Written By: Ariadna Campbell
“I am the eyes and ears of this institution, my friends,” stated John Kapelos, as Carl the janitor in The Breakfast Club movie. Like Shermer High, the eyes and ears of Providence Academy (PA) belong to a janitor. His name is John Wagner.
Wagner, or “Scooby,” as he is commonly known, has seen PA rise from the ground up, literally. He was working as the janitor for the construction crew that built the school, and he knows every corner of it. He himself has become a cornerstone of the community, especially among the lower school students, with whom he engages, often in a humorous vein. However, behind his goofy nickname and sense of humor lies a deep faith in Christ and devotion to ministry.
Despite being the eyes and ears of PA, he is not the mouth. He was reluctant to speak about himself during the interview. In the span of the 25 minute interview, Wagner used God’s name 25 times. His faith was entwined into every response, no matter the question.
Wagner got his initial experience as a janitor at age 16 while working at the Met Center (an indoor sports arena in Bloomington). He was also involved at the time as a three-sport athlete, playing football, baseball and hockey. Though he wasn’t an academic, his grandmother urged him not to give up.
“My grandma always told me, she said, ‘Don’t bum out, John. D’s a passing grade,’” Wagner smiled.
From his job at the Met Center, to his position at Providence Academy, he has been working in this profession for 45 years. From the Met, he went on to work at Sacred Heart Catholic School, first as a janitor, and then as the head custodian. 25 years ago, he left Sacred Heart for PA. Wagner has always viewed his janitorial position not merely as a job, but as a vocation.
“I feel that God has called me to this, so I always look at it as ministry, and not work. The children at Sacred Heart were my ministry and my focus, and God used the building to allow me to minister to them. And it’s the same here. There’s nothing here apart from Christ. We have this big, beautiful building, and all these massive grounds, and there’s this constant, constant work to do. But it enables me to minister Christ to the kids and to the staff.”
In addition to being a custodian, Wagner has taken the opportunity to minister at PA as a coach. He and a friend were responsible for starting the upper school softball program. It initially began as a co-op with Heritage High School in 2005, but the program so flourished that, after only two years, PA had enough members to assemble its own team. He also coached a fifth grade volleyball team in 2018; the picture below shows him with the team, which is the class of 2026, graduating today.
Whether as a custodian or a coach, Wagner strives to remain mindful of Christ throughout the commotion of work each day.
“This life here is so brief. So, I want to make sure that I’m always cognizant of the fact that Christ is eternal and that there is an eternity. Every single move during the day has to be with that in mind.“
Wagner is not only mindful of his own actions during the day, but also of the presence of others. He believes that every soul at Providence is divinely ordained to be here.
“Christ has ordained that everybody’s here.” Wagner points to a boy sitting nearby. “He’s here because God wants him here.” Then, he points to a pair sitting further away. “Those two guys are here because God wants them here.” Finally, he points to a group across the room. “Those three down there. You, me, the kitchen staff. Everybody’s here because this is where the Lord wants us.”
Wagner spoke modestly of himself when sharing his story, but Headmaster Dr. Todd Flanders gave him tribute as not only a custodian, but also as an inspiration and friend.
John Wagner with a few Class of 2026 alums, after their volleyball win.
Because Wagner’s identity is rooted in faith, his words regarding Christ spoke more to his character than ones that would exclude Him. His love of God is inseparable from his daily activities.
He quoted the end of Romans, Chapter 8: “‘For I am sure that neither death nor life, angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ Amen. That’s the granddaddy of all Bible verses.”
Wagner asserts that every action, every word, every smile is invaluable and can be used by God.
“Even in this interview, you’re getting to know me because you never knew much about me. That will have an eternal effect on you. And 20 years from now, something I say today is going to be brought back to your heart that you didn’t even know that you remembered. God is awesome that way.”
Perhaps, God has willed you to read Wagner’s testimony. It may be impossible to tell immediately, but, like Wagner asserted, God can call words back to your heart decades later.