Jesuit High School Sacramento has a large campus. With over 52 acres of land, year-round effort is required to maintain both the school’s beauty and reputation across every inch of the property.

The Jesuit Grounds Crew is the primary behind-the-scenes workforce that keeps the school clean and welcoming.

“Our role as ground crew members is to maintain the school’s image; making sure faculty, staff, students, parents and others who walk on our campus feel that vibrant environment as soon as they step foot on campus,” said Groundskeeper Mr. Luis Fuentes.

Aside from keeping the campus looking great, the ground crew also helps fix various problems around the property to keep Jesuit running smoothly and efficiently. Oftentimes, they’re addressing irrigation pipe issues.

“Our campus runs from Fair Oaks Boulevard to American River Drive. so that means there’s a lot of underground water pipes,” Mr. Fuentes said. “Many times, if not every day, we have to deal with broken lines. We then have to find the problem, dig and fix the pipe. Depending where the pipe is there are times we dig from 1 foot to sometimes 6-7 feet.”

The grounds crew also helps out the school by setting up the various events held around campus.

“They perform many of the setups for the school for our different events, especially the sporting events,” said Plant Manager Mr. Paul Speers. “So next time you’re at a football game, you look around and see all this wonderful stuff set up for you, it’s the grounds crew most likely who have done that work.”

The six grounds crew workers put hours of work and dedication into their job on a daily basis, a task worthy of appreciation.

“They try very, very hard to make sure that this place is a great welcoming environment for young minds to learn,” Mr. Speers said. “So next time you see somebody raking some leaves or setting something up, take a moment, say ‘Hi, thank you for the hard work’ because that goes a long way.”

The Jesuit Grounds Crew is a hardworking, dedicated team that takes care of the campus, keeping it clean and functioning. Without them, Jesuit would not offer the amazing environment that it does today.