by Alyssa Cole

Mr. Denner can easily sum up Dick Erps in one sentence; “I just think the world of him.” On Friday, October 9, Mr. Erps lost his mother who was 91, just one short month after losing his brother.
Mr. Erps is one of the janitors here at North Scott. If you’re not familiar with him, what if I said he was the janitor that always smiles and waves at every person that walks his way? Ah now you know who I mean. After graduating from North Scott, Mr. Erps soon became an employee, and has been working here for 33 courageous years. How anyone can take out the trash from our cafeteria everyday for 33 years, and still maintain a smile on his face beats me.
His positive outlook is admired by everyone at North Scott, and is the main reason everybody loves him. After talking to several faculty members, I’ve come to the conclusion that they all respect Mr. Erps, and can’t help but smile while talking about him. “He never complains about anything,” adds Mr. Denner laughing. “It really is just amazing.”
I know first hand how nice Mr. Erps is. After going to an Iowa basketball game, he approached me the next day at school saying he saw me on TV. Just the fact that he talked to me made me respect him even more. I barely knew him, and he just came up and started a conversation. After that, I waved at him every time I saw him. So if you see Mr. Erps in the hallway, be sure to say hi, or give him a little smile.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Erps family, and we hope Mr. Erps returns to North Scott with his usual big smile and optimistic attitude.