Jim DuDevoir is a dedicated School Custodian at Sherwood Heights Elementary School in the Auburn School District. He was recently nominated for the RISE Award and named a finalist by Maine Department of Education (DOE). The RISE Award (Recognizing Inspirational School Employees ) honors classified school employees who provide exemplary service.

Breann Crocker, an educator at Sherwood Heights Elementary nominated Jim. Here are a few thoughts from Breann about why she nominated Jim.

“Jim goes above and beyond to help everyone at school. From moving furniture, fixing sinks, hanging curtains, whiteboards, and more, he is always there when we need him.”

“Jim makes it a point of coming to school events. He helps get everything set up for these community events ahead of time and cleans up after.”

“He comes in on the weekends if a teacher is having an issue with the school alarm. He comes in at all hours to fix water leaks and anything else that needs repair. He makes sure we are safe and well taken care of in our school.”

“Everyone in our building loves Jim because he truly shows he cares about everyone. He is always there when we need him. He never complains and he makes it so that we can focus on teaching the children and not have to worry about the building itself. Our school would not be what it is without him.”

When asked what he loves most about his job, this is what Jim had to say:

“Here at Sherwood, I feel like I make a difference. I do my best to keep things running smoothly for the staff and help out as much as I can. If they don’t have to worry about all the little things, then they can concentrate on teaching the kids, and that’s why we’re all here: to make sure the kids get what they need.”

RISE Award nominations were submitted from across the state by local educational agencies, school administrators, educators, professional associations, nonprofits, parents and community members this fall. More information on the Maine RISE Award can be found here the national RISE Award can be found here.