Every weekday at 6:30 a.m.—sometimes earlier—Jasper Cornelius arrives at Cairo Junior-Senior High School to prepare the building for students and staff.

"During the daytime, I come in, I open up for the morning, get everything prepped for school," says Cornelius, a 2006 Cairo graduate who returned to work for his alma mater in 2008.

What begins as a part-time position has evolved into a 17-year career with the district. After starting on night shift, Cornelius eventually moved to days following a colleague's early retirement. "Now me and Nick Davis, maintenance supervisor are the longest ones that's been here," he notes.

The school's daytime custodian is responsible for maintaining approximately 12 classrooms, a cafeteria, gym, band room, art room, teachers' lounge, and multiple bathrooms. His early morning routine includes dusting floors, vacuuming entry rugs, and ensuring all facilities are ready for the day ahead.

Throughout the day, Cornelius responds to teachers' requests for assistance—whether removing large items like desks and chairs, restocking paper towels and hand sanitizer, or addressing unexpected spills and messes. He periodically checks bathrooms to ensure toilets and urinals are flushed and monitors outdoor trash receptacles.

"Before I leave, I make sure that the trash is dumped from the cafeteria," Cornelius explains. "I re-dust my floors, vacuum the partial rugs, wipe off my glass mirrors, check through my bathrooms." His shift ends at 2:30 p.m., allowing him to pick up his two children—one in eighth grade and one in fifth—from school.

"It works around my schedule," Cornelius says, explaining what he loves about his job. "Any other job, I won't have the time to be able to get there fast enough to be able to get them. Same as taking them to school—I could come here, set up, and when they're ready, I can go get them and drop them off."

While daytime maintenance keeps him busy during the school year, Cornelius particularly enjoys summer work. "Favorite part of the job? Summertime," he says without hesitation.

During summer, Cairo's nine custodial staff members—both day and night shifts—converge into a single daytime team working from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Under Davis's direction, they handle a wide range of maintenance projects across the district.

"We normally do grass, lawn care, building maintenance...paint, remove equipment, bring in equipment, grounds keep," Cornelius explains. The team also prepares facilities for the following school year, including tasks like setting up playground equipment.

This collaborative summer work environment offers a different pace than the school year. "Everybody's here, everybody...we don't have to work as hard during the summertime because there's no kids here. It's us taking our time getting everything prepped up for the next following school year."

Beyond his regular duties, Cornelius occasionally assists the maintenance staff with repairs and can work overtime for evening events. When the school hosts basketball games or community events like funerals or parties, he sometimes stays late to prepare the facilities, support the event, and clean up afterward.

After nearly two decades at Cairo Schools, Cornelius remains committed to maintaining the facilities where he once studied as a student. His behind-the-scenes work ensures that Cairo Junior-Senior High School provides a clean, functional environment where learning can take place—and his schedule allows him to be there for his own children's education as well.