
| Craig ES (22nd AW) | Rochell Middleton |
| Dacula ES (18th AW) | Ana Croitor |
| Duncan Creek ES (18th AW) | N/A |
| Dyer ES | Kendra Sexton |
| Ferguson ES | Gaby Zinga |
| Fort Daniel ES (21st AW) | Carlos Spikes |
| Freeman’s Mill ES (21st AW) | Vickie Vanderford (21st AW) |
| Graves ES | Alberto Pineda |
| Grayson ES (18th AW) | Enesa Wubishet |
| Gwin Oaks ES | Angela Long |
| Harbins ES (18th AW) | Johnny Tu |
| Harmony ES (17th AW) | Brandon Wilson (16th AW) |
| Harris ES | Ahmed Hammouda |
| Head ES | Zumra Omanovic |
| Hopkins ES | Antoneta Chelaru |
| Ivy Creek ES | Ramon Munoz |
| Jackson ES (17th AW) | Clifford R. Hughes |
| Jenkins ES | Lisa Mosley |
| Kanoheda ES | Duvan Rojas |
| Knight ES (18th AW) | Sanja Ramic |
| LAWrenceville ES | Irma Karadza |
| Level Creek ES (17th AW) | Valentina Juravschi |
| Lilburn ES (16th AW) | N/A |
| Lovin ES (15th AW) | N/A |
| Magill ES (17th AW) | Jed Clark |
| Mason ES | Ramon Abreu |
| McKendree ES (19th AW) | Mustafa Besic |
| Meadowcreek ES | Nelia Saye |
| Minor ES | Rodica Bledea |
| Mountain Park ES (17th AW) | Jean Lyron (15th AW) |
| Mulberry ES (16th CONS.) | Camila Vugdalic (15th CONS.) |
| Nesbit ES | Denisa Kiss |
| Norcross ES (18th AW) | Kendrick Epps |
| North Metro Academy | Tim Slayton |
| Norton ES | Angelo Rodriguez |
| Parsons ES (15th CONS.) | N/A |
| Partee ES (19th AW) | Senad Begic |
| Patrick ES | N/A |
| Peachtree ES | Enisa Habul |
| Pharr ES | Emira Tahirovic |
| Puckett’s Mill ES | Gloria Green (19th CONS.) |
| Riverside ES | Dimairy Hernandez |
| Roberts ES | Claudia Circa |
| Rock Springs ES | Lynn Butler (16th CONS.) |
| Rockbridge ES | Snjezana Sabanovic (1st AW) |
| Rosebud ES | Karen Branch |
| Shiloh ES | Chris Moye (now at Lanier HS) |
| Simonton ES | Roberto Paneque |
| Simpson ES | Mwamba Haynes (1st AW) |
| Starling ES | Carolina Pogreban |
| Stripling ES | Kathleen Forrest |
| Sugar Hill ES | Estera Kusovschi |
| Suwanee ES | Ronda Price (16th AW) |
| Sycamore ES | Nijaz Hasanovic |
| Taylor ES | Cornelia Buducea |
| Trip ES | Tarcila Arroyo |
| Walnut Grove ES | Veronica Adem |
| White Oak ES | Roberto Rodriguez |
| Winn Holt ES | Carol Back **(23rd CONS.) |
| Woodward Mill ES | Semija Causevic |
| Middle Schools | |
|---|---|
| Exemplary Custodial Care Award |
Head Custodian of the Year Award |
| Bay Creek MS | Blanca Valle |
| Berkmar MS (15th AW) | N/A |
| Coleman MS | Ana Valle |
| Couch MS | John Ziegler |
| Creekland MS | N/A |
| Crews MS (22nd AW) | Livia Nastai |
| Dacula MS | Sherry McKinzie |
| Duluth MS | Dale Tyler |
| Five Forks MS | Delphin Thomas |
| Grace Snell MS | Alex Mois |
| Hull MS | Cornelia Berende |
| Jones MS (16th AW) | Daniela Andronesi (1st AW) |
| Jordan MS | Rada Obrenovic |
| Lanier MS | Jorge E. Bernal (1st AW) |
| Lilburn MS | Alena Markitan |
| McConnell MS (22nd AW) | Anka Logsdon (16th CONS.) |
| Moore MS | Sharon Barfield |
| North Gwinnett MS | Victor Dheming (1st AW) |
| Northbrook MS | N/A |
| Osborne MS (19th CONS.) | Andrei Kusovschi |
| Pinckneyville MS | Tim Craven |
| Radloff MS | Andrei Kusovschi |
| Richards MS | Dragana Sejdic |
| Shiloh MS | N/A |
| Snellville MS | Svetlana Bantya |
| Summerour MS | N/A (Vacant) |
| Sweetwater MS | Alma Jasarevic |
| Trickum MS | Joseph Alexander |
| Twin Rivers MS | Pamela Hall |
| High Schools | |
|---|---|
| Exemplary Custodial Care Award | Head Custodian of the Year Award |
| Archer HS | Lejla Sehic |
| Berkmar HS (16th AW) | Vlad Pop |
| Brookwood HS (18th AW) | David Long |
| Central Gwinnett HS (19th AW) | Larry Campbell (17th AW) |
| Collins Hill HS (20th AW) | Cadillac Williams (1st AW) |
| Dacula HS (18th AW) | Kelly A. Jones |
| Discovery HS | Clemente Amable |
| Duluth HS | Samir Abdovic |
| Grayson HS | N/A |
| Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology | Zumreta Muhovic (1st AW) |
| Lanier HS | Tim Wilson |
| Maxwell HS of Technology (15th AW) | Nexhmedin Paloji |
| McClure Health Science HS | Marivic V. Smith |
| Meadowcreek HS | N/A (Vacant) |
| Mill Creek HS (19th CONS.) | Richard Holmberg |
| Norcross HS | N/A |
| Mountain View HS | Alina Rotaru |
| North Gwinnett HS | Alex DiMola |
| Parkview HS | Buddy Phillips |
| Paul Duke STEM HS | Sean Jack |
| Peachtree Ridge HS | Deborah Hunter |
| Phoenix HS | Ana Sanchez (21st AW) |
| Seckinger HS | Zejna Mujkic |
| Shiloh HS | Jasmin Alagic |
| South Gwinnett HS | Jose Morel Pena |
| Special Schools | |
|---|---|
| Exemplary Custodial Care Award | Head Custodian of the Year Award |
| Buice Center | Tatiana Neculcea |
| GIVE Center East | Mariana Ucrainciuc |
| GIVE Center West (18th AW) | Andre Blake |
| Gwinnett Online Campus | Gary Evers |
| Oakland Meadow School (19th AW) | Ana Trifoi |
** GCPS record for consecutive years without a gap.
xxth AW means the total years the school or head custodian has earned this award.
xxth CONS means the total years the school or head custodian has earned this award, and they have been earned consecutively without a gap.