CFNN Reporters Erin Young and Isabella Martinez

There are many people who help our school function to its fullest capability, but never receive their recognition. Most of those people don’t expect any recognition, they simply enjoy helping young people become the best version of themselves.

SMOW (Staff Member Of the Week) is a biweekly award for a chosen staff member who has helped this school immensely and deserves to be in the spotlight. This week’s SMOW is Bobby Jones.

He is well known for his brutal honesty, humorous attitude, and overall amazing personality. We could not think of a more deserving recipient of our first Staff Member of the Week award.

g“He is really nice, sweet, and with all the work he does for this school he deserves a raise” said Jade Colon h

Mr. Bobby has worked here for 9 to 10 years. He is originally from Connecticut, and moved here in 2000. He was driven to take a job at Cape Fear by his passion and love for helping young people grow into beneficial members of society.

His job as a custodian entails maintenance, and keeping the school clean. When he isn’t busy cleaning the school he is watching sports and cheering on kids. He has a daughter named India who graduated early and we’ll be back next week to help Mrs. Hawks with dance.Some students at the school call him unc or big unc.

“ Big unc is friendly to everyone and all around a great guy,” said Colby Hair

When he’s chilling at home he watches ESPN, plays football and basketball, and gets to enjoy some time with his grandkids. Mr.Bobby’s family is small but super close, he has 5 kids and 4 grandkids and he talks to them on a daily basis.

Bobby has always loved sneakers. His favorite sneaker brands are Puma’s, New Balance, and Adidas. His favorite croc charms are the money bag charm, the basketball charm, the baseball charm, and the football charm.

“I love the energy he brings to the football and basketball games.” said Vice President Brandon Simpson

When most people think of a custodian, they think of a person who cleans. Well, Mr. Bobby is much more than that. He always has time to make sure the students are on the right track while still having a good time in school.

Mr. Bobby has shown up to many school functions over the years. For example, on February 2nd 2024, after the Student vs. Teacher PLAY4KAY basketball game, he participated in the post game three point competition where he won against senior student Taylor Woodard.

“I wanted to be a janitor because I am great with working with kids, and also it was close to where I was living at that time. The job just came naturally easy to me,” said Bobby, “If I was not a janitor I would be a coach; I’m an active person and working with kids has always been a passion of mine.”

Bobby makes it one of his priorities to talk to students instead of disregarding them. He feels like his role at Cape Fear is about more than just keeping the school clean. He takes pride in working with all of Cape Fear’s students and encouraging them to succeed.

“Mostly it’s just my personality, but kids just gravitate to me. I relate to kids because I tell the truth. It might hurt, but I still tell the truth. I used to run summer camps when I was younger. I used to get a group of kids and play different sports.”

It’s not only students who love Mr. Bobby, it is also teachers who love and recognize the help he provides for students around the school.

“Mr. Bobby always has a positive attitude. He is always interacting with the students, all while performing his obligatory tasks that his job requires.” Says Mrs. Kristen Johnson

Thank you Mr. Bobby for everything that you do for the school and us students individually.