Apopka residents Rodney and Phyllis Crittenden each earned nominations for Orange County Public Schools’ 2025-2026 Support Person of the Year Stellar Award, according to a Sept. 18 press release.  

“Rodney and Phyllis were both born and raised in Apopka less than a mile from each other,” the press release said. “Their dual nominations are not only a testament to their commitment to OCPS, but also a proud reflection of Apopka’s spirit of service, family and community.” 

Phyllis Crittenden previously earned a Support Person of the Year nomination in the 2021-2022 school year, according to the West Orange Observer and the release. She is crew leader at Orange Technical College-West Campus, overseeing the janitorial staff and cleaning.  

Rodney Crittenden works in the same role at Lockhart Middle School.  

The Crittendens both transitioned to OCPS for the same reason, although their career journeys differed. Phyllis Crittenden previously cleaned for a major healthcare company, while Rodney Crittenden drove trucks across the state for an events company.  

Both Crittendens said their former occupations paid well, but working during holidays and weekends eventually proved too difficult. 

“Sometimes, money isn’t everything,” Phyllis Crittenden said. 

Phyllis Crittenden said she knew the school system would give her more time off, so she joined OCPS in 2017. Rodney Crittenden started in 2021, after being laid off from truck driving due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The couple makes less money than they used to, but Phyllis Crittenden said she has experienced more “peace” and “joy” now that she can attend her longtime church home, St. Luke Full Gospel Baptist Church.  

Both Rodney and Phyllis said they feel fulfilled in their respective workplaces. 

“I have a personal relationship with the students,” Phyllis Crittenden said. “It’s just sad to see the students go through what they have to go through.” 

She said she often sees troubled female students in the bathroom and offers to help them in whatever way she can.  

She said she also sees them face their problems and come back to thank her, saying, “Mrs. Phyllis, I’m so glad! I’m so glad!” 

“While she serves in a leadership capacity, Phyllis approaches her job with a servant’s heart with a strong desire to help others,” Orange Technical College — West Campus senior director Scott Weidl told the West Orange Observer. “Phyllis is universally loved and respected around our campus because she is so approachable and positive.” 

Rodney Crittenden said he believes modern students face more peer pressure than his generation did at school.  

His solution is to treat them with respect—not to call them young boys or girls, but to call them “young ladies” and “young men.” 

“Students see Mr. Rodney as a role model—someone who demonstrates respect, perseverance and kindness every single day,” Lockhart Middle School principal Clarence Truitt said in the release. 

The Crittendens received flowers along with their nominations late last month, and they thanked their peers for their votes. However, Rodney Crittenden said his greatest accomplishment is not his nomination. 

“My number one priority was raising my family,” Rodney Crittenden said. 

He said his two daughters and the niece and nephew he and his wife raised turned out to be good people who abide by the golden rule.  

Although neither Crittenden was able to attend college, the children they raised now work in healthcare, football coaching, and more. 

If selected as two of the five finalists, Rodney and Phyllis will attend the Stellar Awards on Jan. 30, 2026, at Rosen Shingle Creek. The Crittendens are two out of 240 Support Person of the Year honorees in 2025-2026.