Gregory Brown has been a teacher here at Dimond for 25 years and is now retiring. So many people have been inspired by his teaching, and he is very well known.

Former students of Brown have put together a GoFundMe account as well as a facebook group spreading news about how they want to raise money to allow Brown to travel the world however he pleases after he retires.

“He is such a great teacher and an amazing colleague. He is truly great to work beside and I am glad I’m able to. I really admire his patience with students and how he is capable to interact with all different types of students whether they be advanced or regular,” said Dimond Language Arts teacher Kristen Melican.

Lots of Brown’s former students agree with Melican and believe he is one of the best teachers they have ever had.

“Mr. Brown was one of my favorite teachers in high school. He was my Student Government advisors and he’s the reason why I do some of the things that I do,” said Dimond Student Government advisor Lem Wheels.

The fund is rapidly growing and the teachers are also planning on presenting a painting from a former student as well as an album with pictures and notes from other former students.

“Mr. Brown made such a huge impact on my life and I am very grateful for it. He taught me how to treat people and my students. He taught me how I can encourage them and I really try to live up to him and the things he taught me so I am really excited to give him these things. He really deserves them and he is going to love it. It’s going to be a good thing for him even though we will miss him here,” said Dimond Chemistry teacher Lea Bouton.

Brown loves to travel and has taken students on many international trips all around. “This is truly an amazing thing and really exciting. He really loves to travel and we all want to honor him and give him this chance to spend the money to go wherever he wants to,” said Melican.

The check, album and painting will be given to Brown on the last day of school where the teachers will have their celebration with him. They were raising money all the way up to the date of the celebration.

175 former students and admirers of Brown were able to come together and raise 16,500 dollars for Brown’s retirement fund. In total they were able to acquire 646 members to their FaceBook group.

“People should contribute to this because Mr. Brown has impacted so many people. As soon as someone meets him they know he’s special. Sometimes people don’t realize the people who directly impact them till it’s too late but with Mr. Brown I feel like everyone notices. And, now that he is leaving he has really left a huge legacy for me since he has asked me to run the garden and the Honor Society. It’s going to be some tough shoes to fill,” said Bouton.  

“People who have enjoyed learning from him should contribute. It shows him just how much we all appreciate him. It’s also a really nice gift to give,” said Wheeles.

This is a really big thing to be a part of and anyone was able contribute by going to their FaceBook page called “ Retirement Fun for Mr. Brown” or by looking at their GoFundMe and PayPal pages.