Rogers retires from South Gibson after 43 years in education
By Jean Odom
Phil Rogers has served the community of Medina for the last 16 years as principal of South Gibson County High School. He has worked tirelessly since the school opened in January of 2009 to make the school the best he could for the community.
Rogers is a West Tennessee native, graduating from Riverside High School before attending college at Freed Hardeman, where he earned a degree in education. He went on to earn a master’s degree at Memphis State University, now the University of Memphis.
He began his career in the classroom as a teacher, coach, and athletic director at Jackson Christian School.
“Early in my career, before moving exclusively into administrative roles, I taught a number of different grade levels and courses, including physical education, health, science and driver’s education. I coached a number of sports, including baseball, football, and basketball,” Rogers shared of his career.
Rogers moved to University School of Jackson, where he got his first experience in administration, serving as the middle school dean of students, athletic director, and eventually middle school director.
“Working in these positions reinforced my desire to move into more of an administrative role, which led me to earn my administration and supervision license in 1987,” Rogers said.
While working at USJ, Rogers was hit head-on by a drunk driver on his way back from a football game at Halls High School. The injuries and physical limitations from that accident would shape his career choices moving forward.
Two years after the accident, Rogers moved to Jackson Central Merry High School. He worked as a science teacher and helped with administrative roles for athletics. In 1994, Rogers was given the opportunity to take his first full-time administrative role as assistant principal and athletic director at JCM.
In 2007 Rogers was offered the principal job at Gibson County High School, where he remained for a year until he was offered the job at the brand-new South Gibson County High School in January of 2009.
Rogers’ career was influenced by a large number of fellow teachers and administrators who have helped him along the way.
“While I can’t specifically point to the wreck as an event that influenced my career path, I cannot begin to provide specific names of individuals who have influenced me in my career, as there are so many,” Rogers said. “There were incredible educators who supported me in both my early career in private schools and in my later career in public schools. Individuals who took chances on me and allowed me to work alongside them in multiple settings were my best teachers.”
Roger’s favorite memory from his career was the opening of South Gibson High School in 2009.
“We faced lots of challenges that created lots of memories that directly shaped the future of our school. When we opened school, we had no media center, no bleachers in the gym, no home football field and one hallway of classrooms was completed. We had no cafeteria, so the middle school cafeteria prepared our food and we transported it over and served it out of our basketball concession stand,” he recalled. “We had a small, dedicated staff who did not know each other but who came together to create the vision of what South Gibson County High School would become. We truly learned something new every day. We faced new challenges and we learned to be flexible and make the very best of every day that we were able to turn challenges into opportunities.”
Rogers has shaped the vision for the school from the ground up. His passion for the students and staff shows in his commitment to the school and community of Medina.
“I would like to thank the communities of Gibson and Medina for their support over the years. I hope that they are proud of their school and its many successes. Our goal has always been to provide a high-quality education while also providing numerous opportunities for extracurricular activities where everyone can find their place to belong. It has been an honor for me to serve as principal for the last 16+ years, and I wish it much success for the future,” Rogers says.
Rogers plans to enjoy his time that is no longer ruled by a school bell once he retires in June. An avid University of Memphis football fan, he hopes to find time to attend a few games and spend time with family, church family, and friends. He is also looking forward to having some time to go fishing, as that has taken a back seat to his obligations at school over the years.
