ABERDEEN, Md. — The hugs just keep coming.
A fixture outside George D. Lisby Elementary School in Aberdeen for a decade now, School Crossing Guard Doris Presbury is calling it quits.
WATCH: Crossing guard retiring after a decade at same school
“A lot of hugs and kisses and ‘I miss you’ and ‘Why are you retiring?’” Presbury told us, “so it’s been emotional for me. It’s come to another season of my life now. I have to move on.”
Helping students navigate their way across Edmund Street in the midst of school buses, parent pick up and drop offs and pass through traffic is no small task.
“I’ve had a few near issues,” recalled Presbury, “Yes. It’s just overwhelming. I just thank God that, you know, I was quick and alert and paying attention. That’s why like you can’t be doing a lot of playing, talking to this person or that person. You’ve got to have eyes in the back of your head.”
But you don’t get standing ovations like the one offered up by students on a nearby basketball court as they chanted her name unless you bring a lot of heart to your work.
“You can see our school is right here in the middle of a neighborhood so we have a ton of walkers that come every morning and they get their first greeting of the day by Miss Presbury,” said School Principal Christine Langrehr, “She greets them with a cheerful ‘Good morning,’ ‘hello,' maybe a high five or a hug and then they come into the school building, and to me it’s such a small, little thing that she does, but it has such a big impact.”
“Have a great evening. Thank you, baby. Have a great evening,” Presbury tells one young girl as the student stopped to hug her while crossing the street, “This is my girl too. I’ve got so many girls.”
While the job of a crossing guard may be easy to overlook and could certainly be under appreciated, it’s not an easy job to fill.
Aberdeen Police recently scheduled 32 people to do interviews to fill two positions and only seven showed up.
After all, these are split-shift, part-time positions paying little more than the minimum wage with huge responsibility, and in this case, a huge pair of shoes to fill.
“She’s dynamic,” said Aberdeen Police Sgt. Jason Neidig, “We’re looking for enthusiastic people. People who care about the community and getting kids across the street safely. It’s not really hard to find, but you just got to find the right people to do the job.”
“And she’s the right one,” we asked.
“Absolutely. We’re going to miss her.”
It’s a common theme as Miss Doris Presbury prepares to move on.
“Ever since I came in second grade, she’s always been here,” said Marcus Moore who is now in middle school, “She’s always been protecting the kids.”
Proud of her spotless record.
“No one’s ever been hurt. Not on my watch,” Presbury assured us.
And prepared to devote more time now to her church and her faith after fulfilling what she has always viewed as her calling on behalf of the students.
“The children are gifts from God and so we’re like their guardian angels helping them across the street and they’re coming across the road,” said Presbury, “Keeping them safe. That’s what we do. We’re here to keep them safe. It’s all about the children.”