August 2017 Newsletter: Lester McDonald, Boulevard Building Assistant

Lester McDonald enjoys a bit of celebrity status among Shaker Schools students. 

Not only is he a highly visible District employee in his work as a custodian (for the past nine years he's worked at each elementary school, serving as substitute, assistant or head custodian), he truly enjoys engaging with Shaker families.

"When I started out at Fernway, I'd play football with the kids," he says. "It's so rewarding because to this day, some of those kids see me and remember every aspect of every encounter I had with them. I can't believe they remember it!"

Even better, he says he always had the support of the school staff and parents. "The community in Shaker is so outgoing. That's one of the great things about being here," he says.

McDonald says that his commitment to providing stability and income for his own four children is what brought him to Shaker. Today, his children are all grown college graduates.

When McDonald leaves work, he returns home to his wife of 31 years, Charinita. McDonald says the couple has enjoyed keeping things "simple", as he says, now that their children are grown.

On the weekends, McDonald enjoys riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle or fishing with his son. Both activities, he says, are relaxing stress relievers.

"I'm really a family-oriented person, I see the kids at the school and sometimes, they want me to help them tie their shoes and other times, they want to talk about sports," he says. "Because I've had kids, I've been through a lot of the same things they're experiencing. I like helping them."