Father’s Day story: Her dad was her principal at Aaron Cohn Middle

He was perhaps the bravest sixth-grader in Muscogee County.

The boy who asked Sara Green to dance that night 2½ years ago at Aaron Cohn Middle School first sought permission from the principal — because the principal also is her father.

All of them said yes.

That wasn’t a problem for the principal part of Richard Green. But the daddy in him, well, he had to walk away from the scene as he realized, “My daughter is becoming more of a young lady.”

The moment’s emotion overwhelmed him. He was surprised his personal thoughts pushed through his professional demeanor.

“I wasn’t boohooing,” he said, “but it kind of got to me.”

Now, on Father’s Day, with Sara’s middle school adventure complete and as she prepares for her journey at Columbus High, the dad and daughter talk about how they handled the three years they spent together as principal and student.

‘Definitely interesting and different’

Having her father also be her principal, Sara said, “is definitely interesting and different. You have someone you can always depend on, no matter what, but it’s kind of hard because people assume I get things just handed to me.”

Richard added, “She’s an outstanding student. She works very hard. But when she earns something, people have said, ‘Well, you got that because your daddy’s the principal,’ and that’s not fair to her.”

For example, Sara was president of the school’s National Junior Honor Society chapter.

“I had to work for it just as much as someone who got vice president,” she said.

The best part, Sara said, is that she can see her dad a lot more than most kids.

When she’s having a bad day, Sara said, “I have my friends, but my dad’s the first person I go to.”

Richard values the same benefit.

“This can be a lonely job,” he said, “so when I’m just feeling a little down, I know that I’m either going to see her in the hall or I can walk into her class and just eyeball her. That’s a comfort that every parent would wish they could have during the day. I got that.”

Although they don’t have time for extended exchanges during school, a quick hug in the hallway generally suffices.

“Usually, that’s all I need to get through the day,” Sara said. “It’s nice.”

While every other student at the school calls him Mr. Green, she calls the principal Dad.

“Not everyone is going to like my dad, but it’s not his fault,” Sara said with a smile. “There have been some mean things said about him. I’ve overheard.”

Those comments came from students her father had disciplined, she said.

“I wouldn’t say he’s an enforcer,” she said. “He’s kind of like a fun principal until you get in trouble. I don’t know. That’s just what people tell me.”

That’s because she hasn’t been sent to the principal’s office; she just hangs out there, waiting for school to start in the morning or waiting for dad to finish work in the afternoon.

‘Getting closer than we already were’

Richard has been the only principal in the three-year history of Aaron Cohn Middle School, named after the late juvenile court judge in Columbus. Richard was principal of Midland Middle School when he was appointed as the leader of the district’s newest school for grades 6-8 while Sara was a fifth-grader at Britt David.

Sara never considered attending a middle school other than where her father is principal.

“In elementary school, I was a little more dependent on my mom back then,” she said. “She was the one who drove me to dance and drove me to school and drove me other places, and dad was really focused on work, not that that’s a bad thing. But I guess I was excited about being in school with him and — I don’t want to say ‘getting to know him better,’ because that sounds horrible — but getting closer than we already were.”

Richard, however, hesitated about the idea of Sara joining him at ACMS. So he conferred with Sara’s godfather, James Wilson, now one of the district’s three region chiefs but previously the principal of Northside High School. Wilson’s daughter attended Northside while he was principal there.

“You’ll absolutely love it,” Wilson told him. “She’ll be fine.”

The first day of classes at ACMS, Richard worked until around midnight the day before the grand opening.

“I was extremely anxious about beginning everything,” he said. “You only get one shot to do that. You also only get one shot to be with your child then. So I placed a lot of pressure on myself.”

Richard promised himself, “I’m not going to let anything overtake the fact that I’m about to have 540 school days with my daughter. This was my chance to kind of get her back.

“When she was in elementary school and the times were different, Mom handled the to-and-from school and that type of thing. But Sara was going to get to ride with me every day.”

Sara focused more on reuniting with her friends and making new ones that first day at ACMS, but she did feel extra pressure to perform well as the principal’s daughter.

“I always have to make good grades,” she said. “The thought of people scrutinizing me kept me from probably joining an athletic team earlier. He kind of forced me to join cross country, but I ended up loving it.”

Fast forward to the end of Sara’s eighth-grade year, as their time in school together dwindled, Richard reminded himself, “You’ve got 60 days left. Make sure you enjoy it. … You’ve got 10 days left. Make sure you enjoy it.”

Still, her pending departure was rough for Richard.

“She’s got her whole life in front of her,” he said. “Good Lord willing, I’ve reached that first TV timeout in the third quarter; there’s more behind me than there is in front of me. I know I’ll never be able to get this time back.”

Nic, however, will start his ACMS career in August, then Ben two years later, so Richard again will have one of his children in his school.

“But it’s different,” he noted. “She’s my daughter, and she’s the first one. So the mistakes I made, I’ll be able to correct, hopefully.”

Such as?

“I’ve probably been harder on her than I would be on another student,” he admitted.

Sara agreed.

When she “didn’t do too well” on a grammar test, she said, “he was kind of hard on me, but I tried the best I could.”

Unfortunately for both of them, that talk happened in the principal’s office, where the message landed a bit heavier than intended.

“While she’s sitting here waiting for her day to begin, there’s things to be talked about,” Richard explained. “While that conversation would normally take place at home, it took place here, and that’s a different dynamic.”

‘Wouldn’t trade it for the world’

Sara and Richard usually arrived at school at least an hour before the first bell, with Sara already dressed in her school clothes but Richard still in a T-shirt, shorts and sneakers because he runs in the morning and drove Nic and Ben to Britt David Magnet Academy before he took Sara to ACMS. His wife, Kim, works as a physical therapist at Human Performance and Rehabilitation Centers.

Richard changes into a suit and tie in the storage closet in his office. School secretary Michele Hughes put a Superman symbol on the closet door the last week of school. It sums up Sara’s view of her father and her principal, the man who handled both roles mighty well.

“I think in high school I’m going to have to learn to be a little more independent and remember stuff,” she concluded. “But I wouldn’t choose it any other way. I would still be his daughter, and I would still go to his school because it’s been great; it really has. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

This story was originally published June 18, 2016 at 10:56 PM with the headline "Father’s Day story: Her dad was her principal at Aaron Cohn Middle."