Jerry Raisner has worked at Marshall Junior High School for 10 years, but you would think he has been here a lifetime with his legendary status amongst current and former students and staff members! Jerry is not only the hardest working man on campus, but he is also the most uplifting positive person every day, rain, snow, cold, hot, or sick, Jerry doesn’t change. Jerry takes great pride in greeting students and staff each and every morning, at lunch, between classes, and every other chance he gets.
There is no words that could do justice to the type of person he is, but on top of those characteristics, Jerry doesn’t stop cleaning and fixing from the time he walks in until he leaves, except to grab some Milo’s Sweet Tea and a Hungry Man for lunch. Jerry takes great pride in the appearance of Marshall Junior High School, but also the cleanliness to reduce illnesses throughout.
Recently, in support of Tiffany Macke’s fight against cancer, we asked students to come up with an activity in school that would be a “Dream Day.” The options were:
Pajama day
No homework in any class for a day
Decorate the hallways
Students vs. teachers dodgeball
Movie time during flex
Karaoke contest
Students vs. teachers Wiffle ball
8th grade vs. 7th grade gym games
Teacher dance show
Jerry Day where Jerry is treated like a King for a Day
As a display of the love student has for Jerry, they overwhelmingly voted to treat Jerry like a “King for a Day.” The students were very excited when it was announced that “Jerry Day” had won and we began planning without his knowledge. MJHS students completed a Google Survey and selected whether or not they wanted to help Jerry a class period to do his tasks and take some work off his plate. The responses were overwhelming and I will include just a few of the many, many we had.
“I want to help Jerry because, I think he is a great man, and he does great at keeping this school clean. He is always nice to everyone and makes sure we are all having a great day and deserves the love he would receive on this day.”
“Jerry does so much for us every day from cleaning the bleachers before and after games, cleaning up the gum that the people in the school don’t put in a trash can(or just not have at all). Jerry does so much for us and I feel I need to give Jerry a huge thank you and I would love to help him with whatever he needs.”
“Every day that I can I say hello to Jerry when grabbing breakfast, walking in from lunch, or even just when I pass him in the hallways. He works so hard to keep the schools clean and shiny. I greatly respect and appreciate the fact he does this for us. I really wanna help honor him, as thanks for his hard work.”
“Jerry is such a super sweet nice person. Every day he tells me to have a good day, and a good lunch. His kind actions deserve to be recognized, so he deserves a day to himself and I’d love to help him feel loved.”
“Jerry has always been very nice to me. For example when I go to and from lunch or when I am in the hallways jerry says hi to me, pats me on the back, asks how my day/weekend was, and more.”
“I want to help Jerry because he is by far the sweetest person I have met. He is such a positive and caring person. Jerry waits in the cold to let us in the school from lunch, following “How are you young lady” or in the mornings he makes sure to greet every single kid that walks by with a good morning. I always see him working extra hard and doing tasks that he needs to be recognized for. I’m so happy that we get to do Jerry's day because he most definitely deserves it.”
“Jerry has always been kind to everyone in our school, Jerry helps clean the school and does most of the work by himself and he really does deserve a day to relax and get the appreciation he deserves. When I’m walking in the halls on an average school day, Jerry will always ask if I’m doing good and he will be genuine with his response to what I say, clearly he cares about what he does and the students in Marshall Jr High and I would love to give back to him by helping him out. When 7th Grade was coming to an end for me, and we were cleaning out lockers, Mrs. Allen asked the class to help Jerry as he had a hurt back because he fell, so when I was finished I helped Jerry wheel stuff to the trash bin and moved the trash cans around the hall; Jerry had been very appreciative and I feel like the students should all go to the halls, and as Jerry walked down the hallway, students should clap and cheer for Jerry. Jerry is a very good example of a man who loves his job, Jerry is someone who brightens my day, I would love to help out Jerry on his own day. He deserves everything and is a very good person.”
“Jerry does a lot to help out with our school, he deserves to be treated like a king for a day. He gives a lot of effort to make sure that our school is clean he also is very sweet and always tells you hello. I want to give back to him because he does so much for us and we take time for granted. He deserves a day to be treated like a king.”
“I want to help Jerry because he has been serving this school for years. Making sure it is always very clean. He also always manages to keep the best attitude always talking to the kids and just being a really good adult figure. He is a very good worker for our school and that’s why I want to help jerry because he deserves a break.”
“I would like to help Jerry because he does so much for us and we should be able to do something for him. Every day he tells us to have a good day and I would like to make his day as much as he tries to make ours. He deserves to have a good day cause he does so much for us.”
“Jerry always says hi to me and is very kind to me and other students. He goes out of his way to my sure our school is clean and a better place to be in. I believe Jerry deserves a day to have the students pay him back for his hard work.”
Below are some pictures of his "co-workers" for the day as Jerry supervised some great help! I'm so very proud of our students and their understanding of self-worth and recognizing work ethics!
