Spotlight On : Ms. Danielle Phillips

Ever since Ms. Phillips  was a little girl, she wanted to “teach people”. “My best friend was not surprised at all when I told her I wanted to go to college for education.” she said.  Ms. Phillips has been a Spanish teacher at WMHS for two years. From holding after school study groups, to attending games or performances, Ms. Phillips is truly passionate about all of her students. She studied at Grand Valley State University where she was inspired by her AP Spanish professor to pursue her degree in education and to teach Spanish. Ms. Phillips has a record-breaking 18 Champions this semester and finds the time to stay actively involved in each student’s academic and extracurricular activities.


Ms. Phillips and her Champion, Jake Scott.


What was your most memorable experience with the Champions program?
“My most memorable moment would have to be last year when one of my students wrote a scholarship essay for the “Z-PAC Turn It Around Scholarship” and his essay was about how I had impacted his life. That really meant a lot to me.”


How did you begin the Athletic Study Tables program?
Ms. Phillips holds a daily after school program in her classroom for any student or student athlete that needs help with their homework, or just needs a place to hang out before they go to their practice for the day. The program began when one student came into Ms. Phillips’ classroom before practice to get homework done and relax. This student started bringing some of his teammates to do the same and eventually this became an actual after school study hall. Ms. Phillips teamed up with Ms. Ware and the two now provide homework assistance, snacks, and a fun and safe place to be after school. Occasionally tutors from the National Honor Society attend the after school program to help in any way they can.  Currently there are about 20 students that come to Athletic Study Tables each day. Way to go Ms. Phillips!



What is your favorite part of being a mentor?
Ms. Phillips says that being a mentor encourages her to go that extra mile. By being involved in her Champions’ extra curricular activities such as going to sporting events, performances or fundraisers, she has been pushed out of her comfort zone and has created strong and positive relationships with her students. “ Being involved gives me a chance to know each of my kids outside of class and know them as the person they are.”



Thanks for all of your hard work and dedication to the WMHS students, Ms. Phillips!! Way to go!





By: Kat

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