RICHMOND, Va. — Friday night, a route biked hundreds of times by the beloved principal of Mary Munford Elementary School turned into a heartfelt spin on solidarity in Richmond as hundreds of bicycles took over the streets.
Wheels turned with purpose and hearts swelled with support from Albert Hill Middle to Mary Munford Elementary School, as the community rallied in honor of principal Greg Muzik.
“This shows how much everyone loves Greg Muzik and the huge community that he has built through his leadership,” said teacher Val Schwarz, who's worked alongside Muzik for 26 years. “He's influenced a lot of people in this city hunt, I mean, thousands of people. And he's amazing, and we all love him so much because he's just, he always gives to us, and now we got to pour it back into him.”
Parents echoed the same sentiments as those who came into contact with the principal every school day.
"He's always there. He's always there to greet the kids. He comes to all the events. I mean, it's, you know, everybody is always looking for him. He's super tall we have, you know, with the suspenders on. The kids love him. He's super supportive of all of us and everything that we do, and really supportive of the school and the community." said Amanda Avila who has a second and third grader at Mary Munford.
And speaking of those suspenders, many students wore them tonight like sisters, first grader Helen and fifth grader Harper, to echo their principal's trademark style. It's their way of saying, "We ride with Muzik."
Helen said, "These are the suspenders our principal, Mr. Muzik, would always wear these."
Harper followed, "His favorite suspenders were red."
The support didn't just come from the current school community. Ian Bain, now in high school, returned to ride in honor of his former principal.
"It wouldn't be like it is today without him and without everything he has given to every single one of these kids, because I promise you, every kid who has went through this school could tell you a specific memory about an interaction they had with him, and that really shows that he does care," Ian said.
As this community pedals forward, tonight's ride leaves no doubt: Greg Muzik has touched thousands of lives, and the wheels of support will keep spinning until he's back on his own two wheels again.
The night ended with a final message from his students, “Get well Mr. Muzik. We really miss you.”
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