DeColeman "Cole" Dunn

Mr. DeColeman “Cole” Dunn is one of the maintenance workers at Parker. He does so much for the school, and so we were glad to learn about the work he does. The school is almost the size of a city block, and Mr. Dunn works tirelessly with the rest of the maintenance staff to keep it in great shape. We are glad that he could take time out of his day to interview with us and that we could learn so much about him.

Mr. Dunn has worked at Parker for three years now. When he first came to Parker after finding and applying for the job online, everyone gave him a warm welcome. If it’s a normal day, a day without snow in the field, his work day starts at 7:00 am. If there is snow on the field, he has to come in at 5:00 am. Once, because of the Polar Vortex, Mr. Dunn had to come in at 4:00 am. The first thing that he does in the morning is ensure that the kids are safe. His daily schedule varies--he works on "everything," in all areas of the campus. Throughout his interview it was clear that he is very passionate about his job here at Parker. The most fun part of his job is "just working." He wants to stay with this job hopefully until his retirement because this is his dream job, he said.

“Not everybody makes the cut.”

Before Parker, Mr. Dunn worked at the Greater Chicago Food Depository, as well as at Wells Community Academy. The skills needed for maintenance jobs here, Mr. Dunn said, are to not be lazy, have carpentry skills, and come to work on time. “There were a lot of other jobs [I looked at], but they just didn't fit me,” he noted. He has no worries about his job besides being successful. Mr. Dunn came to Parker specifically instead of taking a maintenance job elsewhere because of the great environment here, he said. He only feels overwhelmed when he is given a big workload. When asked about the role technology play in his job, Mr. Dunn said that the maintenance staff relies on it to keep them up to date on what needs to be fixed.

Everyone in the maintenance department has different responsibilities to do during the day. Some responsibilities Mr. Dunn has are fixing the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) and ensuring that the students and teachers are comfortable in their classrooms. He also makes sure that none of the pipes in the school burst. Mr. Dunn encounters more heating problems here at Parker than he did at prior jobs, but he knows his fellow employees better here. Sometimes, Mr. Dunn has to come in early or on weekends because of emergencies. Whenever the staff calls him, he gets to work as fast as he can. One time, he got here in twenty minutes. The busiest time of the year is when the teachers come back and need furniture moved to their classrooms. Mr. Dunn believes that it’s also the best time of the year because he can’t sit still and so he always has a lot to do. He thinks that working here is one of the greatest things ever. He has only sustained minor injuries during his time here. In the summer, Mr. Dunn has to come back to school to do small things to prepare for the beginning of a new school year.

“Some things need training, but some need skill.”

Mr. Dunn feels like he has established good relationships with fellow workers at Parker. Important people in his job are his supervisor, Mr. Dziwulski; his boss, Mr. Dusing; and his team. Mr. Dunn also feels like maintenance is a great fit for him because of his skillset. There are six people on the maintenance team, and Mr. Dunn said the others make him feel welcome. The most important task Mr. Dunn feels he has helped with was the repair of the library after the pipe burst. He is always on call in case something happens. Mr. Dunn got into maintenance when he was 18. After high school, he joined a construction training job. He feels like he gets enough recognition for the job he does. Mr. Dunn said, “Parker is like a second home to me.” He feels the most rewarding part of his job is learning new skills.

Mr. Dunn grew up on the South Side of Chicago. He has always been good at fixing things, and always enjoyed doing it. Here and there, he would fix broken objects around the house. Mr. Dunn went to John Hope High School and graduated from Joshua Johnston Fine Arts & Design School. When he was younger, he didn’t know any maintenance workers at his schools. Today, Mr. Dunn still lives in the South Side but now resides east of where he grew up, by the lake.

Throughout all of his childhood, Mr. Dunn loved to play basketball. Mr. Dunn wanted to become a basketball player when he was older, but “Not everybody makes the cut." Although he never became a basketball player professionally, he watches as many games as he can. He played basketball at school and sometimes against the teachers which, to this day, is his favorite school tradition. In addition to playing basketball, Mr. Dunn enjoys watching all the NBA games that he can. Along with watching the games at home, he also goes to see live games. He is a big Chicago sports fan. He likes the White Sox, the Cubs, the Bears, and most of all, the Bulls. Today his favorite basketball players are Derrick Rose and Anthony Davis because they're from Chicago. Mr. Dunn favorite Chicago Bulls players are Kris Dunn & Otto Porter, Jr. He supports the Chicago Bulls and the New Orleans Pelicans, and often stays up until 10:00 pm to watch sports games. Mr. Dunn’s other favorite hobby is exercising.

Mr. Dunn provided us with much information on his work, childhood, and personal life. We enjoyed listening to him talk about his passion for basketball and his love for this school. We really appreciate how much he does for us! We learned during the interview that he works hard and has a very busy schedule. We thank him for spending time with us.