What makes a good teacher? Is a good teacher defined by test scores and grades, or are they defined by the legacy they leave behind? Mr. Robert “Bobby” Pittard spent his life serving those around him. Born in Cary in 1934, Mr. Pittard became Coach Pittard after graduating from Apex High School and North Carolina State University. Coach Pittard taught math and science and coached basketball at his alma mater, Apex High School, before retiring in 1976. In addition to his career as a teacher and coach, Mr. Pittard was also a lifelong farmer in Apex and a dear friend to all that knew him. Although Coach Pittard was neighbor and friend to all, it wasn’t until his death in November 2016 that his true giving spirit and teacher’s heart was revealed.
Enter Wake Ed Partnership. Founded in 1983, Wake Ed Partnership is a “unique, strategic, education nonprofit focused exclusively on transforming teaching and leadership modeling in Wake County Public Schools to provide graduating students with the content knowledge and skills they need to succeed in a complex and changing workplace.” Nancy Merritt, Director of Marketing for Wake Ed Partnership said, “Wake Ed is, at heart, the business champion for education in Wake County.” She goes on to explain that Wake Ed “brings together business leaders who are passionate about education and talented educators that really want to improve public education and form important partnerships.”
These two groups are brought together by Wake Ed through award winning programs and educational advocacy. These wonderful partnerships have enabled educators to have an important connection to the corporate world which has enabled them to help prepare students to graduate and join the workforce. Unbeknownst to those working with and for Wake Ed Partnership, Mr. Pittard was aware of the important work taking place by Wake Ed and had plans for its continued success.
In the fall of 2017, Wake Ed received a letter that would change the lives of many Wake County students for years to come. When Coach Pittard passed away, he left in his will the “financial capability and direction to establish a sustainable college scholarship fund for student athletes in Apex.” Carol Allen, Program Coordinator for Wake Ed and the Bob Pittard Scholarship Coordinator, knows all about a teacher’s dedication to his or her students. As an educator for 34 years at Broughton High School, Ms. Allen wanted to stay involved in education after her retirement and has been in the forefront of establishing Coach Pittard’s legacy.
Ms. Allen explained that “Coach Pittard bequeathed $2.7 million to Wake Ed Partnership to be used for varsity student athletes at Apex High School and Green Hope High School.” Until Coach Pittard’s gift, Wake Ed Partnership did not have a scholarship as part of the programs it offered. “We were starting at ground zero,” Ms. Allen said. After meeting with the principals and athletic directors at both Apex and Green Hope High Schools, and looking at other scholarship programs, Wake Ed was able to iron out the details and established the specifics of the scholarship. With the funds left by Mr. Pittard and the stipulations he requested, the Bob Pittard Scholarship was able to award eleven high school athletes with $12,500.
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he task of deciding which students would receive this gift was not an easy one and was certainly one that was taken very seriously. Wake Ed asked the principals and athletic directors at both schools to identify 12 students that they would like to nominate to receive the scholarship. After the students were identified, they were required to complete an application and an essay and were interviewed by members of the Wake Ed Scholarship Committee. “Back in March we spent a week interviewing the 12 students at Apex over two days and the 12 students at Green Hope over two days,” said Ms. Allen. The entire process, although new to everyone, was an exciting experience, not only for the students, but for the committee as well. Ms. Allen stated that the decisions were unanimous across the board. “We were looking at 24 candidates and we decided on 11,” she said. In the end, four scholarships were given to Apex students and seven were given at Green Hope. Although it wasn’t planned, the ratio for each school was one scholarship for every 100 seniors. “The graduating class at Apex was around 400, and the graduating class at Green Hope was around 700,” she said.
As far as what comes next for the first recipients of the Bob Pittard Scholarship, their futures certainly look bright. “We have four going to NC State, three are going to UNC, two are going to UNC-Charlotte, one is headed to East Carolina and one is on her way to Johns Hopkins.” Although not required for the scholarship, several recipients will continue to be student athletes when they begin their college career.
The future of the Bob Pittard Scholarship is equally as bright as those who benefit from it. It was Coach Pittard’s wish to help as many student athletes in Wake County as he could, and the dedicated members of Wake Ed Partnership are making sure that his legacy will continue for as long as possible. “He [Mr. Pittard] obviously will never get to meet the students he has helped, but he has completely changed the trajectory of their lives,” Ms. Allen said. “I love that when we talk about his program, it all comes back to teaching. We say that whatever a teacher has, they give it to their students, and that is exactly what he did,” Ms. Merritt said.
