Danny Moreno Has Watched Menlo Evolve for 40 Years

Menlo’s grounds always shine thanks to facilities staff member Daniel Moreno. While you may not see him everyday, for the past 40 years, Moreno’s been working hard to keep the overall landscape of Menlo clean and attractive.

Moreno was born in Mexico and moved to the United States when he was 17 years old. He started working at Menlo High School in 1982, originally through a contracting agency for a few years. Menlo subsequently hired Moreno to work as a full-time employee in 1984.

In 1994, Menlo School and Menlo College split, so Moreno had the opportunity to apply to work at either. “I decided to apply to [Menlo School]; it was a very small school at the time,” he said. Moreno began working at Menlo when there were only a few other employees. “At the time, there were only three people in the business office,” he said. 

According to Moreno, because he started working at Menlo when it was smaller, he has witnessed the school grow throughout the years. “I started to see a lot of changes.” Originally, there were only two wings in the Menlo Middle School, and the school was smaller in both size and in the number of students. But, over his long stint at Menlo, he’s seen the amount of buildings and students grow significantly.

Moreno loves to keep the school tidy. He maintains the green grass and constantly ensures that the school looks clean. Furthermore, Moreno helps Menlo’s graduation and events throughout the year. He’s adamant about doing a fantastic job, and he works on maintaining the school daily.

In addition to his job at Menlo, Moreno has been running a landscaping business for about 30 years. Moreno has other people to help manage his business, so he is not overwhelmed while simultaneously working at Menlo. 

Moreno’s time at Menlo is winding down. When he leaves, Moreno plans to “take it easy,” spending more time with his wife and son. Moreno is currently thinking about handing down his landscaping business to his son, since he has already taught him the ropes. 

Moreno is extremely grateful for his time at Menlo. “The environment, the friends I have here, the benefits” are a few reasons as to why Moreno loves Menlo. “I’m happy here, and seeing [the community] around is nice,” Moreno said.