COASTAL OBSERVER

Bethany Giles took over as interim superintendent of Georgetown County Schools on July 1, but she stayed in her  assistant superintendent office while the school board went through the process of looking for a permanent replacement for Keith Price, who left for a job in the Midlands.

Last week, the board approved a contract for Giles through until June 30, 2028, at a starting salary of $190,000.

“I’m excited, I’m humbled and I am extremely passionate about the Georgetown County School District,” Giles said.

Giles will remain in her old office a little longer while the color of the walls in her new office is changed from blue to red, which is the color of her alma mater, South Carolina State University.

Giles grew up in Andrews and attended Andrews Primary and Rosemary Middle schools.

“Every time I go to Rosemary Middle I go down the one hallway where my classroom was. I cannot not remember what it was like to walk in there,” Giles said. “It seems like ‘was I really in here?’”

When Giles was young, she would hang around her sister’s Andrews High School basketball team dreaming of when she would play on the varsity. She wants today’s students to have the same dreams and see the “true heart and passion of Georgetown County.”

Giles realized her dreams and played basketball and softball at Andrews High School.

“I thought I’d play basketball forever until a knee injury changed that trajectory,” she said. 

After graduating in 1997, Giles earned a softball scholarship to South Carolina State, where she planned to start down the path of being a lawyer.

Her teachers and coaches in Andrews, including one of her mentors, Carolyn Stalvey, convinced her to return home and “give back” by becoming a teacher and coach. Stalvey coached the Yellow Jackets to back-to-back softball state titles and also coached basketball.

Giles’ love of basketball has not abated. She’s been hosting “free throw Fridays” around the county to give students a chance to talk to her in a relaxed setting.

“It’s a way to get data points from these students,” Giles said. “Nothing is more valuable than hearing your students give you their feedback, their perspective on how they see their school.”

General topics included the district’s cell phone policy, bullying, what’s good and what’s not so good about the school, the learning environment and what needs improvement. Students were also encourage to talk about themselves and their lives.

Giles has worked for the school district for 23 years.  She taught at Rosemary Middle for five years and then was the school’s assistant principal for two years before moving to Brown’s Ferry Elementary School, where she was principal for nine years.

After two years as principal of Carvers Bay High School, Giles served as executive director of secondary schools and athletics for two years and deputy superintendent of academics and student services for three years before taking over as interim superintendent, after Price was hired as the superintendent-elect of the Lexington 1 School District.

Giles said Price believed in turning district staff into leaders.

“It also afforded me the opportunity to build relationships, or extended relationships beyond those that I already had in the district,” Giles said. “Seeing through a broader perspective really was beneficial to see what the trajectory would be leading up to right now.”

During the process of looking for the next superintendent, the school district posted a survey of what the community was looking for.

Giles looked over the hundreds of responses, remembering that even if she didn’t get the promotion she would still be working for the district.

“I’m still on the team and I want better, regardless of what position I was going to be in,” she said. “The work had to continue. We couldn’t get lost in the background noise of a search. My goal was to lead us through this process.”

The topics that stood out to her were: equitable access across the district, transparency, and listening to and respecting parents.

Many of the respondents wanted change. Giles said she is reviewing data to see where change is needed.

“That may be some slight adjustments in what we’re doing and how we’re doing it,” she added. “I don’t think everything in our district is wrong. I thing we’re on a great track but I do agree that there are some things we can adjust and monitor along the way that can be more impactful for our kids.”

Early Tuesday morning, a Carvers Bay Middle School student was taken into custody after he allegedly sent classmates a picture of himself holding a gun and threatened to shoot up the school.

Giles called the threat “disheartening,” but praised the students who reported it.

“It’s sad that our students feel that way,” she said. “We do have to address it and that is what we’re going to do, but that is a collaborative effort. It’s not just a school district response needed. It’s the whole community.”

Hours after the school board voted to hire her, Giles attended the football game between Andrews and Waccamaw High schools. 

She said it’s not about being “seen” at schools and school events.

“It’s about me supporting,” Giles added. “I want our community to know that it’s not for the sake of a stance, it’s about, I’m here, I’m boots on the ground, I’m a member of the team. How can I support? How can I assist?”

School Board Chairman Bill Gaskins told the large crowd that gathered for the announcement of Giles’ hiring on Friday that he was emotional because “she’s one of us from Andrews.”

Giles “earned” the job through her strength, he added.

“Her word is bold, and we look forward to what she is going to accomplish over the next three years and nine months,” Gaskins said.