New Supervisor of Custodial Services Sam Johnston jokes that a lot of the workers are put in the Ouachita Parish School building on Thomas Road because they don’t play well with others.
That is hardly the case, though.
Johnston, along with newly appointed Director of Construction & Maintenance Steven Hemphill and Supervisor of Maintenance Todd Lenard, will do anything for anyone at the drop of a hat.
And, sometimes, that happens.
Lenard, the new Supervisor of Maintenance, is next door to Johnston in the OPSB Warehouse off Thomas Road and orchestrates who goes where when an issue comes up at a school. That issue can range anywhere from plumbing to the air going out.
“The air may go out in 15 schools in one day – and that has happened,” Lenard said. “My job is to decide where we go first.”
Lenard has 28 employees under him that are skilled in various trades from electrical to locksmith, and everything in between. His morning usually starts with work orders and then sending his team out.
“I know what guys worked at a school more than others, so that’s where they go,” Lenard said. “I try to do it like that because they are familiar so it’s easier for them to work on the schools they know.”
Johnston has worked in the OPSB Warehouse for 19 years. He started as a helper on a truck, then moved up to running the pony, where he would deliver and pick up the mail from every school and the Central Office.
He became the warehouse manager three years ago and enjoyed it so much that he did not want to become the Supervisor of Custodial Services.
“I loved my job (as warehouse manager),” Johnston said. “I was able to go through the whole parish and saw everybody from custodial to principals. I can help everybody and know everybody, but I saw where the Lord used all that to get me ready for this.”
Once Johnston decided to take the Custodial Supervisor job, he went from having 13 employees to 303. He supervises all the employees responsible for mowing, waxing, and stripping the floors at schools, among other things.
“I’m really big on folks getting along,” Johnston said. “The only way to do that is to communicate. Some schools are like families, and then some cause constant turmoil. They have to take the time to learn each other.”
Johnston said that is one of many things that he, Lenard and Hemphill have in common. The three have worked together for almost 10 years, with Lenard joining the staff in 2014. Hemphill started at the Warehouse in 2001, and Johnston followed in 2004. However, the two have known each other for close to 40 years from attending church together and having kids close to the same age.
“Our bond is really strong,” Johnston said of the three men. “We can’t do one thing without the other. We figuratively and literally hold hands. We all want to make sure things are done right and to the best of our ability.”
Hemphill’s promotion to the Director of Construction & Maintenance meant a move to the Central Office. However, he said his truck can drive itself to the Warehouse as many times as he goes back and forth checking in on things and catching up with Johnston and Lenard.
That may be the one place he doesn’t get asked about how a certain project is going. As the one overseeing the multiple construction projects across the district, it is hard for Hemphill to even go out to dinner without someone asking when a certain project is going to be finished.
“Or when are you going to start?” Hemphill said. “I had that this morning. ‘When are you going to start on my school?’”
Hemphill is overseeing close to 20 projects, but the one project most people approach him to talk about is the new Sterlington Middle School. It is the first construction of a new school from the ground up since East Ouachita Middle School was built in 2017.
Other projects include installing man traps at six schools across the district. Man traps will limit access to visitors entering the school until they have shown proper identification and are approved by the front office.
“It will be set up where there will be a camera, and they will have to show their driver’s license to verify who they are,” Hemphill said. “You have to stay in the man trap unless you have an appointment, then you will be escorted to the office.”
The seven schools getting man traps are Calhoun Elementary, Highland Elementary, Riverbend Elementary, Calhoun Middle, Good Hope Middle, West Ridge Middle and Woodlawn Junior High.
“It will give people at the school peace of mind,” Hemphill said. “It will give parents peace of mind. We are trying to keep the students safe, and the parents knowing we are trying to do that makes them feel better about bringing their kids to school.”
Hemphill meets with the construction team every other week on the status of the man trap projects and other smaller projects in progress around the school district. Some of those include restroom remodels at Kiroli Elementary, Drew Elementary and Riser Middle, additional classrooms at Sterlington Elementary and Sterlington High School and a new school parking lot at Ouachita Parish High School, to name a few.
ONGOING PROJECTS IN OUACHITA PARISH:
Sterlington Elementary: New Classrooms, Restrooms & Parking Lot (to help traffic flow)
Sterlington Middle School: New School Construction
Sterlington High School: New Classrooms, Fieldhouse Remodel, Baseball & Softball Dressing Rooms, New Pavilion
Ouachita Junior High: New Roof
Ouachita High School: New Baseball Concession Stand and Press Box, New Football Bathrooms, Remodel of Administrative Offices, New Main Parking Lot
Richwood High School: New Multipurpose Building, New Pavilion
Richwood Middle School: New Multipurpose Building
Shady Grove Elementary: New Flooring in Multipurpose Building
West Ouachita: Additional Renovations to Sports Complex, New Softball Hitting Facility
Riser Middle School: Bathroom Remodel
Kiroli Elementary: Bathroom Remodel
Drew Elementary: Bathroom Remodel
Man Traps: Calhoun Elementary, Highland Elementary, Riverbend Elementary, Calhoun Middle School, Good Hope Middle School, West Ridge Middle School, Woodlawn Junior High
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