Photo by Mason Smith

Mr. Greene, manager of the Lancer Locker, checks out senior Tyler Dupuis. The Lancer Locker expanded their selection tremendously this year.

After being laid off from the Ford dealership, Mr. Greene knew he wanted to find something he enjoyed more than selling cars. He liked working with people but wanted to have a bigger impact on others’ lives.

He decided to apply for a position as a substitute teacher and soon learned that he loved to teach.

“My favorite part about teaching is the variety,” Greene said. “The dynamics of my classes are constantly changing, and it always keeps me on my toes.”

Greene first started teaching at Pinkerton in 2003, and taught there for five years before coming to Londonderry. He heard about an opening in the business department at LHS, and was hopeful there would be a warmer community here.

“I noticed a huge difference between the administration. At Pinkerton I felt like I was constantly being micro-managed.” Greene said. “Here, there isn’t that ‘us against them’ attitude. I’m not scared of the administration here and appreciate them.”

Greene knows that each day brings new challenges as a teacher, as well as successes, which keeps him engaged and excited to come to work. Greene is not new to difficult situations. Out of college, he served the country as a Military Police Officer in the Army for four years.

Going into his tenth year at LHS, Greene currently teaches Intro to Business, Marketing, Business Management, Global Finance, and Financial Planning.

Along with the various courses he teaches, Mr. Greene advises the school’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) chapter alongside accounting teacher Mrs. Young. They go to competitions and conferences that allow students to build leadership qualities and gain experience in the business world.

“[FBLA provides] a good chance to see how our students measure up against other students in a nontraditional school setting,” Greene said.

Greene’s main goal in advising the chapter is to expose kids to realistic settings and allow them to have fun in doing so. Londonderry’s chapter this year is “looking good,” according to Greene.

“We have been very successful at the competitive level, but our size and participation has been weak in recent years,” Greene said. “I am cautiously optimistic about this year, but we have a lot of potential.”

The chapter has already attended their first event, the Fall Leadership Conference, and participation and enthusiasm is at a level that it hasn’t reached for quite a while.

“FBLA is the standout club of all the after school clubs at LHS. Not only do we compete in academic competition, we have a boujee time doing it,” said Luke Wyman, an officer in the club. “Mr. Greene is the reason not only business has a future at LHS, but the reason Lancer Nation as a whole has a future.”

Mr. Greene is constantly hard at work, whether it be teaching class, contributing to the FBLA Chapter, or managing his most cherished part of the school, the school store, which is open everyday D-G periods.

“It’s a real world experience,” said Jake Parilla, former student of Greene and Lancer Locker employee.  “We get to work the registers and interact with customers. Mr. Greene and the Lancer Locker have definitely taught me a lot.”

The school store opened a year before Greene’s arrival at LHS, but he took it over his first year at the school. Each period, a few students run the school store and head sales. Greene aims to provide students with a realistic background in business and retail while working in the store.

“The store is definitely about the experience for students,” Greene said. “It can certainly help, and kids will get out what they put into it.”

Greene is currently trying to expand the Lancer Locker in order to provide students with a place to hangout. But profits from the school store are low, and he does not have the funding to accomplish his entire vision.

“In a perfect world, I would like to partner with the cafeteria for an internet cafe that students can use lunch cards in.” Greene said.

When Greene isn’t dealing with the store, he’s cracking jokes and having a great time with coworkers and students.  

“He has a witty sense of humor,” Young said. “He tells it how it is.”

The two run the business department together and really enjoy working with one another.

“We compliment each other very well,” Young said. “Our strengths are completely different from one another, and it works out perfectly. We are both able to enjoy all the subjects we teach.”

Greene knows he has found the right community, and wants to continue teaching at LHS in the future.

“I’m quite happy where I’m at right now, and don’t want anything to change, except maybe a grant to expand the school store,” Greene said.