Starting the school day with a cheery “good morning,” a kindly smile and sometimes a loving hug is not a requirement of car line greeters, but most of them realize that extending a cheery disposition might just help set the tone for little ones to have a nice and productive day at school.

Janet McMaster is one of those car line greeters that project an upbeat and welcoming spirit to the children who attend Beechwood Elementary School.
“I think it is good to be friendly so the kids can get their day off to a good start,” said McMaster.
McMaster admitted she does not wake up eager to get out of bed, but by the time she drives in at Beechwood, she is ready to go.
There are days however, like McMaster, some of the children are not excited about being cajoled from their beds, she said, and like any parent, she has to resort to using creative tactics to coax the little sleepy heads from the car.

“There is one little guy who loves banana bread,” said McMaster, “and when he is apprehensive about leaving mom behind, I say, ‘I smell that banana bread’ and he jumps right out.”
Performing the duties of a car line greeter also includes the responsibilities of helping direct traffic.
Beechwood Elementary is on U.S. Highway 27, which is off Interstate 20, and it sits directly across the street from Warren Central High School.
At 7 a.m., traffic can easily become congested, and if the car line is not flowing efficiently, traffic can become backed up.
“I tell them to scoot down so we don’t get backed up on the highway, and sometimes when moms are waving goodbye they sometimes ride up on the side walk, and I have to watch and make sure the children don’t get hit,” said McMaster.
“She (McMaster) always keeps us safe and makes sure there is no car coming,” said Landon Green, who is a seven-year-old student at the school, and Blake Jacob, who is also a student at Beechwood said, “she is nice and helps us get on the side walk.”
Adults that drop children off at the school agreed with the youngsters.
“She does a good job of moving the cars through the line as quickly as possible, and she is a pleasant person to greet you in the morning,” said Billie Jean Mosley.
As the physical education teacher at Beechwood, McMaster said one of the aspects of being a car line greeter that she enjoyed was getting to interact with the children outside of the classroom.
“It’s fun to see their personalities, and some of the kids are just funny,” she said.
McMaster was born and raised in Vicksburg and graduated from Warren Central High School in 1985. She received her Bachelor’s Degree from Northeast Louisiana University and after graduating returned to Vicksburg.
“I taught at Porter’s Chapel High School for three years, and then I moved to Beechwood,” where McMaster said she had been teaching for the last 16 years.
“I love it here,” she said.