A Valpo Life in the Spotlight: Jose Rios

A Valpo Life in the Spotlight: Jose Rios

Not every school custodian leaves a lasting impression on the students at their school, or even cares enough to try. That is not the case with Jose Rios, custodian at Memorial Elementary School in Valparaiso.

Rios, who has been at Memorial Elementary for 21 years, has one special thing on his resume that many other elementary school custodians do not: he’s a children’s book author. His book, “New Leaf,” is meant to help kids who struggle with nervousness and starting school to manage their fears and, as the book’s title suggests, turn over a new leaf.

“It came about with the idea that at the beginning of every school year, we usually have some kids who are having a pretty rough transition of not being in school to now being in school,” explained Rios. “I remember giving a student a trinket, I can’t remember if it was an elephant or a turtle, and saying ‘When I was little, somebody gave me this so I wouldn’t be scared in school. Put it in your pocket, and when you’re done with it, that means you don’t need it anymore and you’re not scared of school.’ I remember doing this, and at the end of the day he returned it and said ‘I don’t need it anymore, I’m not scared.’ That always stuck with me, and I wondered how I could do this for every student.”

Rios, a Gary, Indiana native who currently lives in Valparaiso, struggled in school growing up. Early on, he drew inspiration from his grandfather, who challenged him to overcome his fears. Within his book, Rios’ grandfather is represented by a grasshopper who gives the protagonist, Drew, a leaf and instructs him to “turn over a new leaf.”

“Everything I am, the majority of it, is because of him,” Rios said about his grandfather.

Rios firmly believes that even though he’s not an educator, he still has much to teach the kids at Memorial Elementary School.

“I have lunchroom duty,” said Rios. “Occasionally, while I’m in there, some of the kindergarteners or even some of the fifth graders need help. They’ll call me over and say ‘open this,’ and I’ll say ‘no, you need to use your manners.’ It’s just as simple as teaching them to say please or thank you.”

Rios also takes pride in teaching self-reliance to the kids at Memorial Elementary.

“At one point I opened probably 50 milks,” said Rios. “The next day I was looking and I saw that everyone that would ask wasn’t even trying to open their milks. So when a little girl asked, I said ‘sweetheart you haven’t even tried to open your milk, so why don’t you just try?’ She opened it and was ecstatic, she was so excited that she could open her milk. Something so simple, that we take for granted- opening milk- for this child was monumental. She had never tried it on her own.”

Rios, in response to the success of his book, has received an outpour of love from former students. Men and women who are now adults, yet are proud of the impact that he had on their lives. With that said, being the humble man that he is, Rios still feels as if those former students have had an even larger impact on his life.

“Way before the book, whenever [former students] would see me out and about they would say ‘oh, there’s Mr. Rios!” he explained, “They would make me feel like a celebrity. It was such a huge deal. Sometimes kids would run up to me and their parents will say, ‘why are you running up to that individual?’ and [when they learn it’s me,] say ‘Oh, Mr. Rios, we’ve heard so much about you.’ This way, I get to have a relationship with the family.”

When he’s not helping out kids at Memorial Elementary School, you can catch Rios on the airwaves every Wednesday evening during his weekly, adult-oriented radio program “Left of Center” on 103.1. He and his cohost highlight lesser-known bands and musicians that are not necessarily mainstream, but are very talented. Additionally, he enjoys photography and routinely takes photos for the website of his friend’s band.

Jose Rios is a prime example of going above and beyond the normal call of duty for the sake of the next generation. His immense sense of obligation and love for the students that he cares for- whether he’s a teacher or not- is a legacy that will pass through the halls of Memorial Elementary for years to come.