The Warren County R-III School District recently commemorated the teacher and support staff member of the year for the district, celebrating the contributions of two women who work every day to improve the lives of local children.

Carrie Parr, a nurse at Black Hawk Middle School, has been named as the district’s support staff member of the year, and early childhood/special education teacher Melissa (Missy) Phillips has been named as teacher of the year.

Parr came to the school district seven years ago after more than a decade as a hospital nurse working in labor, delivery and NICU units. Every day at the school, she sees an average of more than 70 students — about 10 percent of the school population — for daily medicines, accidental injuries and random illnesses and emergencies.

Parr said she never really expected to become a school nurse, but fell in love with the work when she found the job.

“It’s so much more than you expect. These have become my kids away from home,” Parr said. “If you come in, I’m going to treat you like my own kid. I say, ‘If you’re my kid, and this is going on, what would I do?’ ... Emotionally, these kids are on my mind all the time.”

Day to day, that means not only handing out bandages and ice packs, but also looking out for the health of children who are learning to manage chronic illnesses like diabetes. It means offering a compassionate adult that students can see when they’re overwhelmed by stress. And sometimes it means a little tough love for students who come to the nurse looking to get out of class.

“I love the teachers, I love the staff. It’s a fun atmosphere. I get to hang out with the kids all day. Yeah, they only come to me when they’re complaining about something, but my job is to make them feel better,” Parr commented with a chuckle.

School Principal Susan Boctor had high praise when the award for Parr was announced.

“She is extremely dedicated to our entire Black Hawk community — staff, students, families,” Boctor said. “This year has been significantly challenging with added mitigations due to COVID, and you would never know all that is going on. Every interaction with everyone, you feel like you’re the person she’s caring for.”

Boctor also observed how well Parr gets to know the needs of every student she regularly cares for, and how much she does to communicate with those students’ doctors and families.

Teacher of the Year

Melissa Phillips was named as teacher of the year for her work with some of the youngest children in the community who attend the R-III Early Childhood Center. In her daily work, Phillips helps those young students “learn how to learn,” teaching them how to socialize with other kids, how to behave in a classroom, and how to develop their language in order to communicate.

Phillips came to the classroom 12 years ago after first working for Parents as Teachers, a program that helps inexperienced parents learn how to foster their child’s development. She said one element of her work that people might not expect is how much attention is put on making every activity a teachable moment and helping youngsters learn to do some things on their own.

“Instead of doing everything for them, one thing that’s hard to get used to as a parent and a teacher is trying to teach them how to do things on their own. Sometimes it takes a long time,” Phillips commented. “At this age, the kids have a lot of language deficiencies, so we try to help them come up with the words of what they need in the classroom and advocate for themselves.”

Many of Phillips’ lessons are couched in interactive activities, often involving teamwork to help the children learn to socialize with each other. While keeping kids engaged, Phillips said she also tries to be a constant source of positivity and guidance for them, no matter what’s going on in life outside the class.

“My favorite part of my job is definitely the kids’ progress, seeing them grow and learn. It’s amazing how much they change from the beginning of the year to the end,” Phillips said.

Emily Turner, the director of Early Childhood and Special Education, said one of the things that makes Phillips a successful teacher is how many different ways she prepares for kids to learn.

“She has a wide variety of options for the day as far as instruction and activities, and she is able to read the room and gauge interest, and be creative with how she’s teaching,” Turner commented.

Turner also commended Phillips for how much she collaborates with parents, other staff, and others in the community to help children grow and learn.