By Becky Holland
COCHRAN — In Bleckley County, the first day of school doesn’t officially arrive until the Greene family shares its annual back-to-school photo.
For nine years, DeeAnn and Douglas Greene, along with their children, Grady and Dollie Rose, have turned the first day of school into a comedy production, creating photos that friends, neighbors and even strangers eagerly wait to see each August.
What began in 2018 as a simple joke has grown into one of the community’s favorite traditions.
“It all started the year Grady was going to kindergarten and Dollie Rose was starting Ms. Debbie’s,” DeeAnn wrote. “I wanted to do a funny back-to-school picture since this would be the first time I’d have some alone time in a hot minute. So we did the pool picture. I couldn’t believe how well they played the part.”
The first photo showed DeeAnn relaxing by the pool while the children wore hilariously unhappy expressions about heading to school. The idea struck a chord with family and friends.
“People thought it was funny,” she said. “So we decided to do it the next year. More people thought it was funny. And I love for people to think I’m funny. So baby, we went for a third year.”
The tradition has continued ever since.
Each August, the Greene family dreams up a new theme, from celebrating Mom and Dad’s “first day of freedom” to pretending to camp outside the school before classes began. Every photo tells a funny story while capturing a milestone in Grady and Dollie Rose’s lives.
Now in its ninth year, the annual tradition has become something many people in the community eagerly anticipate.
“Every year, I get posts, messages, phone calls and texts asking about our first-day-of-school picture,” DeeAnn said.
Last year’s photo reached far beyond Bleckley County, bringing thousands of reactions online. While the vast majority of people understood the joke, a few took it a little too seriously.
“We had grown adults fussing that we sent our kids to school without a shower and brushing their teeth,” she wrote. “They really thought we camped there.”
With so many people now looking forward to the annual reveal, DeeAnn admits the tradition brings a little pressure.
“I’ll be honest—I get so much anxiety about it now. What if they hate it? What if it doesn’t top last year? What if they don’t get it? What if? What if? What if?”
But after thinking about it, she realized the photos aren’t really about social media at all.
“You know what—it doesn’t even matter,” she wrote. “One day, Grady and Dollie Rose will be able to tell their kids and grandkids about their crazy mama and her crazy first-day-of-school pictures. And hopefully, it’ll be a cherished memory for them, just like it’ll be for me.”
This year’s installment proves the Greene family’s creativity hasn’t slowed down.
Instead of acting like she dreaded the first day of school, DeeAnn flipped the script. This year’s theme imagined that she couldn’t get the children to school fast enough.
The photo features DeeAnn pretending to drive a Bleckley County school bus while Douglas dramatically throws up his hands, a sheriff’s deputy appears to step into the scene, and Grady and Dollie Rose lean from the bus windows as though they’re being rushed off to class.
Like every year before it, the scene is completely staged and designed to make people laugh.
For most families, the first day of school means new teachers, sharpened pencils and fresh notebooks.
For the Greene family, it also means another chance to create memories together—and to give the rest of Bleckley County something to smile about.
As another school year begins, one thing is certain: plenty of people are already wondering what “crazy mama” will dream up for next August.
Photos from Greene Family
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