Every day, when the hordes of “starving” Powell High School students finish indulging themselves on cafeteria pizza and chicken nuggets, Matt Pool assists PHS maintenance director Mr. Mike Brooks in cleaning up the mess often left behind.

Matt first began his job with Mr. Brooks three years ago; the formation of the duo was orchestrated by Principal Mr. Jim Kuhn, special education teacher Mrs. Jacque Hunter and Mr. Brooks.

Since then, Mr. Brooks has formed a special bond with Matt during the long hours of cleaning up messes in the cafeteria. Mr. Brooks said Matt is “just a great kid” and “I look forward to working with him every single day.”

Mrs. Hunter said that when finding a job for Matt, she had to take a few things into consideration.

“Matt is a people person; he loves to interact with people,” said Mrs. Hunter. “It is also important to find a good male role model, someone he can trust.”

Matt performs several important jobs such as wiping down and putting away tables, sweeping up garbage and cleaning the floors and taking out the garbage from the several garbage cans in the Commons. Matt works every day to make sure the space is cleaned thoroughly and properly for the next school day.

“He does this every day, and he does it correctly,” said Mr. Brooks.

Matt’s work has not been limited to the Commons in the three years he has been working with Mr. Brooks. Matt also has used the gas blower to clear the sidewalks to the main entry and he also spent many hours sanding the wooden boards that are now the school’s state championship banners hanging on the walls of the gym.

Mr. Brooks said Matt was skeptical about performing these jobs at first, but he overcame his doubts and performed the jobs very well.

“I try to push him out of his comfort zone as much as possible,” Mr. Brooks said. “But I never have him do anything he’s not capable of.”

Matt also shows his dedication to the job by working four hours daily in the summer with the school’s deep cleaning program. Matt’s favorite part of the job is carrying the two-way radio and getting to talk to Mr. Kuhn over the radio.

“I’m so proud of how far he’s come along and how much progress he’s made,” Mr. Kuhn said. “ He’s done so well with learning new skills and applying those skills.”