Middle school AD has ‘the best job ever’

SMITHFIELD — Brad Betterton has advice for anyone thinking about becoming a coach or athletic director.

“If you have a passion for it and are fully committed, it can be the most rewarding experience,” he said.

Betterton would know. The athletic director at Archer Lodge Middle School is the winner of the inaugural Middle School Athletic Director Excellence Award from the N.C. Athletic Directors Association.

A 20-year educator, Betterton has mostly taught physical education and coached. He spent one year as an assistant principal before returning to the classroom. “I missed coaching and working with the kids,” he said.

Betterton grew up in Roxboro, the son of teachers. His mom taught elementary school for 30 years, while his father spent his 30-year career as a high school teacher, middle school counselor and then an administrator. Betterton witnessed firsthand the commitment and dedication of his parents to their students. In middle school, he knew he wanted to be a teacher.

During his middle and high school years, Betterton played soccer, tennis, and ran track. After high school, he studied at Lees-McRae College for two years before transferring to Wingate University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in education. Betterton holds master’s degrees in exercise science and school administration from Campbell University.

Luckily for Johnston County Public Schools, Betterton’s sister got a job in Johnston County and suggested he move here too. In 2002, he joined the staff at Corinth-Holders School, then a K-8 campus, where he coached football, basketball and softball.

Betterton met his wife at Corinth-Holders, where she taught exceptional children. When Archer Lodge Middle opened, they both made the move to the new school.

For Betterton, teaching is more than showing children how to play soccer or baseball. It’s a chance to build relationships with students, even if they don’t play sports.

“If they know that you care about them, that you’re going to be there for them, and you’ve got their best interest in mind, they’ll do just about anything for you,” he said.

Last school year, Betterton taught and coached at Smithfield Middle School. The baseball team had a losing season, but Betterton said it was one of the best seasons he ever had as a coach. That’s because he was able to show his players how to deal with adversity and turn losses into lessons.

Now, once again at Archer Lodge Middle, Betterton feels he is back home. He loves the school, the children, their families, and the community, he said. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” he said.

Betterton was just one of six ADs nominated for the Excellence Award. “It has humbled me,” he said.

He credits his father’s work ethic and the lessons he learned from mentor and friend Jeff Parker, the athletic director at Four Oaks Middle School. He and Parker worked together at Corinth-Holders for seven years, and Betterton continues to use the philosophies he learned from Parker.

His favorite aspect of being an AD is being able to influence decisions at the leadership level. “I want my opinion to be heard,” Betterton said. He also enjoys helping first-year coaches as they navigate their roles.

“It’s not work, it’s fun,” Betterton said of being an AD. “I have the best job ever.”

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