Monday, October 4, 2021
Students and staff at North Fork Elementary celebrate Head Custodian Ed Sorensen’s retirement with a Celebration Tunnel
Students and staff at North Fork Elementary School recognized the retirement of head custodian Ed Sorensen by holding a Celebration Tunnel for him. Students clapped and cheered as he was pushed in a decorated wheelchair by Principal Denise Pearl. Students also created special cards thanking him for being their custodian and congratulating him on his retirement.
Sorensen worked for Woodland Public Schools for 12 years with the past 10 years serving as head custodian at North Fork Elementary. After jobs in several other industries, he decided to try working in schools because of his own experiences as a K-12 students. “I remember growing up with friendly janitors in my schools who looked out for me, and I thought, ‘I could do that,’” said Sorensen. “These little kids are really special – sometimes, you see a kid who just needs a friend and I try my best to do that for every one of them.”
Students gave homemade cards to Sorensen while clapping and cheering
While he doesn’t have set plans for his retirement yet, Sorensen knows he won’t sit still. Although, he does know getting a little more sleep may be on the agenda. “I’ll find something to do, but I’m not going to start at 5 a.m.,” he joked.
Sorensen moved to Woodland when he was five years old and has lived here ever since. “The biggest change over time has definitely been the growth of the community,” he said. “When the town was smaller, everyone knew each other so, growing up, you couldn’t get in trouble, or everyone would know.”
Thank you for your service, Ed! We hope you have a great retirement!