Home News NEW TEACHER WINS ROOKIE TEACHER OF THE BLOCK AWARD

NEW TEACHER WINS ROOKIE TEACHER OF THE BLOCK AWARD

11/17/2021

Longleaf Middle School sixth-grade special education teacher Delerisha Phillips is the November 2021 Rookie Teacher of the Block (RTOB). Teresa Boyd, the principal of Longleaf Middle, nominated Phillips for the award, praising the first year teacher for establishing a community in her classroom where students experience growth with celebration. The award is sponsored by H&R Block, a dedicated partner of the district.

According to Boyd, Phillips makes establishing meaningful and respectful relationships with her students and co-workers a top priority. “Her resource support classes have 15-18 students, which is large, but she never complains. Phillips was the first recipient of our school’s Joy Resides Here Award. She enters the building each day with a smile and checks in on teachers and students throughout the day offering assistance when and where she can. Remarkably, she also extends the opportunity for teachers to take breaks when needed by offering to hold their classes during her planning time,” said Boyd.

Phillips says her father is a school custodian and her mother is a school bus driver, so she knows the value of hard work. “I really push to give my students the best support for them to be successful in the classroom. Working at Longleaf has been a breath of fresh air. I always tell people that I never feel like I am actually going to work because I love being there so much. I want to give a special thank you to not only to the staff at Longleaf, but also to my students for pulling the best out of me. Leopards Believe, Leopards Achieve,” said Phillips.

RTOB winners receive a plaque to hang outside their door, a nameplate for the door, discounted tax preparation from H&R Block, a unique trophy designed by the 3D printing class at the Richland Two Institute of Innovation (R2i2), and a bag of Richland Two goodies from Human Resources. Each month a RTOB is chosen and then an overall winner, Rookie Teacher of the Year, is selected.