KATE PHILBRICK

Visual Arts Department Chair, Photography Teacher

Kate Philbrick has been chair of the Visual Arts Dept. since 2011 when she relocated to Houston from Maine. In her time at EHS, Kate has taught every photography course offered including Iphoneography during the pandemic. Kate was born in Edmundston, New Brunswick in Canada, the closest hospital to Madawaska, Maine where she grew up. Kate is a runner (when her knee permits), and when she can’t run, she makes sure to clock 10,000 steps per day. She also loves to travel, always taking a sketchpad and camera to capture her experiences. With three grown sons, Dan in the army and Kevin and Harry at the University of Houston, and her husband John, a journeyman lineman, Kate loves to capture her family’s adventures on film.

What’s on your playlist?

Stevie Wonder, Dropkick Murphys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Mozart, Metallica

What was the first concert you attended?

Billie Joel at the Portland Civic Center.

If you weren’t a teacher, what would you pick for a career?

I would be a Medical Research Scientist specializing in brain function.

What is your proudest accomplishment?

My proudest accomplishment (besides having my 3 sons) was taking a risk and moving 2000 miles away from home to Houston for a job that would end up challenging me in the best ways possible.

Do you have a favorite app or tech gadget?

My favorite software is Photoshop.... it’s not an exciting choice, but I get as immersed in Photoshop as I do when I’m working in the darkroom.

Did you have a mentor growing up who inspired your career? My mentor was Marty Keezar. She was the only middle school and high school art teacher in the Madawaska School district. She was feisty and not afraid of anyone!

If you could travel back in time, what period of history would you choose?

I would go back to 1978 (my 7th grade year) and tell my younger self that it’s okay to be a ‘daydreamer’ and that it ends up helping later on in life.

What do you most respect about your colleagues?

The devotion to their craft and how they love to share it with their students.

What do you most respect about your students?

Photography can be intimidating. There are lots of steps to remember to take in a specific order so that the final result is a photograph that isn’t too dark or too light and is sharply focused. The majority of my students have, without my prompting, helped their peers when a classmate is not sure what to do next. Their eagerness to help each other, including students who don’t know each other, has always impressed me. I respect their willingness to move outside of their comfort zone to help another kid succeed.

If you could eat only one meal this week, what would it be?

It would be a lobster roll (on a buttered and grilled frankfurter roll) with warm butter and lemon drizzled on top, roasted black bean and corn salad (like the one our amazing food services crew makes) and key lime pie from Hotel Zaza (the best key lime pie in Texas).