Music teacher wins ‘American Star’ award
Published: October 1, 2005
The packed auditorium at Campbell High School erupted with cheers yesterday morning when students heard Phil Martin’s name.
In a surprise assembly, Michael Sentance, the regional representative for the U.S. Dept. of Education named Martin winner of the American Star of Teaching award.
With students yelling: “Speech! Speech!,” Martin reluctantly stepped to the podium.
“You all know I’m very shy. Wow. . .This is amazing. I’m incredibly honored. It’s not because of me. It’s because of you guys,” said Martin, who has been teaching music for 30 years.
“Music is core to all of the subjects,” he said after stepping down from the stage. “It’s something students are actively engaged in. It’s about the group process. It’s never about the wrong or right answer.”
This is the second year that the American Star of Teaching awards are being distributed. One winner is named in each state.
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Mr. Holland’s OpusThe Department of Education created the award, Sentance said, because teachers “need to be recognized more for the kind of work that they do.”
“Sometimes people don’t think about a music teacher as being central to the mission of the school. That’s not true to me,” Sentance said, recalling how his own daughter’s academic career was turned around by a music teacher.
Candidates for the award may be nominated by anyone. After the Department of Education receives a nomination, the principal of the nominee’s school is contacted and the second round in the selection process begins.
Martin lives in Manchester with his wife, Sherry, and his two sons, Dave and Ken. Dave Martin has followed his father’s career path and is teaching music as a student teacher at Souhegan High School in Amherst.
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