WINDSOR – Calvin Moore even refers to himself as coach.

&uot;There will probably be people calling me ‘coach’ 20 years from now,&uot; said the veteran Bertie High School basketball coach who will be stepping down from his post officially on July 1.

Moore, who has directed the fortunes of the Bertie basketball program for the past 10 seasons, will officially begin new duties on that date.

On July 1, Moore will trade in his whistle and science classroom for the principal’s office at his alma mater, officially becoming the chief administrator at Bertie High.

By taking the administrative post, Moore will give up the basketball program that he has been involved with in some form for nearly 30 years.

&uot;I’ve been telling people that I am sure I’m going to miss it,&uot; Moore said. &uot;I played here. I’ve coached here and I’ve been involved with Bertie basketball for something like 28 years.&uot;

Moore said his telephone has been ringing non-stop since he was chosen to assume the duties as principal following the most recent meeting of the Bertie County Board of Education. Those calls have covered two distinct spectrums.

&uot;Most of the calls have been congratulatory,&uot; Moore said. &uot;Some of them have been shock and disbelief. I can’t count the number of times I’ve been told ‘we thought you were a lifer’.&uot;

Moore said in addition to the congratulatory calls he’s gotten from the Bertie High School family and his fellow coaches, he has also gotten a significant number of calls from the officials who have worked his games over the years.

Moore is one of just four men who have been Head Boy’s Basketball Coach at BHS in the past 35 years. Darwin Harper, Willie Roberson and Marvin Rankins are the other men who have directed the team.

&uot;My only disappointment is that I’m leaving still not having won our first outright conference championship since my senior year in high school,&uot; Moore said. &uot;We came close so many times. We’ve finished second on several occasions, but never first.&uot;

Despite being dissatisfied in that area, Moore said he has had a good run in coaching and though he will miss it, it was time to move on.

&uot;It’s been a good run,&uot; he stressed. &uot;Sometimes people point to 20 years as a good time in a certain career and I’ve been a coach for 18, so that’s pretty good.&uot;

Moore said he believes his experience as a coach will be beneficial in his role as a principal.

&uot;As a coach, you are always planning and strategizing,” said Moore who was also a member of the Bertie High School football coaching staff for a number of years. &uot;I’ve found that I’m already doing that in my new role. It’s in my blood to coach and I think that will help.&uot;

He said that he will miss the hands-on experience of coaching, but made it clear he will never be too far away from the games of basketball and football.

&uot;To someone who hasn’t been a coach it would sound strange, but the grass smells different in the fall,&uot; Moore said. &uot;When you’re out there on the practice field getting ready for football, it just smells different. I’ll miss being part of that.&uot;

Moore said he could already tell a difference because his planning is centering around the move to the principal’s office.

&uot;I can tell there’s been a change already because there are things I would normally be doing at this time of the year that I’m not,&uot; Moore said. &uot;That’s different for me.&uot;

The coach said he and Rankins, now the school’s athletic director, would be working closely to find the right person to take over the Bertie basketball program.

&uot;We’re going to advertise the basketball vacancy along with our vacant teaching positions,&uot; he said. &uot;We’re going to make sure we take a look at people here and those who may be available to us and make the best decision.&uot;

Making that decision is just one way Moore’s life has changed by becoming an administrator. But, as many ways as it has changed, he knows some things won’t change.

&uot;I’ve already been asked if they can continue to call me ‘Coach Moore’,&uot; he laughed. &uot;I’ve told them I’m sure someone will be calling me coach until the day I leave this earth.&uot;