MANSFIELD — Sixteen years ago, Mansfield native Winston Greene was preparing to return to his teaching job in Colorado when a phone call from Stan Jefferson changed everything.
Greene has been a fixture in Mansfield City Schools ever since.
Now the district’s testing coordinator and assessment specialist, Greene spent 20 years in the Aurora, Colorado, Public Schools just outside Denver, where he taught middle school English and social studies and coached track.
“It’s beautiful in Colorado, just beautiful,” he said, echoing the theme of John Denver’s 1970s classic, Rocky Mountain High.
On Dec. 5, 2000, Greene left the Rockies behind and returned to Mansfield to care for his ailing widowed father.
“I left Aurora after learning that I had accumulated enough sick leave to be off for the remainder of the school year. It was quite a blessing,” he recalled.
Rewind to the 1970s….
Greene attended Mansfield City Schools from kindergarten through his sophomore year before his family moved to the Madison district. He graduated from Madison High School in 1974 and Ohio State University in 1978 with a bachelor’s degree in English and social studies.
With diploma in hand, Greene entered General Motors’ College Graduate in Training program, where he spent six months working in all areas of the Mansfield stamping plant.
“They assigned me to accounts payable. I worked there three years before deciding that I wanted something else,” he said.
A cousin in Denver urged Greene to move there. He did, completing a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction at the University of Colorado. That launched his two decades in Aurora.
Spring forward to the summer of 2000…
Greene was still in Mansfield, but planned to return to Aurora. That changed when MCS administrator Scott Gordon offered him a middle school teaching position. Greene accepted but only two years after resuming his teaching career at Malabar, he lost his job as part of a districtwide reduction in force.
At least he had something to fall back on. Aurora Public Schools was eager to have him back.
On a June morning in 2003 Greene was packing his suitcases to return to Colorado when his phone rang. It was Jefferson — then principal at Senior High — calling to say Mary Ellen Walter was leaving her position of building testing coordinator. He asked Greene to take the Senior High job.
“He wanted me to tutor students who hadn’t passed the state graduation test,” Greene recalled. “I asked: How many? He said 24 or 25.
“I did the math and determined that would be four or five per period. I welcomed that opportunity. Those students needed one-on-one instruction.”
English and social studies were Greene’s forte. Having no background in science or math, he asked teachers in those departments for activities he could study.
“I let those students know I cared and all of them passed the test,” he said.
In 2007 Greene became the district testing coordinator. Jefferson, now Mansfield City Schools superintendent, smiles when he looks back on his call to Greene 16 years ago.
“I knew then that Winston would be a valuable member of our district,” he said. “That certainly has proven to be true.”
Now in his 39th year in education, Greene basic responsibility is to assure that all students are tested in compliance with Ohio Department of Education (ODE) regulations.
“Earlier in my career I went to the hospital, the Richland County jail and private homes to test students who hadn’t been tested at school,” he said.
The internet changed everything.
“Before tests went online, I would have to receive and account for 70 boxes of paper tests from ODE and distribute them to schools. Online is much better.”
Greene maintains a district testing schedule and distributes updates from ODE to principals and central office administrators. He also links schools to sample state test questions.
‘Not the actual questions that will be on the tests,” he said, “but questions that show the format of the test so that students won’t be shocked or traumatized on test day.”
Greene schedules Senior High students to take the PSAT and the National Merit Qualifying Test (NMQT), as well as the ACT that all college-bound students take.
His response is immediate when asked about the most rewarding aspect of his work.
“When students don’t graduate on time, we are here for them. We don’t give up on children,” Greene said.
“No one gave up on me. I won’t ever give up on a child.”
Larry Gibbs is a spokesman for Mansfield City Schools.
