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John Baldwin Elementary School’s lead custodian Dan Luu has been named as a California State Classified School Employee of the Year by the California Department of Education, an honor earned after 15 years of service at the school.
Having earned a reputation for being extremely dedicated to his school grounds, staff at the Danville school say Luu went above and beyond during the coronavirus pandemic, taking extra time to prepare much needed storage space and helped design a new cleaning schedule to accommodate for a.m. and p.m. student cohorts.
“I’m very happy and excited and honored to be recognized… I was surprised I didn’t know anything about (the nomination). You know everybody works hard, the staff, everybody works hard so I was very surprised to hear that. Nobody told me about that,” Luu told DanvileSanRamon.com.
“I work with a staff that works really hard too, we work together anytime we get things ready for students. We are very excited for everyone coming back,” he added.
Luu was quick to praise the work ethic of his fellow custodians who helped him throughout the pandemic, a work ethic that school staff say is shared by Luu.
“Dan’s dedication and love of the school grounds is comparable to someone caring for their own home. Dan arrives early in the morning to clean, walk the grounds, and to ensure that the campus is at its best for students, staff, and community,” Baldwin Elementary Principal Joe Romagna wrote in Luu’s nomination.
“The demands of a lead custodian’s job changed dramatically with school closures, and the subsequent reopening for small groups, child nutrition distribution, and hybrid reopening,” Romagna added.
A component of the California School Recognition Program (CSRP), the Classified School Employees of the Year Program was created to highlight the achievements and contributions of classified school employees from throughout the state. The award pays tribute to the tireless efforts of employees who may work behind the scenes to create exemplary learning environments.
“The duties that our classified employees perform are crucial to the success of our schools. We are especially proud of Dan’s commitment to his school and to the students he serves. We congratulate him on this well-deserved honor,” SRVUSD Superintendent Dr. John Malloy added in a statement.
