NORTH VANCOUVER—Before COVID-19 hit, Patricia Richetto had worked at École André-Piolat for 14 years. It was her comfort zone. The life-changing pandemic brought negativity and stress, but she not only coped, she conquered.

Prior to the pandemic Richetto didn’t even have a computer at home and was not familiar or comfortable with technology. Because her work as an education assistant switched to remote, online learning, the school sent a computer to her home. In the beginning she was frustrated. Despite a steep learning curve, Richetto learned how to use the computer with help from teachers and others in her school who were patient and supportive.

Now, working with the computer is a regular part of her life. As an EA, Richetto usually works with special needs kids and had many students with complex needs. She worked with 10 students from four classes. One of the challenges of working remotely was developing a schedule that worked for everyone. It took about a week to come up with a proper schedule. Answering parents’ emails was also an important part of her at-home work.

In the midst of all this, Richetto’s 22-year-old son, who was in Montreal for military training, contracted COVID-19. He got very ill, lost a lot of weight and went into isolation for one month. When he was finally able to come home, he was no longer contagious, but remained sick for a long time. He has since recovered and is working at a restaurant while looking for work in his field.

Despite personal challenges, Richetto worked to remain positive throughout. She went for lots of walks during the suspension of in-class learning and got to know her neighbours. She took a twelve-week course studying on the weekend and at night to earn a certificate to teach gifted children.  “I tried to find something positive,” said Richetto.

Learning the computer and how to do Zoom calls enabled her to contact a niece and nephew that she hadn’t spoken with for years. They started having Skype meetings and exchanged photos. They spent time together online. Richetto met her brother and sister, niece and nephew and their children in Montreal this summer. “It’s been wonderful to see their little kids. I’m very happy that I was able to take something so rewarding from this pandemic,” she said.

Art has been a big part of keeping positive. She worked with students on weekly journals and they put the drawings into the school newspaper. Richetto created a cartoon featuring a little girl in different situations. She put together a podcast for the kids and an interactive book for children.

Her advice to her students is to stay hopeful and live day by day. Richetto encouraged students to do a rainbow drawing to put in the window. “It’s good to continue to support each other. We help each other and move forward together.”

Being back at school is not without its own challenges, with all the new rules, schedule changes, and wearing masks. “Being in school is difficult,” said Richetto “Although it’s stressful, I’m very happy to be back and working with students.”

This translated article is also available in French on the CUPE 4227 website.

LANGLEY—CUPE 1851 member Troy Tardiff, a custodian at Shortreed Community School in Langley, has always loved working with people. Tardiff was featured recently in a Langley Advance Times article highlighting the big part he plays at his school.

“Troy is a dedicated person who goes above and beyond, and I am so happy to see him recognized,” said CUPE 1851 President Sheryl Barnum. “I’m also proud of all our members who are all doing so much during this pandemic.”

Previously Tardiff worked at a hospital supervising a cleaning crew and then as a high school custodian in a large school. Coming from a small town, he was drawn to the positive environment and friendly atmosphere of the elementary school. He prefers the personal dynamics of a smaller environment and getting to know everyone.

Tardiff credits the school principal and vice-principal for the excellent job they do to include the kids at Shortreed.

“Kids are amazing. If you say hi to kids a couple times, they look up to you. You can just see it.” says Tardiff, who is pleased that he is on a first name basis with students – it’s Mr. Troy rather than Mr. Tardiff.

Tardiff understands the importance of sanitizing and disinfecting from his hospital days. Now working as a daytime custodian because of the coronavirus pandemic, he works to keep the community school “one of the cleanest in the district.”

Whether it’s dressing up as Spiderman on Hallowe’en (and keeping kids guessing by showing up a few minutes later as himself), reading to kids, connecting with them, or doing his utmost to keep their environment clean and safe, Troy Tardiff gives his all.

Tardiff says that the real hero is his wife, who is a patient care coordinator at a hospital. “She’s the real hero. She’s my hero.”

“Some of us don’t take this pandemic seriously enough,” says Tardiff. “This is not a joke, it’s people’s lives. If one person passes away, it’s too many,” pointing out that one life lost can have an impact on a lot of other people.

PENTICTON—CUPE 523 member John Johnson, a custodian at Penticton High School (PenHi), was selected by the Penticton Herald to represent their Newsmaker of the Year. Almost 70 per cent of readers selected frontline workers as the 2020 newsmaker.

Previously Johnson worked evenings in a middle school. “Moving to days connected me more to the staff, the building and the students in it,” said Johnson.

As a daytime custodian in a large inner-city school with 65 classrooms and 1100 students, his regular work starts before school and includes opening the building, checking the premises and grounds, an hour of cleaning and sanitizing, and then getting kids into the building safely. Once classes begin, as well as sanitizing vacant areas, Johnson does a myriad of things to keep the building safe during the day such as participating in the buildings’ Occupational Health and Safety Committee.

“I would be truly handcuffed if I didn’t have a good relationship with my administrators,” says Johnson. He also helps facilitate fire drills for PenHi and the neighbouring middle school, monitors school systems and requests appropriate repairs, as well as coordinating routes for the sanitizing crew to where they are most needed.

Johnson said that although custodial work has shifted toward the sanitizing side, the same men and women have been working to keep schools safe year after year. “It’s taken COVID to bring this work into the spotlight as an essential job, to see how important our work is.”

CUPE 523 Unit 67 Chair Tammy Carter believes all K-12 support staff deserve recognition for a job well done. “I am so proud of all our K-12 custodians and support staff in Unit 67, Okanagan Skaha,” says Carter. “It’s great to finally see K-12 support staff recognized.”

The Penticton Herald newsmaker of the year article notes that custodians are “finally getting their due after decades as arguably the most underappreciated workers in the school system”.  Johnson is also representing “frontline workers such as cashiers, clerks, cab drivers, servers and others that keep society moving while health professionals, teachers and first responders make headlines elsewhere on the front lines.”