Date:   May 3, 2004 
Contact: Irene Cromer
703-791-8720 

Cheryl Phillips, a fourth grade teacher at Occoquan Elementary School, has been selected by the Virginia Historical Society to receive the Brenton S. Halsey Teaching Excellence Award.  Every year, the Virginia Historical Society recognizes an outstanding teacher who teaches Virginia or American history in a Virginia public or private school.  Phillips received her award along with a $250 monetary prize.  She was also recognized at the Society’s annual meeting on Saturday, April 24.  In order to qualify for this award, the candidate must demonstrate an understanding and enthusiasm for history; foster a spirit of inquiry and the development of critical thinking skills among students; use innovative, creative teaching techniques and materials and promote their use by colleagues; and provide leadership in the field of K-12 history education.  

In addition to this achievement, Phillips’ history unit, “Day Trippin’ with Be’ans and Friends” was selected for Grand Prize by Creation Station in a national contest.  Creation Station is an organization that produces historical characters for classroom use.  Furthermore, Phillips was selected as the only elementary teacher from the state of Virginia to represent elementary school teachers for the National Endowment for Humanities Grant Project, Worlds in Motion. This grant funds a study of the changing role of American Indians in the 17th and 18th centuries with a focus on the pivotal period around the French and Indian War.  As a result, Phillips will spend three years developing curriculum to complement a PBS movie entitled, “Worlds in Motion.”