In less than three weeks a familiar sound will fill the halls of Suzie B. West Primary School. Small children hesitant to leave the safety of their mothers’ arms will be crying and whining with fear as they begin their very first days of school.

It is a familiar scene to which custodians James Thomas, Debra Fuller Johnson and Chris Fulton look forward partly because they like to see the children but mostly because the hard part of their job will finally be over.

Each summer, the custodians busily prepare for a new school year. Their job is not easy. From cleaning and fixing windows to stripping and waxing floors the school custodians make sure that the school is up and ready by the first bell of the first school day.

&uot;The hardest part of our job is right now,&uot; said Fulton.

On her first day back on the job from summer vacation Monday, Fuller couldn’t agree more. &uot;The hardest part is moving furniture and stripping the floors,&uot; she said.

With the exception of a small section of the main hallway leading to the school offices, the custodians had finished stripping and waxing all of the vinyl tile floors throughout the school.

&uot;We’re ready to wind things up,&uot; said Fulton with a smile.

With less than two-weeks left before teachers arrive on campus, the custodians have caught up with everything that needs to be done. With most of the hard work completed the custodians can look forward to new faces and a new school year.

&uot;I love seeing the new kids,&uot; said Fuller. &uot;Time just seems to drag along without them.&uot;

The Viewfinder is a weekly feature produced by our photography staff to reflect the diversity of our community.