Scotty McCreery Able to Shed Police Escort After First Few Days of School

Scotty McCreery says he was afraid on his first day of school, his first day of his senior year of high school that is. The 'American Idol' winner chose to return to Garner High School, hoping that he'd be treated like any other kid. The plan worked, after a few tenuous days.

WRAL television in Raleigh, N.C. reports McCreery arrived on his first day with a police escort. For the first two days, two officers walked him to each of his classes. By the third day his longtime friends made the extra security redundant.

"When we walk in public, actually, we call it the Flying V, like on 'The Mighty Ducks' movie," McCreery said of how the teenagers defend him. "They'll get like in a Flying V, and I'll get in the middle, and we’ll walk to our table and sit down real quick."

The 'The Trouble With Girls' singer appreciates all the support from friends, family and community groups and is using Saturday's birthday (his birthday is Sunday, Oct. 9) celebration concert as an opportunity to give back. The News and Observer reports that McCreery and his family chose 11 different charities to receive 100 tickets each. Some of the groups are from Garner, N.C. -- the Garner Senior Center, Garner Baseball -- but a few others were chosen because they touched the teen's family at some point. His sister Ashley was hospitalized as an infant at the WakeMed Children's Hospital, and a family friend has an infant hospitalized at the N.C. Children's Hospital.

Being able to have a normal senior year keeps McCreery humble, he says. He's taken to going to Garner Trojan home football games -- frequently tweeting the outcome -- and is hoping to play baseball in the spring. "Coach said he won't play me unless I'm in shape, though, so I've got to start running," he told WRAL.