(The following article was published in the October 27, 2011 Edition of The Essex Reporter - Many thanks to Donny Gross for bringing it to my attention)
By DONNY O'NEILL
For The Essex Reporter
It's Friday moming and the Essex High School athletic community is eagerly awaiting the night's football game. The players go over playbooks, the coaches watch film, students make signs and parents provide encouragement. On the surface everyone is working
towards the night's game, but it's behind the scenes where the real magic happens.
Gary Stewart walks amongst the moming dew, laying down white paint to line the football field. When he is finished here, he'll make his way to the other fields, rolling and lining them for the soccer and field hockey team practices later in the day. Stewart is the man behind the curtain, ensuring that Essex athletics always has a safe place to play.
"He takes a lot of pride in seeing our athletes play on fields that are well cared for," said Essex Athletic Director Ed Hockenbury. "It's such a behind the scenes position that it's very natural to take it for granted. Our complex looks as good as it ever has and that sometimes gets taken for granted."
Stewart had been the groundskeeper for BFA-Fairfax for 12 years before coming to Essex. He attended high school in . Fairfax and, following a stint in the Army, returned home to become the school's groundskeeper. Gary credits his father as equipping him with the knowledge needed to maintain the fields properly but took other necessary steps as well.
"I've been to school, herbicide classes, gardening classes," Stewart said. "I owe a lot to my father. He taught me everything I know, he's got the nicest lawn in Fairfax."
Stewart took over as the groundskeeper for Essex High School three months ago and in that short time, his work ethic and enthusiasm have cemented him as a valuable member of the community. His efforts have quickly earned him respect throughout Essex High School.
"Gary does a great job reaching out to build connections with coaches and student-athletes alike," said varsity football head coach and social studies teacher Charlie Burnett. "He is very personable and approachable. We are very fortunate to have him on staff."
Stewart believes that building a mutual respect amongst coaches, student-athletes and the maintenance crew ensures that everyone involved will be able to enjoy the benefits that the fields provide.
"I just like to get all the coaches and the players involved in everything about the grounds keeping," Stewart described. "Just
assisting us in every way that they can because it makes things easier for everybody. "
The most important aspect of Stewart's job is making sure that the fields are safe. He spends the majority of his day trying to prevent injuries from happemng as a result of poor field maintenance. The rest is just common sense according to the groundskeeper.
"Keep the grass down and spend as much time as you can checking everything around it," he described. "Painting the lines, knowing when to put grass seed down, when to put fertilizer down and knowing when not to."
Stewart's motivation is simple. He goes above and beyond the call of duty in order to provide a safe environment for the students to develop as young adults.
"He understands that it's for the kids," said Hockenbury. "He understands that when he's mowing the field, when he's lining the field, that our student athletes are going to be playing on that field and that's important."
Stewart's effort to maintain the fields provides rewards for students, parents and faculty alike. Acting in accordance with his humble demeanor, he also believes that he too is rewarded.
"The most rewarding part of this job is the kids," he admitted. "They try hard, they're respectful and they win good and they lose good. That's the greatest part and it's the only reason why I do it. We wouldn't have jobs if it wasn't for the kids."
When Stewart isn't working on the fields he can be seen attending the games because above all else, he is a sports fan and supports the student-athletes and coaches.
"I follow the games here and I still go to Fairfax games," said a beaming Stewart. "I love high school sports; the student athletes really are awesome."
His presence as more than just a groundskeeper is noticed by coaches and athletes throughout the school.
"We know that he is very supportive of our teams," Burnett said. "He shows it daily by sporting Essex gear as he cruises around the athletic fields."
The biggest obstacle for Stewart and the maintenance crew is working around the weather. Vermont's unpredictable weather
patterns often wreak havoc on high school sporting events.
"Occasionally there are times when we work more than forty hours a week," revealed Stewart. "It's basically because our job is
weather dependent."
This fall has been a difficult one for Gary and his crew in regard to the weather. Hurricane Irene soaked many of the CCSU fields, endangering the beginning of the fall sports season. The Albert D .. Lawton Intermediate School was going to have to cancel games because of the condition of the field. Thanks to Gary and his trusted partner Burt, they didn't have to.
"Our fields here, with all the rain, got so rained out that we were going to have to cancel games," said ADL Assistant Principal Kevin
Barber. "He came with about two or three guys, .moved a whole goal from here down to Maple Street just so the kids could play.
The community didn't even know about it and probably most of the people in the school didn't even know about it. For those kids
it meant that their game wouldn't get cancelled and that they would actually get to play."
The games are played and the fields dismantled, only to be brought back to life once again by Stewart. His efforts behind the
curtain ensure that the show will always go on, whether it be rain, sleet or snow it's his mission to make sure that Essex student athletes can play the games that they love without a wish for any recognition in return.
"I've been here for three months and I love it, it's a great place to work," admitted Stewart. "We all work as a team here, the whole maintenance department so it's ' not anything individual. Everybody works together and it's awesome."
