To start off the morning with an act of gratitude, all building staff congregated in the front of the school to commemorate the service of custodian Luther Morris. Mr. Morris leaves after seven years as an Eagle, transferring to work at South Middle School, where his daughters attend school. The staff surprised him with a clap out and showed their appreciation through a multitude of thank you cards.

“It makes me feel kind of bad because I don’t want to leave,” Mr. Morris said. “It’s like a family.”

Mr. Morris joined the staff in 2013, when the school opened. (WATCH HERE) He recalls his first memories of the school to include Mrs. Reininger and former principal Mr. Ragusky. However, he notes that a certain facet of the school has stuck with him for years.

“The kids and everything. There were really nice kids,” Mr. Morris said. “I just liked the atmosphere.”

Through his seven years, Mr. Morris showed his loyalty to the school, and has witnessed the numerous changes that took place as the school progressed. He feels like its growth can be exemplified with his relationship with assistant principal Dr. Kiely.

“When I first started, she was a teacher,” Mr. Morris said. “I feel like we grew together.”

One of his favorite memories at Liberty is one day, when he saw Dr. Nelson walking on the tables in the cafeteria. 

“I tell the students, stay off the tables, but he’s here walking on the tables,” Morris said.

Morris looks back on the moment as one part of a great bond between him and Dr. Nelson. The two had formed a friendship due to their military background; Mr. Morris had served as a recruiter for the Marines and Dr. Nelson had served as a drill instructor for the Army. This bond has led Dr. Nelson to recognize all the hard work Mr. Morris has done in his life, which he expressed through a small speech at the clap out.

“Sometimes in organizations and families there’s certain family members that are doing a lot of heavy lifting regularly on the scene,” Dr. Nelson said. “I have a religious zeal for keeping the building clean and Luther has always looked at it that way and taken on a responsibility.”

The sentiment that Mr. Morris has gone above and beyond the expectations of his duties is shared throughout the building. Culinary arts teacher Ms. Pizzo appreciates the extra jobs Mr. Morris has done for her classes and the ProStart team.

“He valued sanitation as far as the kitchen and safety with kids,” Pizzo said. “He’s just a kind-hearted man, he really is.” Pizzo also appreciated the support Mr. Morris gave to her ProStart team by always buying the breakfasts that they prepared. But overall, in addition to being a valuable co-worker, she will miss Mr. Morris’s character and how he embodied what the school stands for.

“Luther is Liberty,” Pizzo said.