Phillip Bitzer is in his third year at Hannan; it is also his third year overall. He currently teaches Physics and Journalism; last year he also taught Earth Science. In addition to teaching, Bitzer also coaches varsity baseball; he is the moderator of National Honor Society.
Bitzer went to high school at East Jefferson, located in Metairie. While at EJ, he pursued a curriculum that included physics, as well as AP Calculus, AP Biology, and AP English. In 1997, he graduated fourth in a class of 170; he scored an 33 on the ACT. He also received three varsity letters in baseball, serving as captain of the Warrior's district championship team in 1997. He was also All-District and Academic All-State in 1997. He also served as Editor-in-Chief of the yearbook staff during his senior year. In addition, Bitzer also held officer positions in National Honor Society and Mu Alpha Theta.
After high school, Bitzer attended college at Loyola University New Orleans. He graduated in 2001 magma cum laude with a bachelor of science in physics. He was member of the Dean's List every semester. While at Loyola, he lettered in his freshman and sophomore seasons in baseball. Bitzer's undergraduate studies included independent study with Dr. Carl Brans, who is known for the Brans Dickie modification to Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. Bitzer's studies concentrated on the theoretical derivations of Einstein's Special and General Theory of Relativity.
During college, Bitzer began work at Elmwood Fitness Center, located in Harahan. He was primarily a manager on duty. He began research in customer service. He also received training in TeamWorkShop, a team building program. As a facilitator of TeamWorkShop, he learned different personality and learning styles.
Bitzer is currently engaged to Christy Knight, a nurse at Children's Hospital. The are set to be married in November 2004.
Bitzer is currently training for adventure races, a combination of running, mountain biking, and canoeing.
Bitzer's career plan is to become the next Jimmy Buffet.