Last March, when Covid-19 reached U.S. soil, our lives changed tremendously. Governments across the globe forced their citizens into lengthy quarantines and shutdowns, barring any non-essential gatherings. 

As the school year approached – two weeks early, in fact – many began to think about what precautions and restrictions would be taken on campus. For the students, it was to attend school once a week, wear your mask, maintain social distance, and occasionally settle for an on-campus Zoom class. Though the protocols for students remained predominantly the same, many faculty members, including the kitchen and custodial staffs, were requested to work on campus full time. 

Chef Jeff Duncan and his team did not see the newly enforced distancing and cleaning guidelines as an immense challenge. When asked about what changes he and his staff needed to make in order to meet the guidelines, Duncan said that “quite honestly, we haven’t had to change that much, because it’s something that we do every day anyway.” He explained that the team “cleans and sanitizes the kitchen every day when we’re finished.”

Additionally, meetings over last summer concluded that 50% of the kitchen staff would have to be displaced to maintain social distancing. However, Duncan mentioned that there was a need for additional staff to sanitize and clean classrooms, hallways, and bathrooms across the RCS campus. 

As many Riverdale students can attest, the vast assortment of food in previous years have been nothing short of remarkable. There were countless food options, fitting each student’s liking. Unfortunately, the long lunch lines and crowded salad bar had to take a pause this year amid the pandemic. Although this year’s grab-and-go style, individually bagged sandwiches, and salads may not meet everyone’s exact food cravings for the day, Chef Duncan is more than impressed with his team for the efficiency they have been able to maintain thus far. 

The custodial staff at Riverdale has been working day and night to sanitize and disinfect areas around campus. Additionally, Riverdale has recently installed an air cleansing system through each of the air conditioning units across the campus. The Director of Facilities at Riverdale, Mike Galligan, has instructed his team to disinfect vacant classrooms, hallways, and door handles throughout the day. 

Galligan also mentioned that if there were to be a suspected case within the school, they had purchased electrostatic cleaners. He explained that in just fifteen or twenty minutes, the electrostatic cleaners can sanitize the entire space so that it is free of any germs. 

Galligan was proud of his team for getting a jump start on new equipment. Back in March, he began the process of new purchases and installations to ensure complete safety for the school’s reopening in August. 

The kitchen and custodial staff have worked extremely hard to aid our community in maintaining some normalcy during these unprecedented times by facilitating the return of students and faculty back to campus. The Riverdale community is more than thankful for what these staff members have accomplished, as their work too often goes unsung.