Photo by David Leong.
Brenda King, Oak Mountain High School custodian
Brenda King pushes her cleaning cart through the halls of Oak Mountain High School, where she has spent 16 years helping keep the building clean — and looking out for the students and staff who pass through it each day.
By 9 a.m., when the hallways at Oak Mountain High School begin filling with the steady rhythm of students changing classes, Brenda King is already moving through the building — checking restrooms, emptying trash cans, sweeping up the evidence of a busy morning.
To most people, it might look like routine custodial work. But for the past 16 years, King’s role has extended far beyond keeping the school clean.
She watches over students, comforts them when they’re upset and helps create the sense of community that makes a large school feel like home.
Brenda King’s workday begins quietly.
“I call it ‘doing the Dolly,’” she said with a laugh, referencing the Dolly Parton song “9 to 5.” That perfectly describes her daily hours and her routine of checking and cleaning restrooms, stocking supplies and making sure the building is ready for the thousands of students, teachers, parents and visitors who pass through it every day.
King works from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., moving constantly between hallways and classrooms. On any given day, she may clean six to eight rooms, sweep hallways between class changes, scrape gum from tile floors and spot mop spills before they become hazards.
It’s demanding work in a school with more than 1,800 students, but King takes pride in it.
“A lot of people don’t realize how much goes into it,” she said. “But we want people to come in here and feel comfortable. We want them to have a clean place.”
King is one of eight custodians who maintain Oak Mountain High School’s sprawling campus. Together, the team handles everything from daily cleaning to the heavy work of stripping and waxing floors during the summer months.
When King first started the job, she helped spend entire summers waxing the building’s floors by hand.
“Just doing the lunchroom is a job,” she said. “And the wax — we put that down by hand.”
Despite the physical demands, King is no stranger to hard work.
She grew up in a small rural community called Grassland in Alpine, Alabama, where her family ran both a hog farm and a local convenience store that served as a gathering place for neighbors.
“My granddaddy and grandmother opened the store in 1935,” King said. “It didn’t close down until 1996.”
The store was more than a business; it was a hub for the entire community. At one point, it even housed the area’s first television.
“They were the first ones in the community to get a TV,” King said. “People would come from around and sit and watch it with them. It was black and white, but everybody loved it.”
King grew up helping with everything: pumping gas, stocking shelves and eventually running the store herself.
That upbringing shaped her strong work ethic, something she has carried into every job since.
“I grew up working,” she said. “My mom made sure of that.”
King joined Oak Mountain High School after losing a previous job and needing health insurance for her family. She applied online and checked in weekly until she finally secured an interview.
Before the interview, she drove to the school to see it for the first time.
“I got up here and looked at the school and thought, ‘Oh my God, what did I get myself into?’” she said with a laugh. “I thought I’d have to clean the whole school myself.”
Soon she learned that custodians work as a team — and she has been part of that team ever since.
While much of her job involves cleaning, King says the people are what make the work meaningful.
“The teachers,” she said, when asked what she enjoys most. “We cut up and laugh, and it just helps get through the day.”
Students also bring moments of humor and connection.
“Some of them say things and do things that make me laugh so hard I have to turn my back,” she said.
Occasionally, students step in to help her too.
Recently, one student offered to climb into an attic space to retrieve testing boards that teachers needed.
“He brought down a bunch of them,” King said. “We needed about 200, and he was helping bring them down. That was really kind of him.”
Other interactions are quieter but equally meaningful.
Because custodians move throughout the building, they often see students during moments when teachers or administrators might not.
“If a student falls and gets hurt or they’re crying, we stay with them until the nurse or an administrator gets there,” King said. “We’re not going to leave them alone.”
Those moments highlight a part of the job that often goes unseen.
“A lot of people think we’re just custodians,” King said. “But we’re parents. We’re grandparents. We’re brothers and sisters. We care about the people in this building.”
That sense of responsibility runs deep.
“If someone came in here trying to hurt any of these kids, they’d have to go through Mama Brenda first,” she said firmly.
King’s compassion comes from a life that has included both joy and heartbreak.
She and her husband have been married for 38 years and raised three children together. One of them, Ryan, was killed in a shooting nearly a decade ago, a loss that still weighs heavily on the family.
Through that difficult time, King said the school community showed support.
“They sent flowers and checked on me,” she said. “That meant a lot.”
She has also seen the Oak Mountain community rally around others.
After a tornado struck the area a few years ago, the school cafeteria filled with donated bottled water for affected families.
When a fellow custodian lost his wife in a car accident, King watched students, parents and staff come together to help.
“They raised money and supported him,” she said. “The whole community did.”
Those experiences have reinforced King’s belief that schools are more than buildings; they’re communities.
“It feels like a big family,” she said.
King also enjoys witnessing the talents of the students for whom she helps care every day.
She often pauses to admire artwork displayed in the hallways or listen to music drifting from rehearsal spaces.
“We have some very talented kids here,” she said. “I love looking at their artwork. And when the band or choir is practicing, sometimes I’ll stop and listen.”
The school’s large band program is particularly impressive, she said. “That 300-something-piece band is amazing.”
Even after 16 years, King still finds pride in the small details of her work, from spotless hallways to well-stocked restrooms.
Visitors often notice.
“We’ve had parents come in and say this is one of the cleanest schools they’ve been in,” King said. “That makes you feel good.”
For King, cleanliness isn’t just about appearances; it’s about making people feel safe and welcome.
“We want people to come in here and feel at home,” she said. “We want them to enjoy themselves and be comfortable while they’re here.”
It’s a simple goal but one that requires daily dedication.
And while most students may never know the full extent of what happens behind the scenes, King is content with that. After all, the quiet work is often the most important.
