Bethel Students Treated to Free Shoes by Discovery Chevrolet Buick GMC

Students at Bethel Elementary School were treated to a free pair of Nike shoes Tuesday, courtesy of Discovery Chevrolet Buick GMC as part of their plan to donate a pair of shoes to a local student for every vehicle it sells.

Each student at Bethel was offered a free pair of shoes and more than 75 percent signed up to take advantage of the offer.   The shoes were distributed to students in the school media center Tuesday beginning with Courtney McKinney’s first grade class.

Former ASU Coach Jerry Moore led off the presentations to each class, telling students how special it was to get a new pair of shoes at no cost and then posing the question “where are these shoes going to take you? In what direction will you go?” Coach Moore urged students to use the shoes to lead them in the right direction. Moore was ASU’s head football coach for 24 years and his teams achieved great success in his tenure, including three consecutive national titles.

Discovery Chevrolet Buick GMC owner Kevin Geagan plans to extend the offer of free shoes in the school system one school at a time.   Geagan approached Superintendent Dr. Scott Elliott about shoe donations for students and special offers for school personnel last fall. Geagan then worked with WCS Student Services Director Dr. Paul Holden to make the arrangements for ordering, delivering, and distributing the shoes for students.

Discovery also became the first participant in the district’s Teacher Appreciation Program (TAP), an initiative that provides discounts and special offers exclusively for Watauga County Schools personnel to show community support for public education. TAP is a supporting component of the district’s Strategic Plan vision for making WCS the best school system in NC for teachers to work and students to learn.

Dr. Elliott notes that the partnerships the school system enjoys with local businesses, as well as those with school families, the faith community, the Watauga Education Foundation, county leaders, and civic groups, are a key ingredient in creating great schools for students.

“We are especially thankful today for the generosity of Discovery Chevrolet Buick GMC in supporting our students with free shoes and for their participation in the Teacher Appreciation Program,” Elliott remarked. “They are a leader in their commitment to a strong system of public education in Watauga County.”