Zack Bacon IV started leaving his mark on Reynolds High School as a freshman in 2001.
No one could have imagined that he would still be such an important part of the school 12 years later.
Bacon works a four-hour custodial shift every day, interacting with hundreds of students during lunch. He attends every basketball game and serves as the team manager. He wears a baseball uniform and assists the Demons in the dugout. And then there is everyone’s favorite image — the photo of Zack leading the football team onto the field, waving the Reynolds’ flag and smiling from ear to ear.
“Nothing gives me more pleasure than to see how much he’s grown and how much he’s accomplished and all the relationships he’s developed,” said Eve Bacon, Zack’s mother. “I drop him off there every morning, and it’s like I’m taking him home.”
Reynolds truly is Zack’s home away from home. The only question remaining about the relationship between Zack and Reynolds is who benefits most — Zack, or the countless students and teachers whose lives he has touched?
Zack was born with Ring 18, a rare chromosomal abnormality that impacted his growth and development, “but certainly not his spirit and his personality,” Eve Bacon said. Zack seemed to imitate the actions of others in his early years, so his parents kept him in regular schools to help with his development.
When Zack arrived at Reynolds, he immediately found a home in the athletics department. The Demons can thank Theron Bass for the dedicated team manager they have today.
