By Scott Brinton
Calhoun High custodians had a hard time cutting the grass in the school-s courtyard last summer. Before they got started, they had to search for and collect the four turtles that now inhabit the rectangular plot of grass during the warmer months.
Last year, the Calhoun Builders Club constructed a pond in the courtyard to recreate the turtles- natural environment. It-s a pretty little pool, complete with a stone waterfall. David Seinfeld, Calhoun-s principal, said the pond is a wonderful addition to the school, not only because it-s beautiful, but also because it offers the students a living outdoor biology classroom.
Seinfeld said the students did all the work on the pond. But they had help. The man directing their effort was Calhoun-s head custodian, Leonard Lenny Heide.
Heide is a life-long Merrick resident and Calhoun graduate, class of 1972. He-s also a master carpenter who oversaw store construction for F.W. Woolworth Company for many years. In all, Heide remodeled 30 Woolworth stores from New York to Florida. So when the Calhoun Builders Club needed someone to guide them through their pond project, Heide was the perfect choice, and he jumped at the chance to assist in the endeavor.
Seinfeld said Heide is the type of custodian who really cares, and his commitment to Calhoun is reflected in the way he and his staff keep the school shining. At Calhoun, Seinfeld said, Heide is the keeper of the house, and one its most important unsung heroes.
Seinfeld said that a clean, well-maintained school helps students learn, and there are studies to prove it. The principal said the same group of students would not learn as well in a rundown school as they do in a pristine facility like Calhoun.
A quick tour around the school speaks to Heide-s, and his staff-s, professionalism. The trash-free floors sparkle. The shrubbery is neatly trimmed. And there isn-t a speck of graffiti to be found.
Mike Harrington, Calhoun-s assistant principal, said of the custodial staff, They always put the kids first. They-ll work extra hours, anything for the kids.
Seinfeld cited a recent Saturday. A shipment of wrestling mats arrived at the school. They had to finish drying, having been painted at the factory. They simply couldn-t be plopped down in the gym, because the wrestlers wouldn-t have anywhere to practice. So custodians cleared the school-s largest classroom to make way for the mats, which weighed several hundred pounds. Meanwhile, Calhoun was hosting a debate competition that involved 30 teams and took place throughout the school. A music group was rehearsing in the auditorium. And the Sports Boosters Association was holding its annual fund drive.
The school was hopping, and there to help were Heide and his staff. After all was said and done, they cleaned and locked up, making sure the school was well kept and safe.
Many say Heide deserves a great deal of credit for Calhoun-s cleanliness. He-s attentive to detail. He might be walking down a hall, spot a piece of Scotch tape stuck to a wall and stop to peel it off with his fingernail.
Seinfeld added that Heide is just a nice guy. He-s soft-spoken, with a steady manner. He-s a kindly-looking fellow with a big, bushy beard, a chattering walkie-talkie on his belt and two thick rings full of keys dangling from his belt loops.
After graduating from Calhoun, Heide became an assistant store manager at F.W. Woolworth and quickly worked his way up to manager, overseeing the company-s Levittown and Brooklyn locations. In time, he moved to Woolworth-s Store Development Division, where he was put in charge of a 24-man crew that created shop displays and redid aging stores. He was with Woolworth for 24 years before the legendary retail chain went under, and Heide lost his job.
Soon afterward, he noticed an ad in Cur of Ars-s bulletin. The Roman Catholic church in Merrick, where Heide is a parishioner, needed a custodian. Heide applied for the job and worked two years there. He then became a custodian at Mepham High School in North Bellmore, where he stayed for three years before moving up to head custodian at Calhoun in 2000.
Heide married his Calhoun High sweetheart, Karen, and the couple have been together for 30 years and have a son, Philip, who also graduated from Calhoun. He-s now at Adelphi University, studying to become a social-studies teacher.
Heide, who describes himself as a homebody, enjoys woodworking, and is known around Merrick for his elaborate Christmas displays that he makes himself. He needs three days to put them all up.
And Heide loves his work as a Calhoun custodian. It-s always a challenge, something new every day, he said.
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