TEXARKANA MAGAZINE
not easy. Moore had to work and pay his way through school. He faced adversity and had to overcome stereotypes, but he learned valuable life lessons and made it his mission to make friends with everyone. He remembers making friends with a young man from Nigeria with deep scars from cuts on his face. “I assumed he was from the jungle. Man, did he set me straight! He told me those were tribal marks, which symbolized manhood, and he came from a city that closely resembled New York City. I learned there were good people of all colors.” Given Moore’s highly decorated career in education, those lessons have served him well over the years. He began his career in education when he was hired to teach biology at Texas High School, where he continued for fourteen years until the superintendent tapped him to be an assistant principal at Westlawn Elementary. Moore quickly rose to the ranks of principal, serving one year at 15th Street Elementary School and ten years at his beloved Pine Street Middle School, which transitioned to Texas Middle School in the early 2000s. He retired from Texarkana Independent School District in 2019, after serving two stints as middle school principal and as assistant superintendent for over a decade. His accomplishments are too numerous to list, but one he is especially proud of is having been named Texas Middle School Principal of the Year in 2005. This honor took him to Washington, D.C., and led to him being one of three finalists for National Principal of the Year. But beyond the accolades, and most importantly throughout Moore’s career, he has endeavored to live out his favorite scripture, Micah 6:8, “Do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.” Moore quickly gives credit to others he has worked with and all those who have helped him along the way. However, what he is most pleased with is taking a high- poverty, high-minority school, Texas Middle School, to “Recognized” status against all odds. It is a legacy he will never escape— the Legacy of Pine Street PRIDE (Personal Responsibility In Daily Efforts). It became a mantra for anyone who ever walked the halls of Pine Street as a teacher, student, parent, or community member. Moore’s
George Moore in his beloved Pine Street Middle School jacket.
George Moore in Washington D.C., at the National Principal of the Year ceremony.
28
COMMUNITY & CULTURE
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs