Cameron Elementary School celebrated George Green on June 4 with live performances. Green, a 24-year employee as a custodian and bus driver, retired early after surviving five strokes.
Students and teachers performed for Green and his family.
Before he was a custodian, he was a bus driver. Teacher Assistant Gail Matthews said Green watched out for her and other bus drivers in the dark hours before dawn as they began bus routes, but he only laughed when they encountered a mule.
One morning, traffic stalled for a mule on the road. Matthews said it was unusual for her to wear high heels, but she was that day.
“The sheriff was scared, and Mr. Green and Gerald wouldn’t lead him. They laughed at me,” Matthews said as she led the mule off the road in her high-heeled shoes.
Matthews introduced the bus performance, mimicking Green, saying, “He ran a tight ship.”
Teacher Assistants Holy Rogers and Gail Matthews, third graders Anson Honey and Daniel Flowers, and fourth grader Jay Meserve perform a bus skit.
Students danced in their seats as teachers performed Glitter.
Teachers Katrina Hancock, Lori Holland, Lindsey Honey, and Courtney Howard perform Glitter.
Teachers performed “Pretty Woman” in honor of Green, who was the only male employee at the school for many years.
Former student Tiyon Allbrooks, in red, “sings” as teachers in costume dance to “Pretty Woman.”
When kindergarteners’ soft voices sang “You Are My Sunshine,” teachers cried, and when the school body cheered and clapped for their colleague, everyone joined in.
Cameron Elementary School cheers for George Green during his celebration.
Moore County Superintendent Dr. Tim Locklair and School Board Chair Robert Levy enjoyed the Georgepalooza.
“We are so lucky here that everyone loves their job. They go above and beyond,” Levy said.
Cameron Elementary School Principal Jerid Cassady said Green was missed every day, and his kindness lives on.
Feature photo: Cameron Elementary School celebrates colleague George Green with live performances on June 4, 2024.
~Article, photo and videos by Sandhills Sentinel journalist Stephanie M. Sellers. Stephanie is also an English instructor at Central Carolina Community College. She is the author of young adult fiction, including When the Yellow Slugs Sing and Sky’s River Stone, and a suspense, GUTTERSNIPE: Shakespearean English Stage Play with Translation.
