House Resolution 14

(As Adopted by House)

A RESOLUTION COMMENDING AND CONGRATULATING MR. WENDELL PHIFER ON BEING NAMED THE 2015-2016 TEACHER OF THE YEAR FOR THE TISHOMINGO COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT.

WHEREAS, "A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops" and so, to this all the students of Mr. Wendell Phifer can attest, and for this reason and many more, he was named Teacher of the Year for Tishomingo County School District after faithfully serving, and overcoming great obstacles to continue serving, the school system as the collision repair teacher at the Career and Technical Center for 29 years; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Phifer has dedicated his entire life to Tishomingo County, where he was born and raised, graduating from Burnsville High School, he later attended North East Mississippi Community College and Mississippi State University where he received his A certifications; and

WHEREAS, knowing that he wanted to one day become a technical teacher, Mr. Phifer wisely acquired as much understanding of the field as possible, and became a master certified Automotive Service Excellence collision repair technician and obtained certifications from multiple refinishing companies; and

WHEREAS, after garnering the knowledge necessary to pursue his life's passion, Mr. Phifer settled down in his hometown to combine his life's thread with that of the love of his life, Kasey Phifer, and raise their one and only child, Riley, who attends Tishomingo Middle School; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Phifer's number one priority has always been his students, and over the course of 29 years, he has guided the careers and lives of many young men and women, always believing that his greatest achievement is the multitude of students whom he helped become productive citizens as a result of being a part of his program; and

WHEREAS, a fitting way to describe Mr. Phifer's teaching style is, "Give the pupils something to do, not something to learn; and the doing is of such a nature as to demand thinking; learning naturally results," because the most satisfying aspect of his job has forever been observing students working with their hands, growing in skills and knowledge, and later working in a variety of jobs that apply those very skills; and

WHEREAS, not only are Mr. Phifer's accomplishments seen in his students, they are also reflected in the numbers, particularly given the fact that his program has been ranked number one in the state for more than 10 years in a row based on scores from the ever evolving and complex world of standardized tests; and

WHEREAS, a man constantly sought out for his talent in the automotive arena, Mr. Phifer has been requested by the Mississippi Department of Education and the Research and Curriculum unit of Mississippi State University as a mentor, coach and evaluator for the collision repair programs for more than 15 years; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Phifer not only teaches and physically demonstrates collision repair, he takes his talents to the scholarly realm by serving on multiple curriculum-writing committees and assisting with the construction of current standards and test items being used in the collision curriculum of our day; and

WHEREAS, a leader in so many regards, Mr. Phifer is a member of the Development Foundation Board, which grows small businesses and tourism in Tishomingo County, and has taught a multitude of adult night classes; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of the House of Representatives to honor and recognize such outstanding teachers who encourage and educate a host of young minds that later become productive and valuable Mississippians as evidenced by the results of Mr. Wendell Phifer's lifelong labor:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby commend and congratulate Mr. Wendell Phifer upon the great honor of being named Teacher of the Year and upon his 29 dedicated years of serving the youth of Mississippi.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to Mr. Wendell Phifer, the Tishomingo County School District and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.