It’s a sibling takeover in Richland School District One in Columbia, South Carolina.
According to ABC Columbia, the district is witnessing a first with a brother and sister leading as school principals. Siblings Dr. Greg Pickett and Dr. Tracy Pickett are heading into the new school year prepared to lead their designated schools.
Tracy is no stranger to the task as she is entering her eighth year as principal at Pine Grove Elementary School. For Greg, the incoming school year will be his first go-round as a principal at Heyward Gibbes Middle School. Tracy said, in all sibling fun, that she never lets her brother forget that she is “Dr. Pickett No. 1 and he is “Dr. Pickett No. 2.”
“I was her first student, and so I’m still her student. I still learn from her. But sometimes a student can teach a lesson too,” Greg said as he reminisced on childhood moments with Tracy who would re-teach her school lessons to him. To this day, Tracy is still a teacher to Greg and passes on any knowledge that will help him succeed in his new position.
“I would definitely tell him to take one day at a time,” Tracy advised. “It’s not going to get done in a day, but it will get done, and I will tell him to make the most of his experience and try to find some joy in it because if you enjoy what you do you’re going to put your whole heart in it…I would just tell him to enjoy the ride so he can have some longevity.”
Of course, there are moments of sibling rivalry when the two educators have opposing ideas and perspectives, but their overall commitment to the field and in their communities go hand in hand.
“We’re extremely proud of the communities that we serve because we’re a product of this community. We were educated in Richland County School
District One from pre-kindergarten all the way through high school, so we have a deeply personal connection and attachment to these communities,” Greg said. “We always put our students first. And we focus on student achievement and developing our faculty and staff, and supporting our families and communities.”The brother-sister duo credited family members for inspiring their path in education. Their mother and sister were former educators and their father is a retired instructor in the Army National Guard.