After the final bell rings and students head home, it is easy to forget about the people who keep the campus running — teachers, staff and other key figures. But individuals like Wild Rivers employee and Campus Control Assistant George Mares remind students that school staff lead lives beyond the hallways, balancing unique roles in and out of school.
At the beginning of his career at Wild Rivers two summers ago, George Mares worked as a security guard for around a month then switched to being a bartender. Even at Wild Rivers, Mares keeps his Portola High family close to heart. When familiar student faces pass by, he greets them with a warm, friendly smile, making sure they feel recognized and welcome.
“I wish I would have done bartending a long time ago,” Mares said. “ Sometimes students will walk by, they’ll say ‘Hi’ and sometimes they’ll come talk to me. If I do get the Portola kids, sometimes I’ll get them a drink like a smoothie or a [nonalcoholic] version of Pina Colada.”
According to Wild Rivers lifeguard and junior Sami Tawfik, running into a school adult at the waterpark was unexpected at first, but it quickly turned into a positive experience.
“I feel like a lot of people would just walk by school adults in public like Wild Rivers,” Tawfik said. “But when I saw him, I would give him a big shout: ‘George! How’s it going?’ It was always a fun time.”
Ultimately, students reflect the same warmth and familiarity that Mares gives, eagerly returning his greetings with smiles and waves, bridging the connection between school and his work at Wild Rivers, according to Wild Rivers lifeguard and junior Farouk Merzougui.
“It was definitely more comforting than it was awkward seeing him,” Merzougui said. “I felt like it was more normal. I feel like at school, everybody sees him as a type of guy that’s mean or strict, but I see George as the guy that always looks out for people. He’s building the morals and the roles that we need for the future, and that’s what you can ask for in an adult; someone to look up to.”
Through working at Wild Rivers, Mares has a chance to lean into his true personality and make an impact on students beyond campus.
“I can pretty much be myself over there,” Mares said. “I talk to people, I mess with people, I joke around. I’m making drinks and I’m making people happy.”
