Rock Hill teacher touches lives in class and distance running
By Bret McCormick, The Herald
There’s no address listed for the Palmetto School at the Children’s Attention Home, and for good reason. The kids living and learning at the Rock Hill-based group home were removed from their homes and families by the state Department of Social Services for a myriad of reasons, including neglect, abandonment and abuse in various forms.
But Matthew Elliott didn’t need an address when he first showed up four years ago to teach at the Palmetto School. He knew he was in the right place.
“I wouldn’t want to work at any other place in the world,” Elliott said Thursday. “I’m blessed to work with the kids that we serve because their lives just need love. That’s something I love giving every day at school.”
There is another place that Elliott works though: wherever he’s running. The former Winthrop Eagle not only works fulltime at the Palmetto School; he also runs professionally. On June 22 at the U.S. Outdoor Track and Field National Championships in Iowa, Elliott pulled off a huge upset by passing seven runners on the last lap to finish fourth in the men’s 1500 meters.
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