Teacher's Impact Extends Beyond the Classroom

It’s been a long day at Liberty High School.

The sadness extends beyond the hallways of the school and streams into the classrooms and offices. The school has lost a part of their community.

A teacher, a friend, a mentor, a mom and an equestrian, Pam Scott’s death has rocked the small community.

On Thursday, Scott was riding her horse at Wilson’s Farm on Hopeful Road in Anderson when the horse stumbled, according to several media reports. Anderson County Coroner Greg Shore said the horse lost its balance and Scott was thrown from it, landing on her head.

She was taken to Greenville Memorial Hospital, where she later died.

A resident of Seneca, Scott came to Liberty High School nine years ago.  Principal Lori Gwinn was, at the time, the curriculum assistant and said she remembers meeting Scott and helping her transition from life as a middle school teacher at Gettys Middle School in Easley to life at Liberty.

“She was my 7 a.m. buddy,” Gwinn said. “I could set my watch by her.  We would chat each morning from talking about her sons to my daughter, to her love of horses and her thoughts of purchasing another horse.”

Gwinn said they talked about things that were professional in nature, too. She said they would talk about how to get through to a student or how to teach something in a different way.

“She had master skills, she had great experience,” Gwinn said.  “But she had a way of reaching students that no one else could reach. Words just can’t describe just how very special she was.”

Gwinn said that Scott loved being an equestrian. Scott spent between three and five days a week at the stables training her horse, taking care of the animals and preparing for a competition to be held this weekend at Riverbend Equestrian Park in Greenville.

“She was very involved with dressage,” Gwinn said. “She was so graceful in the ring, breathtaking… And she connected with students because of her love for horses. She could speak horse with them.”

Gwinn said it was not uncommon for Scott to attend rodeo events or competitions that students were participating in throughout the year at T. Ed Garrison arena.

“She encouraged them, she supported them, she loved them and they loved her," Scott said.

It was that love of students that will stay with Gwinn when she thinks about Scott. It was a student that been the topic of their last conversation.

“She was leaving from school Thursday afternoon and had stopped by my office to check on a student in one of her classes,” Gwinn said. “She had been concerned about a student who had been emotional in her class earlier in the day. I had told her I would check with the student, or the family, and get back to her.”

Gwinn said that when her phone rang late Thursday evening and she saw the name of Scott’s son pop onto her Caller ID, her first thought was that Scott had lost her cell phone and was calling to check on the student they had discussed earlier.

“I’m still in shock,” Gwinn said. “It’s going to take some time for this to settle in. We just all expect that Monday she will come walking into school. It just doesn’t seem right to be here without her.”

Gwinn said that next week that the school is dedicating their production of “Cinderella,” to Scott’s memory.

Gwinn said at this time they have not planned a memorial service.