From motivational speakers to the world’s most unconventional fashion show, Environmental Services Week was one to remember.
Photo: Three of the members of the winning “Decorate the Blue Cart” challenge: LaTanya Lawrence, Lidia Carter, Mary Sterrett.
Environmental Services (EVS) Week comes once a year, always the second week of September. It’s a time for the UMB community to rally around an often-unsung group of employees who form the backbone to everything that goes on in and around the campus. This year’s EVS Week celebrations have been taken to the next level, proving to be every bit as diverse and engaging as the team they’re celebrating.
The week kicked off with a catered lunch (and dinner for the evening shift) followed by an hourlong presentation by Domonic Rollins, PhD, who obtained his Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education from the University of Maryland in 2017. Drawing the crowd in with his split west side and east side alliances growing up, Rollins set the tone for the week, talking to the group about “Taking Ownership of Your Experience and Building a Positive Culture.” He said, “We are always having an impact on those around us, whether we know it or not” and challenged them to find ways to create and maintain a culture of gratitude for the 51 weeks that aren’t Environmental Services Week.
Tuesday included a Donut Social in which the day and night crews got to spend some laid-back time networking and getting to know one another. While Tuesday’s events were low-key, they set the stage for Wednesday’s unconventional event.
Taking a page from Project Runway’s “Unconventional Materials Challenge,” EVS was broken into eight teams, who all used the supplied materials to create their own unique fashion. At the end of the allotted time, each team sent their designated model down the runway.
Anthony Anderson, manager of housekeeping, was among the models chosen by his team. Decked out in form-fitting polymer fabrics (trash bags) with lavatory-based accents (toilet paper), Anderson said serving as the model was a way to show affection for his team. “I love my team and I’m letting them do what they want to do. Feels a little like they’re getting revenge on me! But it’s all in good fun.”
Jasmine Jones from housekeeping was one of the designers who outfitted Anderson. She said the “Tidy Bowl Man” was part of the inspiration for their look. Still, the team acknowledges that the gesture carries some weight. “He’s an inspiration to us all."
Perhaps the loudest cheering was generated by Kevin Shaw, who strutted down the catwalk while "rocking the classic durag with a man-cape and classic MC Hammer pants."
The week concluded Friday afternoon with the EVS Block Party and the “Decorate the Blue Carts” judging session. For those who might not know, the blue carts were introduced to the EVS team during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to assemble supplies for the team members, while minimizing interpersonal contact. The carts have since been repurposed as supply carts.
The teams were challenged with decorating their cart using only the supplied materials. The inspiration for their ideas was “Hawaiian." Owing to the adage know your audience, the winning team created a Core Values Island Drink Cart. Their libation list included a Respectable-Rita, Accountability Mai Tai, and an Innovation Punch, to name but a few.
The winning team was from the School of Medicine evening shift —whose cart is pictured above — and consisted of LaTanya Lawrence, Lidia Carter, Mary Sterrett (pictured above), along with Curtis Clark, Patricia Foster, Diana Lyle, Nichelle Murphy, Eric Parker, Len Gause, Martishe Alston, Angela Webb, Tracy Figueroa, Rodney Robertson, William Brown, Darron Welch, David Bowen, Tellier Gross, Timothy McNeil, Stephanie Kingwood, and Marcus Byrd.
The week’s events were spearheaded by Priti Wakefield and Keisha Blake who handled the planning and logistics for all activities and events. Wakefield said, “We focused on the team and thinking about what they will enjoy the most, what would create moments into long-lasting beautiful memories, and what will make them feel valued and cared for. We’ve gotten very positive feedback about each and every event that was planned. It sounds like the 'Fashion Show' was the showstopper, and everyone is still talking about it.”
With all the challenges and changes the last few years have brought, EVS employees have remained resilient in their efforts to do their parts in keeping the campus clean and safe. They have some of the toughest jobs on the campus that are also among the most important. Buildings and spaces that aren't properly cleaned can have dire consequences. So EVS Week is always a welcome time in the year.
Lidia Carter, who joined the team 28 years ago, said, “We do a lot around here. And we hear a lot about how important the job we do is. But sometimes you want to be shown how much you’re appreciated. It’s awesome and it’s heartfelt.”
Mary Sterrett, manager, EVS Customer Services Evening, summed it up saying, “EVS Week means a lot to all of us. It’s easy to overlook the hard work that we all put in on the day to day. This is the week that we take to celebrate with our team members and show them how much they’re appreciated. It means a lot.”
It means a lot to all of us. So, thank you to all the EVS team members. Celebrating your efforts is something that will never go out of fashion.