BAUXITE, Ark. — The students at Bauxite’s Pine Haven Elementary are lifting the spirits of one very special and important staff member who's gone above and beyond to keep the school safe and clean during the pandemic.
"My day goes by when they say, 'How are you doing, Mr. Ferrell,' or 'You're doing a good job, Mr. Ferrell,'” said Ferrell Bauer, Pine Haven’s custodian.
For 15 years, Ferrell Bauer has enjoyed his job, despite it not being a pleasant one.
"I clean hallways, clean stairs, and disinfect everything,” said Bauer. “I have to stay on top of it."
Add a pandemic on top of his daily to-do list, Mr. Ferrell's days have become more challenging to keep the school squeaky clean.
He’s had to constantly sanitize in order to keep germs from spreading.
"Ferrell, we just cannot make it without him,” said Becky Reynolds, school principal.
He's managed to not only keep up, but he’s going above and beyond by cleaning almost every crack and crevice of the school.
Not only have the staff noticed, but the students have too.
The kids are showing their support for Mr. Ferrell in the hallways, by decorating posters.
Many have reached out to cheer him up this holiday season by making him personalized Christmas cards, thanking him for keeping them safe at school.
"It's a good feeling to get all of those cards,” said Bauer. “I was thinking to myself, Christmas must have come early.”
Mr. Ferrell hasn’t only kept up with the demands of work, but he’s kept a positive attitude despite the added stress this school year. His spirit’s the only thing that's spread at Pine Haven.
"He's always saying something kind and loving to each other and appreciates what we do for him, but he does so much more for us on a daily basis,” said Reynolds. “He’s one of the good ones. He does everything asked of him and he’d give the shirt off his back to anyone.”