It is Monday, even worse it is just 7:23 a.m. Students shuffle to their classes, rubbing their sleepy eyes. But one person in the hallway is different to the grumpy mass of students. “Happy Debbie” greets the students with “Happy Monday! It is one more wonderful day!” Always happy and optimistic, she faces the new day anticipating nothing but a fantastic time working, talking and laughing with the students.

Debbie Forbes is one of the daytime custodians at Pattonville High School. Her duties as custodian include keeping the school building well-tended, looking after the students during lunchtime and put the school in its best light. She does not just accomplish those things, but Forbes motivates the students in the morning, helps new faces find their way through the crowded hallways, and puts every single student in a better mood, forcing a smile on their face – even at 7:23 in the morning.

It is surprising how she manages to put up with the students at Pattonville, but it seems explainable by taking a look at her past.

Forbes has a 20-year career in the military in her past. She cared about special needs children and autistic adults. She has talked with children who were sexually abused during their childhood and ran away from their homes, futureless and hopeless, often without any person in her life standing by them.

“It was very challenging work to talk to these children and actually be a friend to somebody who pushed family and friends away,” Forbes said.

Forbes enjoyed the work and experienced a whole new aspect of life and how to talk with children. In addition, she discovered new ways of how to handle unkindness and rudeness from those children.

“If somebody would ever come be disrespectful to me, I would apologize and the person would be surprised and forget why he was actually mean, and eventually apologize too.”

After Forbes retired, she desired to keep on working, especially working with children. That made Pattonville her next stop.

“I love just being around the children,” Forbes said. “At lunch time, when they all come together, between the classes or in the hallway. Talking to the students is the highlight of my day.”

And she has never confronted any kind of disrespect.

“The students are so nice, great kids,” Forbes said. “I have not discovered rudeness at all. The students make my day.”