CHICAGO -- Every morning, right before the kids line up to enter the school at Hibbard Elementary School in Chicago's Albany Park neighborhood, Micaela Ortiz Arredondo is already waiting for them, their breakfast in hand, ready to welcome them in.

“Buenos días, mijo. Good morning,” she tells each student as they take their meal, some giving her a hug, as they walk inside to start their day. After she hands out the last bag, she grabs her broom and cleaning supplies, ready to begin her own day.

For the students, Mica, as they call her, is not just another custodian at the school. Instead, she is like a grandmother. She prompts smiles, helps tie errant shoelaces and, from time to time, wipes tears from cheeks.

Ortiz’s kindness and support for the students have not gone unnoticed. This year, she was recognized as a top 10 finalist for the Cintas Custodian of the Year Award, which honors the work and often unsung role that custodians play in students’ lives in schools across the country.

Though she didn’t win the top prize, which included $10,000 and a trip to Las Vegas, she still hopes to use the opportunity of the recognition to return to school, improve her English and one day become a school leader.

“Estoy feliz porque nunca pensé llegar tan lejos. I’m happy because I never thought I would get this far,” Ortiz said.

Chicago Public Schools employs 2,392 custodial workers to help keep its buildings clean — a job that is often more than just scrubbing floors and wiping tables.

Ortiz has worked at Hibbard for only four years and, in that time, has become a vital part of the school community, her co-workers say. She has helped build a culture rooted in love and equity, said Hiliana León, the principal at the school. Her impact goes far beyond keeping the school clean and well-maintained; she’s built a nurturing environment for students who often share her immigrant experience.

Ortiz is a leader, León said. She is a representative of the vital, compassionate work custodians do not only across the school district, but in buildings and public spaces everywhere. Ortiz has built a team of janitors and custodians at Hibbard that keep the school clean and the students safe, León said.

“Many look towards her as a leader and now they go above and beyond, modeling the work that she does for the children,” León said.

Other custodians have begun to welcome the children the way Ortiz does, León said. Some help to distribute cones during the start and the end of the school day to guide the children and parents to keep them safe from traffic. Some janitors and custodians now join the staff lunches, where many didn’t feel welcome before, León added.

Without knowing, Ortiz created a sense of belonging for the students and custodial staff. The recognition has not only uplifted Ortiz’s confidence, but the dignity of the rest of the custodians and janitors at the school, added León.

“When we see custodians or people working in the kitchen, we think of our brown people; that is their job, but no, we need to find a way how to elevate the strengths they bring to our school and help them grow. How do we grow Mica?” León said.

Ortiz was born and raised in Guanajuato, Mexico. She loved going to school and learning new things, she recalled. After getting a degree in accounting, the extreme poverty and family turmoil spurred her to move to the United States in 1995.

She became a mom of two. Ortiz went to school to learn English and eventually got a medical assistant certificate. After leaving her abusive partner, she raised her two children mostly alone and worked long hours, she said.

She started working at Hibbard after leaving a job as a nannie and senior caretaker.

The children at Hibbard immediately gave her a sense of purpose, she said. That’s because they remind her of her own children and the time she couldn’t spend with them growing up.

“So when I see that they’re sad or I can sense something is wrong, I try to be there for them and cheer them up,” Ortiz said.

Cintas created the Custodian of the Year Award 12 years ago “to honor the essential yet often overlooked role custodians play in schools across the country,” said Christiny Betsch, from Cintas, a workwear corporation.

“Custodians are critical to maintaining clean, safe and healthy learning environments, but their contributions often go unrecognized,” Betsch said in an email.

In a statement, Chicago Public Schools said it congratulates Ortiz for her recognition and called her an “important part of the Hibbard school community.”

Ortiz said her dream is to go back to school, learn to use the computer better and finally afford to take her family on vacation.

Her two children, now adults, no longer live in Chicago. Her daughter, 27, lives in North Carolina and is studying criminal justice; her son, 19, is in the U.S. Army stationed in El Paso, Texas.

“I’m sure they’re proud of me,” Ortiz said.

The students at Hibbard are proud and they remind Ortiz every time they can.

“When we walk the hall and we see her and she smiles at us, that brings everybody’s day up,” said John Murphy, a third grader at Hibbard. John met Ortiz in kindergarten. For him, he said, she is like a second grandmother.

“When someone is having a bad day, Mica knows that someone is having a bad day and Mica cheers them up,” John said.

For Manuel Calle, a fifth grader at Hibbard, even if Ortiz didn’t win the national honor, her presence at the school is already a privilege.

“Porque nos trata a todos con respeto y nos da mucho amor. Because she treats us with respect and gives us much love,” he said.

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