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Ted Qualli, the 66-year-old janitor at Newtown Elementary School, knows the names of every one of the school\u2019s 850 students.\u00a0 <\/span>Of course he is the first person to arrive in the morning and the last person to leave at night.\u00a0 <\/span>But he does much more than cleaning classrooms.\u00a0 <\/span>He wears his old Air Force uniform on Veterans Day and talks to kids about his service.\u00a0 <\/span>He grows countless plants and gives them out to the staff and student body.\u00a0 <\/span>Most importantly, he talks with the kids about life and teaches them that some of the most important things you learn, you won\u2019t find in a book.\u00a0 <\/span>He explains to the kids:\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYou got to listen.\u00a0 <\/span>You listen, everybody has a message that they’re trying to tell you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHe’s the guy that\u2019s unsung.\u00a0 He\u2019s the guy that everybody knows is the go-to person.\u00a0 He\u2019s the guy that keeps the ship afloat,\u201d says principal Kevin King.\u00a0 As one student puts it:\u00a0 \u201cHe does all this stuff, and he does it with a smile on his face.\u201d\u00a0 A parent expresses her appreciation: \u201cThey just don’t make them that way anymore.\u00a0 He is just absolutely one of the most amazing human beings on this planet.\u201d<\/p>\n Among over 1,200 nominees nationwide, Ted has been selected the 2017 Janitor of the Year.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m so overwhelmed and I just can\u2019t believe that it happened,\u201d said Ted, fighting back tears.\u00a0 \u201cI just can’t believe that people think that much of me.\u201d<\/p>\n The town of Newtown declared a Ted Qualli Day in his honor.\u00a0 The parent-teacher moms sang him a song at the announcement of his award.\u00a0 He received a $5000 cash prize from the Cintas Corporation.\u00a0 And the kids, well, they just love him.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Spread the Good News!<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Marty<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"