Sterling Middle School custodian keeps halls shining for nearly 20 years

Clean hallways and a smooth morning routine rarely make headlines, but at Sterling Middle School those details have been Loraine Buxton’s daily work for nearly two decades. Buxton has worked for RE-1 Valley School District since 2006, and the school’s staff directory lists her as head custodian at 1177 Pawnee Ave. in Sterling.

Her job is the kind most families notice only when it is not done well. At a building that serves students in grades 6-8, a clean entrance, orderly corridors and classrooms ready for the day help set the tone before the first bell. Sterling Middle School’s public materials show that the building depends on a full team, not just classroom teachers, with support roles that include custodial, kitchen, health, paraprofessional, registrar and attendance staff. Buxton sits near the center of that daily operation.

The district’s own motto, “Preparing Each Student Today for Tomorrow,” depends on more than lessons on a whiteboard. It also depends on a school that feels maintained, safe and ready for hundreds of students moving through it every day. That is why Buxton’s work matters beyond the janitor’s closet. The shine in the hallways, the reset classrooms and the steady pace of a building that is ready each morning all shape the experience parents and teachers expect from Sterling Middle School.

Buxton’s recognition through the Crystal Apple program also fits a broader Logan County tradition of honoring school employees whose work often stays out of view. The 2026 Crystal Apple awards are presented by the Sterling Journal-Advocate and South Platte Sentinel, and earlier coverage said the program exists to honor faculty and staff at Logan County schools and Northeastern Junior College who help make their schools what they are. Buxton’s profile puts a face on that idea.

Her long tenure also arrives at a moment when facilities issues are part of the district conversation. RE-1 Valley School District has said it is pursuing a potential large-scale facilities improvement project supported by a voter-approved measure, and district materials have pointed to maintenance needs, safety and security, and aging infrastructure as part of that planning. Against that backdrop, the daily work of a head custodian at Sterling Middle School is not just routine upkeep. It is part of the larger effort to keep an older public building functional, welcoming and ready for the next school day.