Vince Simon has been the head custodian at Ames high school since 1981. After growing up in Eastern Iowa, Vince first moved to Ames to take classes at Iowa State. Years later he found himself waking up bright and early, having to be the first one at school in the morning to unlock the front doors. He continued on with his day, mopping the office areas, delivering packages throughout the school, cleaning up spills, and being prepared for any other unusual job that came along. This had been his routine day after day until he was recently presented with a new job opportunity as a custodian at the Ames Middle School. He jumped at the chance. “It was a very hard decision, but it was an opportunity to work in a new building. Every time you start a new job you face problems and challenges that people see you solve. I find that very rewarding,” Simon said. Although Vince is now working at the middle school, the memories he’s made with the people in the halls of Ames High School over the past twenty-seven years will stay with him forever. “My experience at Ames High School has helped to make me the person I am now. I found people who are kind and generous, and they’ve helped me be who I am today,” Simon said. Vince enjoyed his job at Ames High School and couldn’t find much to complain about. Not even the sometimes messy pranks pulled on the school each year, which he was often left to clean up. “If they’re harmless pranks and you can look back and think ‘that’s clever’ then they’re okay, but if it creates chaos and becomes a problem, then it has to be looked into,” Simon said. The best part about working at Ames High School for Vince wasn’t the job itself, but the students and staff he worked with. Many agreed that Vince was great to work with as well. “He’s just awesome!” said French teacher Stacy Dobernecker as she thought back to the many memories they shared. “We always talked, and he collected everything. One time I was telling him how I didn’t have a lid for my Crockpot and of course, he had one. He’s also very environmental. He always rides his bike, even in the winter.” Will Vince ever come back? Perhaps, but right now everything is up in the air. “This all happened so fast,” said Simon. “When I look into the future I don’t really know. I might work at the middle school for awhile, or there’s also the possibility that I’ll work there for a few years, and then come back to Ames High School. I’m not sure. ” Either way, Vince Simon will be missed by many at Ames High School, and will be impossible to replace.