The new Southeast Bulloch High School is a huge facility, and demands a lot of work to keep it in tip-top condition. One of the people entrusted with doing just that is custodian Darlene Huggins, who is affectionately known by some of the SEB staff as “Trouble.”
How she got that name is uncertain, but one thing everyone agrees upon is that Huggins is a virtual dynamo. She has to be, for her responsibilities include the gymnasium, locker rooms and athletic fields.
What’s more, according to SEB Principal Joni Seier, “When Darlene hears that we have broken desks, tables, or chairs, she comes and tells me ‘Why call maintenance if you know I can fix it.’”
Huggins’s life has had its ups and downs. Her husband of some 20 years, Gary, was blind in one eye from the age of 3. Unfortunately, he hemorrhaged while having Glaucoma surgery on his one good eye in 1999, and has been completely blind ever since.
They have three boys: 19-year old Kevin, who works at Bi-Lo; 16-year-old Jack, who goes to SEB High School; and 15-year-old Eric, who goes to SEB Middle School. Working at SEB allows Huggins to be close at hand if the two youngest should need her.
Seier recognized Huggins’ determination, stating that, “Despite all of the challenges in her personal life, her attitude is always positive. Her sense of humor and her passion for her fellow man make her such a strong addition to our custodial staff.”
Huggins brushes off the attention, saying “Mr. Ronnie (the head custodian) is a wonderful man to work for, who’s always willing to give you a hand when it’s needed. Miss Seier is a wonderful lady to work for. She really loves her school and her kids.”
How she got to SEB in itself says a lot. When softball and soccer coach Aimee Civalier arrived at SEB, one of the first things she did was to ask that Huggins be transferred to SEB and assigned to the gym.
As Civalier stated, “One thing I knew about Darlene from our time working together at Langston Elementary is that she’d get the job done, and do it with a smile on her face.”
Head Football Coach John Kenny agreed.
Kenny said, “During football season, the field house gets destroyed daily. Imagine 75 players tromping in and out. Well, ‘Trouble’ shows up after the games, and cleans everything up, even wiping down all of the bleachers and stadium seating by hand.”
Kenny continued, “She’ll never complain about all the work she has to do. She’s constantly trying to make everybody laugh and have fun. Believe it or not, sometimes she even tries to tackle me.”
How she got that name is uncertain, but one thing everyone agrees upon is that Huggins is a virtual dynamo. She has to be, for her responsibilities include the gymnasium, locker rooms and athletic fields.
What’s more, according to SEB Principal Joni Seier, “When Darlene hears that we have broken desks, tables, or chairs, she comes and tells me ‘Why call maintenance if you know I can fix it.’”
Huggins’s life has had its ups and downs. Her husband of some 20 years, Gary, was blind in one eye from the age of 3. Unfortunately, he hemorrhaged while having Glaucoma surgery on his one good eye in 1999, and has been completely blind ever since.
They have three boys: 19-year old Kevin, who works at Bi-Lo; 16-year-old Jack, who goes to SEB High School; and 15-year-old Eric, who goes to SEB Middle School. Working at SEB allows Huggins to be close at hand if the two youngest should need her.
Seier recognized Huggins’ determination, stating that, “Despite all of the challenges in her personal life, her attitude is always positive. Her sense of humor and her passion for her fellow man make her such a strong addition to our custodial staff.”
Huggins brushes off the attention, saying “Mr. Ronnie (the head custodian) is a wonderful man to work for, who’s always willing to give you a hand when it’s needed. Miss Seier is a wonderful lady to work for. She really loves her school and her kids.”
How she got to SEB in itself says a lot. When softball and soccer coach Aimee Civalier arrived at SEB, one of the first things she did was to ask that Huggins be transferred to SEB and assigned to the gym.
As Civalier stated, “One thing I knew about Darlene from our time working together at Langston Elementary is that she’d get the job done, and do it with a smile on her face.”
Head Football Coach John Kenny agreed.
Kenny said, “During football season, the field house gets destroyed daily. Imagine 75 players tromping in and out. Well, ‘Trouble’ shows up after the games, and cleans everything up, even wiping down all of the bleachers and stadium seating by hand.”
Kenny continued, “She’ll never complain about all the work she has to do. She’s constantly trying to make everybody laugh and have fun. Believe it or not, sometimes she even tries to tackle me.”