Townsend Harris opened this fall to a building that felt both familiar and newly sharpened. Over the summer, the custodial team, led by foreman Hector Benítez, deep-cleaned classrooms, reset spaces and repainted the stairwells from a flat gray to a deep, dark gray that immediately stood out on day one.

Principal Brian Condon spoke highly of the team’s work. “Facilities don’t reset themselves over the summer,” he said. “Hector and his team rebuilt the learning environment so teachers could teach and students could learn on day one.” 

Social Studies teacher Joshua Krinsky said the difference from June to September was obvious. “You could feel it in the first week,” he said. “Room setups were tight, floors were finished, and the hallways moved.”

The staircase refresh became a shorthand for the larger scope of work. Custodians cleared rooms floor by floor, scrubbed surfaces that accumulated a year’s worth of traffic, and scheduled projects so waxed floors and painted stairs would be ready before orientation. Assistant Principal of Organization Ellen Fee said that the darker stair color was a practical choice. “It wears better, hides scuffs, and gives the building a more modern feel,” she said.

Foreman Hector Benítez described the plan behind the work. “We front-load the noisy jobs in July and finish in August so paint can cure and floors set,” he said. “The darker stairs hold up to traffic. The goal is simple: on day one, nothing gets in the way of class.”

Senior Ethan O’Sullivan said the change in color on the stairs “feels intentional, not just touched up.” Senior Muhammadali Husenov called the darker shade “cleaner and tougher,” and senior Syed Iham said the refresh “tells you people were here all summer getting things ready for us.”

Students also connected the summer work to daily routines. Junior Adel Alam said the reset “sets a standard that if it looks this good in September, we should help it look good in November.”

The custodial effort stretches well past what most people see. The third-floor guidance secretary, Myra Santos, who has worked with the custodial staff for years, called summer their “marathon season.” 

“People don’t see the hours,” she said. “They see the result: polished floors, safe stairwells, rooms that feel ready. That’s the point.”

New Harrisites get the message, too. Freshman Lybah Anjum said the building “looks like people take care of this place,” and freshman Vianca Cruz called the first impression “welcoming,” adding that “someone clearly prepared for us to be here.”

“Hector and his team deliver a school we can be proud of,” Mr. Condon said.