CHENEY – Charlie Pyke was named School District Employee of the Year on March 16.
He came to the School District two years ago in 2019 as a substitute bus driver, and is now a painter for the district.
However, due to COVID-19, Pyke answered a call to action that allowed him to flourish in a variety of different rolls.
"In this short amount of time, I've done lots of different things for the school district and it's been fun to try out different things and do lots of different things during this labor shortage," Pyke said.
Pyke has spent time driving school buses, providing general maintenance, acting as a custodian, and offering his services as a painter. While Pyke certainly got some of his experience before he came to Cheney, most of his experience he's picked up on the job.
"I had some personal handyman experience but mostly just on the job training stuff," Pyke said.
"I worked with the painter a lot when COVID hit, we had this opportunity to get in and paint A LOT – so that's where I got most of my painting experience."
Before joining the School District, Pyke spent 10 years as a wildlife firefighter.
He was with the U.S. Forest Service for six years and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for four years after that.
Pyke enjoys a job that allow him to roam and connect with people and coming to the Cheney has been another chance for him to do just that.
"Charlie does whatever is asked of him. He drives a school bus most mornings, fills in as a janitor, or delivers the district mail. Charlie's 'regular' job is in the maintenance department as the painter. Charlie is always ready when needed. He is competent at whatever he does. As a bus driver he does an amazing job. He is great with the kids and is always calm and collected," Transportation Assistant Director Ellen Holland said in the press release.
"It's hard to imagine a normal day," Pyke said.
He starts most of his days driving school bus.
Sometimes he drives a similar route but often he fills in for other drivers if they can't make it into work. Then he fills in for the empty custodian position before finally getting to do some painting for the day.
"Sometimes I get some work done," Pyke said.
Working for the district means the world to Pyke - and not only because he has a son attending Salnave Elementary.
It's because of the teamwork involved in providing the kids with a rewarding learning experience. It's the community's commitment to providing the children with any help they have available.
We're all here making sure those kids get what they need and it takes all of us doing lots of different things and it takes a willingness to be flexible, Pyke said.
Winning employee of the year surprised Pyke.
"To be recognized as a part of that is a huge honor, it makes me feel good," Pyke said. "It reinforces the feeling I have of being part of this team and being happy to be here everyday."
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