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Southampton Athletic Director Darren Phillips was presented with the New York State AHPERD Suffolk Zone Physical Education Director of the Year award at a ceremony on January 20.
Southampton Athletic Director Darren Phillips was named the 2021 Physical Education Director of the Year in Suffolk County by the Suffolk Chapter of the New York State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance at the organization’s annual dinner and ceremony on January 20.
Unbeknownst to him, Phillips, 52, was nominated by his physical education staff and other co-workers, making it an even more special recognition.
“It’s great to be recognized. I am honored to receive the award and grateful that I work with some great people,” he said. “We have such a great staff who have such great ideas. I just try and support them and make it happen as best I can. I always tell people that most of our job is consumed with athletics, but physical education could be more important in a way.”
Phillips, a Southampton resident who has been in his position for 20 years, said the job, and physical education for that matter, has certainly evolved over that timespan. The one constant has been the main goal all along, which is to teach each student how to be active and healthy beyond their school years, and he gave a lot of credit again to his staff for being able to do that year after year.
“I thoroughly enjoy watching our phys ed classes. I’ll go down to the elementary school and often jump in the lessons because I do like to be hands on,” he said. “I’ve spoken locally at the Suffolk Zone conferences and even presented at state conferences a couple times and it’s been a lot of fun and hopefully we’ll continue for a bunch more years.
“It’s all about hiring the right staff who share your vision, who have ideas that they are passionate about,” he added. “We have a lot of people who have been at the forefront of a number of things, such as Brian Tenety and the Unified Sports. When you have people like that on your staff who keep you thinking about things, it’s not always the same old, same old.”
Tim Schreck, a gym teacher at Southampton High School who has also coached varsity boys golf for the past several years, was hired by Phillips just a year after he started as the district’s AD, so the two have worked closely over the years. Both Schreck and Tenety spoke at last month’s dinner on Phillips’s behalf, which by all accounts, was very entertaining in what they had to say.
“I think it’s humbling for Darren to say that this is a team award, but this is very much his award,” Schreck said. “Darren has been doing this for 20 years and he is just a great leader for the district. Coaches like working for him and like his style, which is very much like an open-door policy. His way is ‘I’m going to help you be the best version of you,’ and that kind of style is perfect for this area and the athletics that we have. He hired me, I was one of his first hires, so I’ve been here for all but one of his years here, and I have to say, it’s pretty awesome to have a boss for 20 years.”
Joanne Hamilton, a 27-year board member and the Suffolk Zone Awards Chairperson of NYSAHPERD, said prior to actually meeting Phillips in person, she knew him through all of his nominations he would have for other people, such as those in his own district, and even those outside of his district.
“To me, he is the epitome of a PE Director of the Year, in his professionalism and how he participates in every available opportunity to further physical education, which is his passion,” she said. “He is one of the few directors who consistently nominates someone when the time to do so comes around.”
Schreck said, at the end of the day, Phillips isn’t afraid to roll up his own sleeves and work side by side with his staff.
”He’ll take any idea we have and work with it, there is never the word ‘no,’” he said. “It may not be exactly what we had in mind, but it’ll be as close to our idea as possible. He’s been nothing but been supportive and this is a long time coming for him.”
