Meet David Rezendes: Fossil Ridge High School’s new head custodian by day, kickboxer, metal musician, and gamer by night. 

After working with people with developmental disabilities for sixteen years, he decided to take a job as a custodian for Colorado State University. “I wanted kind of a break from the stress and I don’t know that that was necessarily the best path to get less stress,” he stated while laughing.  He first came to Fossil to take on the role of night shift lead earlier this year but quickly became head custodian.

He thanks the staff for making his transition into this position so smooth, claiming that their kindness “goes a long way with me.”

Rezendes approaches his position as head custodian by trying to keep his team positive, despite the stress. “We have a lot of different personalities on our night team and just trying to get everybody to get everything done in circumstances where that’s kind of difficult,” he stated.

His team works all day helping out teachers and taking care of our messes, but COVID-19 had added a whole new layer to his team’s responsibilities. Although we are beginning to come out of this era, Rezendes still urges everyone to be aware, citing his own experience with COVID-19. 

He said, “I personally have had COVID after being fully vaccinated, and it really wasn’t a good time. So I know a lot of people are excited about losing the masks and I certainly hope that it’s going to be a good thing. But I would be cautious.”

Since Rezendes began working, he certainly witnessed disrespectful behavior from some, but simply asks students to take accountability when they make a mess. “Just remember that there’s somebody cleaning it up that could be going through hard circumstances and has a really tall order and a lot of stuff to do. And, you got people who are good people who are cleaning it up too,” Rezendes stated.  

The custodial night team works extremely hard to clean up after Fossil students and often goes unnoticed or unappreciated. In a time where being short-staffed is the norm, their job is especially draining. “We’re all trying the best that we can,” said Rezendes. 

Although his position is a big responsibility, he is able to balance work and his hobbies. “I think that having hobbies, or you can even call them disciplines, really is important because it can help with your mental health,” he stated.

He is an avid fan of Warhammer, Magic, The Gathering, and Dungeons and Dragons but also was a vocalist in a death metal band, which he loves. “There’s just a bunch of screaming. But I also can sing and that kind of thing, but I also play bass and guitar as well,” he said.

A man of many talents, Rezendes is passionate about athletics too, as he played minor league football and does a lot of martial arts in his free time. “It takes a lot to keep me happy,” he joked.

Fossil is definitely lucky to welcome Rezendes into the role of head custodian. Thankfully, he will continue to help out students and staff every day, stating that his door is “always open”.