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The staff, the teachers and Principal Vivian Franklin at Regnart Elementary School showered Bertha Mendoza, custodian at Regnart, with flowers, balloons, rolls of toilet paper wrapped in ribbons and a collection of appreciation letters from students at the Oct. 14 Cupertino Union School District school board meeting.
That's because Mendoza was classified employee of the month in October.
Mendoza's two daughters—Diana, 13, and Erika, 8—also attended the meeting.
"We feel that the service she provides our school is like the service given at a five-star luxury hotel," Franklin said. "Just a small symbol of that service is the fold that she puts in every single toilet paper roll in all of the adult bathrooms."
Teachers say Mendoza goes the extra mile to provide the best service. For example, Mendoza puts trashcans back in the classroom on hot days because the trashcans can get so hot that the students might burn their fingers.
"Who would have the courage and calmness to catch a wild snake and just accept it as part of the daily excitement at Regnart? Bertha is marvelous," one teacher said.
Mendoza is also well loved by the students. One student wrote in a letter, "Back in my old school, the bathrooms were so dirty that I never wanted to go. In this school, everything was so neat. I think you deserve a raise and an award."
Overwhelmed with compliments, Mendoza, who has worked for the school for four years, said she is just doing her job. When she worked for the Hyatt Sainte Claire Hotel in San Jose, she was named employee of the month, too.
"I love cleaning," Mendoza, 34, said. "I am really happy to work here. Even though there is a lot of work, I won't change my job."
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Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer