KENOSHA, Wis. — There are family-owned pizzerias that have been passed down from generation to generation. There are manufacturers that have been family operated for more than 100 years. But you likely haven't heard about many families that have been cleaning the same school for nearly 100 years - until now.
Repairing and cleaning schools in Kenosha runs deep in the Baas family. In fact, Noah Baas, his dad Tim, and his grandfather Donald, were all head custodians at Lincoln Middle School at one point. Noah, 25, still works at Lincoln and doesn't see that changing anytime soon.
"At this point, I don’t see me leaving this building at all, and I could see making, you know, spending the rest of, you know, my career here," he said.
What's more, Noah's great uncles were also custodians for the Kenosha Unified School District. It's an uncommon tradition to pass down from generation to generation, but it's something that the Baas family is proud of.
"I didn’t think I would end up at this building, and (Tim) was happy when I told him that I got his job," Noah said.
His dad was one of his biggest inspirations. Tim was the man who taught Noah so much of what he knows about maintenance. Noah would often call his dad to get help with something at the school. However, his dad died which left Noah's mentor, friend, and dad unreachable.
"Theres (sic) just a lot of things that I'd still like to ask him, but I can’t," Noah said. "How do I fix this to, you know, what’s - am I doing the right thing in my life," he said with tears in his eyes.
He didn't expect to follow in his father's footsteps. But as he looks back on his relationship with his dad, he realizes that's what he was doing all along. After all, he currently works in the same role in the same place as his dad.
"You know I never thought that I was that kid that followed my dad around, and then as I got older I was that kid that followed my dad around. But I'm glad I did because I learned a lot."
There isn't too much rhyme or reason as to why the Baas family chose the custodial life. It's just the family trade. But one thing is for certain, Noah takes his job seriously and provides a service to the community.
"When I was growing up, everybody always talked about Lincoln being the hood school, but when I walked in I said, 'Let's get the lockers repainted. Let's get the doors painted.'"
That's exactly what happened. The lockers are deep maroon and the doors have new paint on them. He believes that students will work and learn better in a cleaner and more up-to-date building.
"I wanted us to get the reputation that this was the hood school away. I don’t want that. I want this to be good, you know. I want someone to be proud of this building," he said.
He does that with one sweep of his mop at a time. It's the thing he keeps closest to him.
"We're always pushing a mop around," he said.
But his job goes way beyond cleaning.
"I'm not a janitor. Janitors just clean. I'm a custodian," Noah made sure to say.
He does maintenance and repairs. He makes sure the building is functioning, so the students have a learning-conducive environment to be in.
Noah said that it is a thankless job. However, that doesn't concern him. He knows he provides a necessary service to hundreds of students every year. His father and grandfather knew that too. And if his one-year-old son wants to take the reins from him someday, Noah would be a proud parent.
"If he wants to do this, great. I'm not going to tell him not to."
