Gabriel Angel retires after 29 years as Prospect Elementary head custodian

Mr. Gabriel Angel, head custodian at Prospect Elementary, retired after 29 years of service, according to a June 8 announcement from the district. Gabriel has worked at Prospect since 1997 and described the school as his "second home."

Throughout his tenure, Gabriel was recognized for his energy and positive attitude. He led efforts to transition the school to more eco-friendly cleaning materials and consistently prepared the building for each academic year. Gabriel said what he enjoyed most about his job was helping students and teachers, whom he called his "second family."

Colleagues described Gabriel as a team player. Mike Duggan, who worked with him for 14 years, said, "Twenty-nine years is an incredible commitment, and it's a testament to the kind of person Mr. Angel is. That level of dedication doesn't go unnoticed—he’s made a real difference in the district, and we're better for having had him at Prospect since it was built."

The district officially honored Gabriel along with other retirees during its District Celebration Evening on May 4. As he retires to focus on family life, staff and students expressed their well wishes for his next chapter.

Prospect Elementary is part of Hinsdale Community Consolidated School District 181 which represents DuPage and Cook counties; other schools in this district include Clarendon Hills Middle School and several elementary schools, according to the Illinois State Board of Education. The district enrolled 3,743 students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade during the 2019-2020 school year; it spent $31,308 per student that year with total expenditures reaching $117 million, according to the Illinois State Board of Education. Demographically, District 181 is comprised of approximately 69.8 percent White students with smaller percentages identifying as Black (1.1 percent), Hispanic (6.8 percent), or Asian (15.4 percent), according to the Illinois State Board of Education.