Mr. Bryan Thornton joined Manual as a maintenance worker this school year, replacing Mr. Ralph Pendygraft, who retired at the end of the previous year.

Mr. Thornton is no stranger to the Manual/YPAS community, though. In 2005, he worked at YPAS as a custodian.

“I started my career with JCPS several years ago. As the years passed I realized I was good at problem solving and thought that trait would be best suited in the maintenance field,” Mr. Thornton said. “Besides being a custodian at YPAS for two years I was also a plant operator at Foster Electric for three years and most recently a Utility II (worker) in Safety and Environmental Services.”

Mr. Thornton’s daily odd jobs include anything related to plumbing, electrical work, HVAC, and carpentry. More specifically, “replacing toilets, fixing leaks, changing ballast, light switches, troubleshooting HVAC equipment, replacing motors in univents, and laying floor tile,” he said.

“I hope to continue to hone my skills here at Manual until I reach retirement age. I think Manual is great; the way it is rich with history, with great kids, staff, parents and everyone in between,” Mr. Thornton said.