Mr. Eduardo Molina is the head custodian of Falls Church City Public Schools. However, his long career in sustaining our schools had gone unnoticed until this year’s Student Handbook Webquest. Molina has been a part of the Meridian community for thirty years, so why isn’t the maintenance manager extremely popular?

Molina’s office is located in the tunnel between the Henderson and Meridian cafeterias. Eventually, a helpful sign and a wide open door clues you into his location.

“I’ve been since Falls Church since the summer of 1990,” Molina said. “I started working as a temporary employee, as a groundskeeper, and I worked from May to September of that year.”

In his long career, Molina witnessed seven total school renovations, the transfer of entire classrooms to trailers, and the construction of Jessie Thackrey Preschool, working tirelessly to ensure students have a healthy space to learn.

“[There is] a lot we have to maintain [to] make sure you guys have a safe environment to learn,” Molina said.

Besides praising the high school’s convention center feel and appearance, Molina attributed the school’s functioning success to his whole team.

“I wouldn’t be where I am if it wasn’t for my crew and all the good work they do,” Molina said.

With all of the fresh spaces in the new building, Meridian’s custodial crew has a lot of work cut out for them. Their responsibilities include all the cleaning and maintenance of Meridian and Henderson. The schools are open from Monday at 6 a.m. and do not close until Sunday at about 10 or 11 p.m. 

“I’ve always said the school is like a 7-Eleven,” Molina said with a smile.

Molina feels satisfaction when he sees Meridian students come back to work in FCCPS after they graduate. Seeing students succeed and give back with their Falls Church education leaves Molina feeling proud.

“It’s so nice to know that they came through the system,” he said. “They continue the legacy.”

Molina spoke about the values and future of the school system, viewing the connection between our school community and the broader Falls Church City as a part of a whole.

“The school system is part of the community, people spend time in here, they play sports, they host different activities,” Molina said. “I think the school system has a lot of support in the City of Falls Church. They know that we complement each other. We serve the community in the best way possible.”

To finish our discussion, Molina answered that if there was anything he wanted the students to know about him and his work, he added:

“I love what I do, the people that work for me put [in] a lot of work and a lot of effort to make Falls Church the greatest school system that it is. I’m proud of what I do.”