Phillip G. Eakins

Pender County Schools

Philip Gardner Eakins III earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Physical Education, Health, and Social Studies from the University of North Carolina Wilmington in 2005. For over 12 years, Gardner served as a teacher, coach, and athletic director while working at West Pender Middle School in Burgaw, North Carolina.  In his school leadership roles, Gardner served as elected grade-level chair, lead teacher and teacher mentor.

Gardner taught grades 6 through 8 physical education and health classes in addition to teaching 8th grade social studies. Gardner also coached Pender High Girls varsity basketball for four years, and coached the sports of softball, baseball, soccer, volleyball, and football team. In 2011 and 2015, Gardner was selected as the West Pender Middle School Teacher of the Year.

For the upcoming school year, Gardner will serve as an assistant principal intern at West Pender Middle School. In this role he is learning how to execute administrator duties as it relates to student achievement, testing, transportation, discipline, and the overall functions of managing and leading a school community.

As an ECU Pirate Leadership Academy Principal Fellow, Gardner is looking forward to honing his educational and administrative leadership skills needed to support teachers and influence high student engagement and achievement.  He also hopes to learn best practices in building and nurturing a strong school community with all stakeholders.

Gardner believes this type of principal fellowship is rare, and he is forever thankful for this wonderful and unique opportunity that he has been provided.  Even though he is not a math teacher his favorite equation is: “ He > I”.