NC elem teacher Elizabeth Mitchell garnered dance competition title

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Elementary school teacher Elizabeth Mitchell earned acclaim for winning a national championship for dancing the Carolina shag. Photo Credit: Family of Elizabeth Mitchell

Many talented teachers earn recognition for accomplishments outside of their classrooms. One of these was Elizabeth “Beth” Mitchell, an elementary school teacher from South Carolina who won a national championship for dancing the Carolina shag.

The Carolina shag is a form of swing dance. This swing style is a partner dance performed primarily to beach music (100-130+ beats per minute in a 4/4 time signature). The shag is a recognized dance in national and international dance competitions.

Elizabeth began dancing the shag when she was only nine years old. By the time she was a teenager, she had become heavily involved in shag competitions, and when she was 15, she joined the national Shaggers Association. In 1998, Elizabeth and her partner won the National Shag Dance Championship held in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Elizabeth was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, on Oct. 7, 1972. As a young girl, she attended Dalton L. McMichael High School. There she was a member of the cheerleading squad, and she even earned a spot on the All-Star Cheerleading Squad for the 42nd annual East-West All-Star Games in Greensboro.

After her high school graduation, Elizabeth earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. She then accepted a position as a third grade teacher at Stoneville Elementary School in Stoneville, North Carolina.

Sadly, this hardworking educator and talented dancer was killed on March 20, 1998, a victim of the Gainesville-Stoneville tornado which swept through her town on March 20, 1998. The tragedy happened just one week after she won her national championship. She was only 25 years old.

Elizabeth may be gone, but she is not forgotten. In 2002, she was inducted into the Beach Shaggers National Hall of Fame’s Keepers of the Dance. The organization also established a memorial scholarship in her name. The scholarship is awarded annually to National Shag Dance contestants who intend to pursue a college degree. Recipients of this scholarship have been awarded a total of over $262,000 since 1999.