If you were to walk the halls of Berryton Elementary School in Shawnee Heights Unified School District 450 on a special day or near a holiday, you may find someone in a Cat in the Hat or Santa Claus costume.  

The man behind the costume is likely head custodian Austin Smith. 

Smith has been a custodian for about 18 years, working in USD 450 for 11 years.  

He started doing it as an after-school job in high school, then continued it through college while he got his associate’s degree from Washburn University, in Topeka. 

“I really like the changes from the immediate gratification of dirty to clean, not shiny to shiny,” he said. “That instant gratification does it for me.” 

But his favorite part of the job is interacting with the kids at the school. He’ll often dress up to bring fun and joy into their day. 

Principal Kyrstin Bervert said Smith is truly a cornerstone of Berryton, treating each adult and child with the utmost kindness and respect. He does more than ensure a clean, safe building. 

“He is often the first person to bring humor, joy and fun to Berryton after a stressful week,” she said. “He also is the person who looks out for the general welfare of the entire school and does so many things outside of his job title just because he wants to help.” 

In December, he was named one of 12 finalists of the 5th Annual Tennant Custodians Are Key contest. 

Fourth-grade teacher Carrie Deghand nominated him about a year ago. 

“Austin always lends a helping hand however he can to those around him,” Deghand said. “He makes the day more fun for his peers and for the students by dressing up in costumes and giving high fives and smiles. In a never-ending and sometimes thankless job, Austin continues to be a light in everyone’s day, no matter what he faces.” 

Being a finalist, Smith earned a placard and a $500 prepaid gift card. Ultimately, he didn’t win the contest, but said he is proud of being one of the 12 finalists in the nation. 

Smith said being a custodian is a rewarding job. 

“It’s an important role, not only to do the cleaning and sanitizing, but making it a safe environment for the kids to learn in,” he said. “But also, showing them that even some of the grosser things I have to take care of, that you can approach a situation with a smile on your face. Try to approach everything with a positive attitude and hope that wears off on the kiddos too.” 

He said custodial work gives those joining the career the opportunity to learn a different skill they can take elsewhere. 

And that’s what he did. In 2020, his dad retired but wanted something to do to fill his time. Back in the 1980s, his dad used to clean out properties to get them ready to rent or sell. He thought it was fun and asked Smith if he wanted to do something like that with him. So, they started their own cleaning business called Classic Cleanups. Smith said they enjoy working with each other and it gives them something to do as a father-son job. 

Smith has one daughter currently in preschool in the district, and in a few years, he and his wife’s 2-month-old twins will join the district. He recently returned to work after paternity leave. 

“Each day that he was gone, I found myself missing his ‘we can do this’ attitude,” Bervert said. “We were so excited when he returned from paternity leave. Berryton is a better place because of Mr. Austin.” 

National Custodian Day is celebrated on Oct. 2, a day to recognize the vital role custodians play in keeping schools clean, safe and running smoothly. They often take care of unseen duties that help continue staff to work, educators to teach and students to learn.