Philip Terrell, the first black principal of Gulfport High School, has been an educator for 14 years. In administrative positions at both elementary and secondary levels, he has been credited with vast improvements in his schools in student academics, discipline, teacher morale and school-community relations. In addition to his duties as principal, Dr. Terrell is certified by the State Department of Education as a Mississippi Teacher Assessment Instrument Trainer and has been a consultant to local school districts concerning juvenile gangs. A charter member of Leadership Gulf Coast, he exhibits leadership qualities in both education and community circles, as a member of Phi Delta Kappa and the Gulfport Rotary Club, and as a deacon in his church.
