CULLOWHEE (June 13, 2014)—Registration is under way for the 9th annual A. Craig Phillips “Old Fossil” Golf Tournament, an event hosted by the Development Foundation of the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching Inc., proceeds to benefit the A. Craig Phillips Honored Educator Scholarship at NCCAT.
The tournament will be held Friday, June 27, at Longleaf Golf and Country Club in Southern Pines. The entry fee for the four-person, captain’s choice format event is $75 per player. The tournament will begin with shotgun start at 10:30 a.m. Registration includes greens fees, golf cart, awards luncheon and a gift bag.
“The purpose of this event is to honor one of the top educators to serve our state—Dr. A. Craig Phillips,” said Jim Simeon, executive director of the Sandhills Regional Education
Consortium and a member of the board of directors of the Development Foundation of NCCAT Inc. “When Bryce Cummings and I decided to create this event, we had two goals in mind: we wanted to honor Dr. Phillips in perpetuity, and we wanted to support the professional development of teachers in North Carolina through NCCAT’s ongoing programs.” Simeon and Cummings co-chair the event.
Dr. A. Craig Phillips (a.k.a. “Old Fossil”) was the state superintendent of public instruction from 1969–1989. During this time he instituted state-supported kindergarten for all North
Carolina children, secured funding to improve reading programs in early grades, and expanded programs for exceptional children. Phillips passed away on April 12, 2011. Fittingly, the two fully endowed A. Craig Phillips Honored Educator Scholarships provide for two kindergarten teachers from North Carolina each year to attend an NCCAT seminar of their choice.
Proceeds from the event will help fund a third A. Craig Phillips Honored Educator Scholarship. NCCAT’s Honored Educator Scholarship Program gives tribute to outstanding
individuals, educators, organizations and companies by providing scholarship funds in their names.
At this year’s tournament, two champions will be crowned: an Overall Champion and the Local Education Agency Champion. The LEA team must have at least three members from
the same school district, which could include a teacher, principal, central office educator or student, superintendent, and/or board of education member or any combination thereof.
The LEA team with the lowest score will be presented the A. Craig Phillips Scholarship Tournament Trophy and will keep it for one year.
This event is made possible by the support of the following individuals, and organizations and companies: Schwartz & Shaw, Attorneys at Law; The Special Event Company; Judy and Andy Phillips; Joan Celestino, Classworks by Curriculum Advantage; Jayne and Bryce Cummings; Wanda Dawson; Grace Edwards; Carolyn and George Everett; Clement Geitner; Barbara Hardy; Sam Houston; Pinnacle Architecture; Anita and Alfred Schnog; Emilie and Jim Simeon; VIF International Education; Wells Fargo Bank; and Greg West.
To sign up for the tournament, visit https://community.nccat.org/golf. For more information, contact Jim Simeon, Tournament Chair, at 910-693-9910 or email: [email protected].