Stine crafts unique displays at John Gregg
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BERGHOLZ -- When Fred Stine looks at the empty display case at John Gregg Elementary, he sees a blank canvas.
The school custodian, who has been with the Edison Local School District for six years and most recently served at Edison High School, has filled the case with colorful and well-crafted designs since taking on his latest role last year. From holiday themes to the current jungle exhibit, Stine says he likes giving the kids something exciting to view while also educating them in the process.
"I've done it at home and the case was sitting empty. I thought of how nice it would be to have something to capture the kids' imagination," he said.
After receiving permission from school officials, he went about filling the space with decorations he acquired himself at Hobby Lobby or through Amazon. The Christmas display included a Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer vibe based on the annual cartoon and he added a more spring-like décor for Easter, but the current display is a white tiger theme featuring a mother and her cubs plus a few Easter eggs such as insects, lizards and snakes.
He said the feline format ironically coincided with lessons some classes were doing.
"The third- or fourth-graders put out information on tigers being endangered species before I built the display," he said, adding that it has drawn positive comments from the children.
While it takes hours of work, he considers it a labor of love to delight staff, students and visitors.
"I see that empty showcase but I see everything in there before it goes in," he commented. "It's like putting a puzzle together. If one kid looks at it and smiles, it's worth it."
Principal Tammy Burchfield credited Stine for his creativity and said he and the other custodial staff, which includes Kenny Sabol and Lori Cronin, always have gone beyond their regular tasks.
"They always involve themselves in the school and think ahead of what they can do to make it more efficient," she said. "They are very engaged in what's going on and take initiative, and that makes it very nice."