Independence Blue Cross (IBX) announces that Rick Asman from the Stephen Decatur School in Philadelphia is the first winner of its new IBX Honor Roll campaign. The IBX Honor Roll, a joint initiative with the Philadelphia Phillies, recognizes extraordinary teachers in the Philadelphia five-county and southern New Jersey regions.
Students, colleagues, friends, family, and community members submitted thousands of heartfelt nominations. Mr. Asman, a Digital Literacy and Technology teacher for grades 4-8, was chosen based his dedication to fostering a love of learning in the classroom, actively participating in extracurricular activities, and positively impacting their students’ social and emotional well-being. The Stephen Decatur School, located in the Parkwood section of the city, is part of the School District of Philadelphia and serves more than 1,000 students.
As an IBX Honor Roll winner, Mr. Asman will receive:
- A $500 gift card
- An on-field experience and recognition at the May 31 Phillies game
- Recognition on ballpark concourse signage and IBX social media
- An IBX swag bag, including a Phillies jersey and cap
- And a behind-the-scenes Citizens Bank Park tour to share with students or staff.
Key highlights from Mr. Asman’s tenure at Decatur School:
- Created a dynamic and engaging Digital Literacy program that provides students with daily lessons that range from cyber bullying to being intentional consumers of digital media.
- Produces the Decatur TV News show where students write, record, present, and produce news segments that include weather, sports, current events, and interviews with students and staff, oftentimes in various languages that represent Decatur School’s multilingual population.
- Leads several initiatives, including the Mentally Gifted program, the weekly STEM module that deepens students’ skills with Coding and Robotics, Girls Who Code, and a schoolwide Scripps Spelling Bee.
- Serves as the assistant baseball coach.
In total, the IBX Honor Roll campaign will recognize six teachers in 2025 who are hitting it out of the park with their achievements both in and out of the classroom.