Peabody Energy honored Brown Elementary School Principal Matthew Phillips for being a Peabody Energy Leader in Education Thursday afternoon.

Phillips is one of 31 honorees in the St. Louis metropolitan area for the award. He will be considered for educator of the year with the other honorees later this year.

Phillips was surprised during an assembly for third, fourth and fifth graders.

“It’s a great honor,” he said. “It’s great to be honored for something I’m passionate about, which is education, administration and leadership.”
Maureen Moore, Program Director for Peabody Energy Leaders in Education, presented Phillips with a basket of coffee, tea and a FlipCam, so that he could record his examples of leadership throughout the year. He was also presented with $1,000 to spend for his choosing.

“We are grateful for the inspiration Matthew Phillips provides to his students, and we applaud his leadership within the school community,” Greg Boyce, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Peabody Energy, said. “Mr. Phillips is to be commended as an individual who excels in his profession, and we are pleased to recognize him as a Peabody Energy Leader in Education.”

Phillips has worked as a principal for Brown Elementary and in the Hazelwood School District for the past three years.

Superintendent Grayling Tobias praised Phillips for his leadership qualities and for the overall honor it brings to the area.

“As [Phillips] mentioned, it’s an honor not only for him but for the school, the school community and Hazelwood School District,” Tobias said.

This is the fourth year for the Peabody Energy Leaders in Education Program, which was started by Moore. She said the program honors anyone from school secretaries to cafeteria workers to custodians who have a positive impact on children’s lives.

The Educator of the Year program will be held Aug. 19 at the Hilton at the Ballpark.