Community
For the ninth straight year the Phillies teamed up with the Newspapers in Education of The Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News to say thank you to great educators in the region who are making a difference.
The Teacher All-Star contest asked students and adults to nominate teachers who had an impact on their lives.
The response was overwhelming as we received over 1,500 teacher nominations of great teachers doing amazing and memorable things. Some letters made us laugh, others made us cry but all touched our hearts. Judging these amazing letters was an enormous challenge but the experience was tremendously rewarding.
The 10 Teacher All-Stars were honored during May 8's Teacher Appreciation Night during a pregame ceremony and had the opportunity to dance on the dugout with the Phanatic at the end of the 7th inning!
View the winning nominations »
Just like you, Phillies players have favorite teachers. This year, we honored Chad Durbin's favorite teacher Deborah Juneau. Ms. Juneau taught Chad college preparatory calculus at Woodlawn High School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Chad Durbin's thoughts on Ms. Juneau: She made calculus, which is a tough course, seem fun. She applied calculus and physics to examples we could wrap our brains around. She was also active outside of her classroom in many of the student organizations.
Ms. Juneau's thoughts on Chad Durbin: Chad was a good student, and we always had a lot of fun in class, even though the subject matter was challenging. Chad was always very courteous, had a great sense of humor, was a lot of fun, and understood very well, I think, his position as a role model for other students.
I was very grateful and very flattered to get the phone call letting me know that Chad had chosen me as his favorite teacher. Chad has always had a special place in my heart. I have always thought that teachers have such an important job. Teachers have a role beyond just teaching facts, theories, processes, and skills. Without question, successfully preparing the students for the next level--whether it be the university, community college, trade school, or apprenticeship--is very important. Teachers can also help to shape the person a student will become--which is just as important, I think. Good teachers really do touch the future.
We will continue the tradition of honoring teachers during our 10th Annual Teacher Appreciation Night during the 2010 season. Check back prior to the 2010 baseball season to find details on how to nominate your teacher All-Star.
