13,685.5 days. That is how many days North Penn’s very own Gino Santoro has been working in the district. To describe Gino’s being at North Penn as work is an understatement. He has been a key personality, positive influence, and friend to all throughout his time working in the district’s facilities department. As Gino embarks on his journey into retirement, the mark he has left on the lives of students and staff here at North Penn will stay forever.

Gino was born in Italy, about 45 minutes away from Naples, and at fourteen, he moved to Germany. At eighteen, Gino came here to the United States and worked for his uncle’s masonry business. Ten years later Gino discovered the world of North Penn.

“I started in January of 1986. I was doing construction work and I wanted to get out of there. One of my relatives was working at the high school and he suggested I get a job at the school district. They said ‘it’s supposed to be a nice job, good benefits, and good insurance.’ It was something different for me. I was a groundskeeper, which was outside work so I didn’t mind,” Gino explained.

After working as a groundskeeper at Penndale Middle School, Gino transferred over to work as a custodian at North Penn High School, where he would continue to leave his mark on students and staff for twenty-four years.

“My job is not really a challenge. Some days are a little rougher than others, but most of it’s been pretty good, that’s why I lasted this long.” Gino explained. “There’s a lot of great memories, a lot of good experiences plus, I made a lot of friendships, I met a lot of nice people.” 

While at North Penn High School, Gino has certainly made many strong friendships. 

“Gino is part of the fabric of North Penn. I really think it’s easy for people to look at employees at numbers sometimes. But this is a school. People are the most important asset. Gino is the kind of person that gives a school like ours personality and heart. He gives the building a soul, and we are going to miss that more than we know,” NPHS teacher and baseball coach Kevin Manero explained. 

Genuine optimism and positivity can be rare to find, especially inside of a high school full of students who are waiting for the clock to hit 2:12 and be dismissed. At North Penn High School, Gino makes it his mission to uplift every person he comes across.

“When I come to work, I try to be positive. I try to make people’s jobs easier. Sometimes you see people that are not in a good mood in the hallways, I try to make them laugh. I enjoy when the kids give me fist bumps, I give fist bumps back. I try to make everybody’s day better and it makes my day better so it’s worth doing it! Better to be happy than not,” Gino said.

Gino is such a key part of North Penn School District that he even won Custodian of the Year!

“That was a couple of years ago. We were having a meeting and everybody was in there. They started talking about this new award for an employee or custodian of the year and the principal started talking and talking. All of a sudden I realized ‘I think he’s talking about me!’ I was really surprised. It was really nice and I have that on video, which I won’t delete,” Gino reminisced.

Gino is 66 years old and has lots of life ahead of him. With retirement comes time and Gino plans to use his time simply just living his life.

“I don’t retire every day, so I don’t know exactly what’s next,” Gino explained with a laugh. “I’m excited to do some traveling, go back to Italy and maybe visit my home town. It has been a long time since I was there. ”

Gino plans to continue to connect with his community around him attend district sports games, nearby relatives, and friends.

“I don’t want to become a couch potato. I like to be around people, so I’m sure I’m going to do something,” Gino joked.

Going into retirement and starting a new chapter of life can be very hard. The reality of retirement is that although working may be done, there is an emptiness that can cause the heart to miss what they once had. So what will Gino Santoro miss about North Penn?

“Getting up in the morning to come and see a lot of people is what I will miss. When I get up in the morning the only thing I will see is me in the mirror. That would be what I will miss most, to interact with the kids, since most of the time they make my day. I look forward to that and they keep me busy, they make sure I do a lot of work!” Gino laughed, “So that’s the most, missing the people here, I’m sure.”

As much as Gino will miss the students of North Penn School District, they will miss him too!

North Penn High School Senior Joanne Mathews remarked on Gino’s presence at the school.

“Everyone knows Gino! I’ve never spoken to him one on one but I see him all the time and his interactions with others truly shows his character. He is always really nice and brings a lot of energy wherever he is! Plus he gives out fist bumps all the time which is very sweet to see,” Mathews said.

Gino’s presence here at North Penn has been a blessing to all. As he retires he has some parting advice for students in the district.

“Work hard now and life will be easier later. When you come to school take it serious. Have fun but do what you’ve got to do so that when you get older you have a better job and life will be a little easier. Sometimes I see kids in the bathroom and they’re there more than me, so I say ‘Why don’t you do my job and I go to class for you!’So that’s the advice I would give. Get to the books today and life will be a lot easier.”

Gino is more than a custodian at North Penn High School; he is a role model, friend, and beacon of light to all lucky enough to brush paths with him. Although he is retiring and his work at North Penn will come to an end, the impact he has made on so many people’s lives by simply being himself will stay forever.