April. 13, 2012

Shawnee State University and the Dr. Miller and Genevieve Toombs Children's Learning Center would like to invite former students, families and friends of Hetty Phillips to an Open House from 3 to 7 p.m. on Friday, May 4 at the Children's Learning Center to honor the end of a 49-year career in education.

Phillips has accomplished what few people have – that of teaching young children and impacting families and university students for nearly 50 years.

She graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1960. While working at Grant Library by day, Phillips attended college nights and summers. She graduated from Ohio University in 1963 with a Bachelor of Science degree in education. She was hired by Portsmouth City Schools in 1963 where she taught fifth and sixth grades at North Moreland.

Phillips started her family in 1975 with the birth of her first daughter Amanda. Two years later Emily was born, followed by Matt in 1980. During this time, she received her Kindergarten Certification from The Ohio State University and when North Moreland closed in 1982, Phillips went to work at Harding Elementary. She worked there from 1982 as a kindergarten teacher and retired in 1997 after 35 years of service with Portsmouth City Schools.

After receiving her master's degree in education with an emphasis in fine arts from Rio Grande University, Phillips was hired as lead teacher at the Dr. Miller and Genevieve Toombs Children's Learning Center at SSU when it opened in 1999.

She has presented at regional, state and national conferences and she has been active at fundraisers, concerts, church socials and all center events.

After all these years in education impacting the lives of hundreds, Phillips would still say her greatest accomplishment would be her own three children.

Amanda graduated from SSU in 1998 with a degree in Social Science and received a Master's degree as an Intervention Specialist at Antioch McGregor University.

Emily graduated from Case Western Law School in 2002 and lives in Miami with her own law practice in Family Law.

Matt graduated from Miami University in 2002 and from The Ohio University School of Osteopathic Medicine in 2007. He works for SOMC as an Urgent Care physician.