We all know what janitors do–they clean-up the messes, pick up the trash, and mop the floors.

Cotter, however, has a different type of janitor in our presence, one who does more than just clean. Joan Albrecht  has been working at Cotter for 11 years, but this one will be her last, having  announced her retirement at the Firstday of School assembly in August.

“The thing I’m going to miss the most is seeing the nice, smiling faces walk down the hall everyday.” Joan said, “It’s really a nice feeling knowing that I am seeing the future in this school every day, these kids could be the president one day, they can make a difference and possibly change the world.”

Joan works on the whole campus, not just the school, she also works on the outside of the buildings too, sometimes cutting the grass or pulling weeds.

Prior to working at Cotter, she spent almost 20 years working at Winona State University. In total, she has been doing janitorial working for 30 years.

After retirement, Joan plans to focus on her glass artwork. She even built her own studio in her home in Minnesota City so she can focus on her projects.

Joan grew up in Rushford, Minnesota. She was born and lived on her family farm on the outskirts of the city. Her elementary and middle school’s were a one room school house and she

“The staff here is so great and kind.” Joan said “I can’t stress enough how helpful and kind Sister Judy is, her and the administration have been great to me the past couple years” Joan continued.

Some of Joan’s strongest  memories  from her time at Cotter is all the hot, long summers of waxing floors, rearranging desks, and working on any new feature that the administration decided to add inside the building.

“Overall, I’m just going to miss everything about this place. From the staff to the kids, this is a really great place and I will truly miss it.”