MADISON – Nicole Phillips, a well-known personality at Heritage Elementary School, has accepted the position of Elementary Instruction Specialist for Madison City Schools.

Phillips has served as Assistant Principal at Heritage for the past five years.

“I am very excited to begin my work as the Elementary Instructional Specialist in Madison City Schools,” Phillips said. “The opportunity to focus on district and school data directly related to curriculum and instruction attracted me to this position.”

This staff position “had gone unfilled since the retirement of Stacey Blair approximately two years ago,” MCS Public Relations Manager John Peck said. “Nicole Phillips will help with data analysis, curriculum development, the mentor program and other duties.”

“I’m ready to dig into our data and hit the ground running,” Phillips said. As elementary instruction specialist, Phillips will work closely with Melissa Mims, MCS Coordinator of Elementary Instruction, and Dr. Heather Donaldson, Chief Academic Officer, “to continue to give our students in Madison City the best learning opportunities possible.”

“While operational duties are necessary and important to the daily operation of a school, my heart and passion are teaching and learning. I look forward to working with teachers, reading coaches and instructional leadership teams at all seven Madison City Schools elementary schools,” Phillips said

Phillips has gained experience in teaching all subjects and all preschool and elementary grade levels, with the exception of first and third grade. This experience “will help me relate to classroom teachers from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade,” she said.

Phillips earned a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education and elementary education at the University of Alabama. She holds a master’s degree in instructional leadership from Samford University.

The Phillips family has lived in Madison for 21 years. “My husband is a chemical engineer at 3M in Decatur,” Nicole said. “I have two daughters — Sydney, 18, and Jordan, 16. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family, traveling, shopping and pampering with my girls.”