Kerman High Maintenance and Operations Team Leader awarded Employee of the Year

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- You'll find Robert "Bobby" Zavala and his squad moving astir the Kerman High School campus.

As the Maintenance and Operations Team Leader, it's Zavala's occupation to marque definite the schoolhouse is successful tip-top signifier and harmless for students and staff.

"We effort to marque definite the time goes arsenic creaseless arsenic imaginable for everybody. That's a triumph for us," Zavala said.

Among the fertile of designation connected a schoolhouse campus, what they bash isn't often honored with awards.

That is until recently, erstwhile Zavala was named Employee of the twelvemonth by the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools.

"It was precise unexpected, precise humbling," Zavala said.

It whitethorn person been unexpected to Zavala, but it was well-deserved according to workfellow Lyndell Hawkins.

"Bobby does a bully occupation conscionable trying to amended everything astir him," Hawkins said.

He says he's admired Zavala since archetypal gathering him astir 20 years ago.

"He was a husband, a father, a mentor, a manager -- each these things that I aspired to be," Hawkins said.

And Hawkins says people, and particularly students, respond to Zavala due to the fact that of his approach.

In his opinion, that's wherefore students don't vandalize the school.

"My thought is, is erstwhile you person a radical of guys led by him, and they're perpetually ingratiated with the kids, the kids don't privation to messiness it up. They cognize thing they bash is going to beryllium enactment backmost connected them," Hawkins said.

Whether it's waxing the floors oregon mounting up for a hoops game, Zavala says helium and his squad volition proceed to bash the champion they tin to amended the campus.

"An grant doesn't alteration me. I'm going to proceed to beryllium who I am, bash what I bash and, lord willing, I'll beryllium doing it for different 10-15 years," Zavala said.

Students don't travel backmost from wintertime interruption until adjacent week, but that's not stopping Zavala and his squad from making definite everything is prepared for erstwhile they return.

For quality updates, travel Jessica Harrington connected Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.