Kenny Helten has been a custodian at Garden Plain Elementary for 14 years. Kenny’s favorite part of his job is seeing all the kids and watching them grow up. Kenny was a plumber before he became a custodian. “It just happened, but it’s the best job I’ve ever had,” he said.

In addition to his custodial duties, Kenny supervises and greets everyone at the GPE crosswalk in a positive way each morning. He said, “Seeing everyone helps me stay positive and getting fist bumps and high fives from the kids is the best.” The biggest change he’s had over the years is the hiring of an outside cleaning crew, which has impacted his work load. GPE Counselor, Kristi Hatfield said, “Kenny’s amazing, he’s always willing to do anything for others.” First grader Jagger Bolinger said, “He always says hi to me and gives me high fives.”

Last school year, Ms. Clark, Garden Plain High School teacher, walked her granddaughter to GPE from the high school each day. Clark watched as Kenny had interactions with each student and group of kids crossing the street. “I was amazed that it didn’t matter the day, the weather, or who you were, Kenny greeted everyone and wished them a great day. My granddaughter, Kinley even grew in her social interactions with Kenny each day. At the beginning, she didn’t want to cross the street by herself or speak to Kenny, but with encouragement from him and his constant positivity, she began saying ‘Hi’ and would cross by herself with his guidance.”