The votes have been tallied, and a Cross Plains custodian has been named a runner-up for this year's 2023 Custodian of the Year Contest.
Rodney Esser, known to generations of Park Elementary School students as Mr. Peanuts, was one of two runners-up in the national contest from Cintas Corporation. He won $1,000 in cash and a trip for two to Las Vegas, where he'll be celebrated during an event put on by a cleaning industry trade association.
Students and staff members surprised him with a special ceremony Thursday to congratulate him on earning the honor.
"I never thought that my principal would take me out of town for lunch and say we've got all the time in the world and he continued to look at his watch," Esser said. "And I said all of a sudden we're in a hurry, [and he said] 'Yeah, we've got to get going.'"
After getting back from lunch, Principal Brett Humphrey escorted Esser to the gym, where he was met with thunderous applause.
When asked what his favorite part of the competition has been, Esser said it was the total surprise of his nomination and the ensuing process.
"Looking back now, it was a lot of fun. It was a lot of fun," he said. "I have met so many people through this whole thing, and it's interesting how you can keep something quiet or you can publicize it. Well, I was on the side of keeping things quiet, and that's kind of cool."
The 83-year-old, whose family once farmed the land where the school now sits, said he has no plans to retire.
This year's winner was Richard “Rich” Toomey from Kelly Mill Elementary School in Cumming, Georgia, a city northeast of Atlanta.
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