Phil Kirk Awards Scholarship to Rowan-Salisbury Teacher of the Year
At the September 25, 2017 Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education business meeting, Millbridge teacher Abby Covington received the Phillip J. Kirk, Jr. Honored Educator Scholarship award.
Mr. Phil Kirk made the presentation to Covington, the district’s current Teacher of the Year. The Kirk Scholarship covers the costs associated for a five-day seminar to NCCAT (NC Center for the Advancement of Teaching).
In 2006, the Development Foundation of the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching honored Mr. Kirk for being one of North Carolina’s best-known advocates for education by establishing the scholarship fund. Mr. Kirk chose to present the scholarship each year to the Rowan-Salisbury Teacher of the Year.
Mr. Kirk is a native of Salisbury and a graduate of Catawba College. He began his career as a teacher at Salisbury High and Knox Middle schools before moving into the world of politics serving under two governors. Mr. Kirk served for more than six years as Chairman of the NC State Board of Education.
“Recognizing excellence in the classroom and publicizing the good news about public education, while advocating for continuous improvement, have been lifelong goals of mine,” says Kirk. “The awarding of this scholarship provides the Rowan-Salisbury Teacher of the Year an extraordinary experience at the nationally-renown North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching, plus $250 to spend on her or his classroom. I am grateful to the nearly 100 contributors who made this annual scholarship possible.”
“We are so grateful to Phil for his continued dedication to education and especially to the Rowan-Salisbury Schools,” comments Dr. Lynn Moody, RSS Superintendent. “He graciously awards this opportunity each year to one of our teachers so they can continue to grow and offer a more enriched learning experience for our children. The words ‘thank you’ are just not enough to show our appreciation.”
This marks the ninth consecutive year that Kirk has provided this scholarship to a Rowan-Salisbury teacher. In addition to Covington, previous recipients include:
- Joy Whidden
- Julie Stolze
- Theresa Pierce
- Sakinah Riley
- Alex Reynolds
- Cassie Thompson
- Nancy Goodnight
- Anthony Johnson
Mr. Kirk currently serves as the Director of Business and Leadership Development for Brady Energy Services.
