In his 58 years at Park Elementary School in Cross Plains, Rodney Esser was named a 1finalist for the National Custodian of The Year Award.

"I keep getting messages on my phone that people are already voting and I didn¡¯t know what it was for."

In one way or another, he¡¯s been 2tending this land his whole life. He used to 3farm the land the school sits on today, but when the 4school district bought the land in 1965.

"And they said, ¡®Well we bought the land and you go with the land.¡¯ So that¡¯s how that came about. I didn¡¯t apply for the job. I just went with the land. So once a farmer always a farmer, that¡¯s me."

He is beloved by staff, students and everyone. He 5shows up at 5 A.M. to 6shovel, and stays after school in programs he¡¯s helped create.

"And I try to incorporate kids with that 7with special needs, and things like that. And I have one of them that actually runs his 8Zamboni¡¦ he¡¯s only a third grader."

For decades, he¡¯s held a 9financial literacy class for students. He mends minds into 10well rounded people, setting up kids with summer jobs, teaching kids how to plant trees, and even holding an annual school wide music camp.

"It gives me a good feeling that I¡¯m 11giving back, giving back to the, to the kids with that, and I, I like to find a need, and see if I can do something about it to make their life better."