Phil English helps students learn the parts of a flower in his biology class at Eisenhower High School on Wednesday, March 3, 2010. English was born in Ireland, and came over to the United States on a running scholarship from Washington State University. After receiving his bachelors and masters degrees in science and he decided on a job in Yakima, where he has now been teaching and coaching for 30 years.

English grew up more than 4,000 miles away in a small town in Ireland called Cullen in the county of Tipperary. It was in Cullen that English fell in love with running.
He began running with a local running club to which his older brother already belonged. In his first race, the 14-year-old finished sixth out of about 100 people. And he was hooked.
“I always knew I was good at running,” English says. “The only person who could beat me was my sister.”
He caught the eye of recruiters at Washington State University, where he studied — and ran track — on scholarship from 1973 to 1977, graduating with a bachelor of science degree. He says he had always been interested in biology and physiology.
“I enjoyed my time at WSU,” English says. “There were great runners there, even to the international level. A lot of world record holders came from my time.”
English continued his education, earning a master of science degree and teaching students to play pool as a physical education class to pay for graduate school.
For a short time, he contemplated going to Australia with his friend from Ireland. He also contemplated a doctorate program in Oregon.
But, “I decided I didn’t want to go to school that long,” says English, who instead found himself looking for a job.
“There was a job in Spokane with elementary kids, and one in Yakima with older kids,” he says. “I decided I could probably handle myself better with the older kids.”
English worked at the old Carroll High School for seven years, then transferred to Ike, where he has been teaching biology and coaching ever since.
At Carroll, English coached Robert Price, who’s now a history teacher and fellow cross country and track and field coach at Ike.

Phil English quizzes his sophomore students about the parts of a flower in his biology class at Eisenhower High School on Wednesday, March 3, 2010.

“It’s been fun to know someone that long,” Price says, adding, “Phil is innovative and demanding. Students respond to different characters than dreary old teachers. He won’t necessarily be your friend, but a great advocate. As long as you follow his rules you’ll be fine.”
Students and runners love English, too. They simply and affectionately call him “Mister.”
“He’s nice, empathetic, funny, hard, and keeps you on track,” says Ike junior Timothy Cummings. “He really cares about his runners and makes sure you have everything you need to compete and do well in school, too.”
“His accent makes everything he says funny,” adds fellow Ike  junior and runner Casey Guilland. “Even if he’s trying to be serious, he’s funny.”
After more than 30 years in America, English still speaks with a detectable brogue. He also still speaks a little Gaelic, but admits, “I lost some of it when I came over.”
English returns to Ireland every two years to visit his brothers and sisters. What does he love about his native country?
“The social connection between families is great,” he says. “You can drop into people’s houses. There’s an open-door policy.”
After all these years, English hasn’t become a U.S. citizen but says he is planning to.  What does he like about America?
“A great deal can be attained through hard work,” he says. “There aren’t barriers like social classes. There is an openness and acceptance.”
English met his wife Darcy as an undergraduate at WSU, and they have two grown kids: Liza, a teacher in Issaquah, and Michael, who works for Sen. Maria Cantwell.
Today, on St. Patrick’s Day, which celebrates the most recognized patron saint of Ireland, he offers this advice: “Leprechauns best be avoided, but if you stumble across a pot of gold you should investigate.”

— Jenna Davison is a junior at Eisenhower High School and a member of the Herald-Republic’s Unleashed journalism program for high school students.

— Lety Clark-Olivero is a senior at Eisenhower High School and a member of the Herald-Republic’s Unleashed journalism program for students.