Tamara Irving Named 2014-2015 Teacher of the Year

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Tamara Irving was named 2014-2015 Teacher of the Year for North Atlanta. Each year, the Teacher of the Year is selected by North Atlanta faculty and staff. The vote for the prestigious award took place in late April this year.

The director of the school’s dance program, Irving has taught at North Atlanta for four years. In her day to day work, she said she draws inspiration from her colleagues involved with art at NAHS, saying, “We have such a close-knit team and it makes our work together so much stronger.”

A North Atlanta alumnae, Irving said it was a thrill for her to return to her alma mater when she started teaching at the school four years ago. “This is where I came from in a way, so to be able to make contributions here has been particularly meaningful to me,” she said.

Throughout her high school and college years, dance was a significant part of her educational experience. At North Atlanta, her dance teacher and mentor was Gary Harrison. “My goal is to make the dance program just as strong as it was in the 90s when North Atlanta was an arts-based magnet school. I do not consider my course as just an elective. I take it seriously and I expect my students to do the same,” Irving remarked.

Irving graduated from Howard University, in Washington, D.C., with a bachelor’s degree in marketing. Though she began her career in sports marketing, Irving soon left corporate America to return to dance. Her first professional dance job was as a member of the Atlanta Hawks Dance Team, where she worked for two years. After the Hawks, she took on professional dance roles at Disney World’s Animal Kingdom in Orlando, Fla. From there, Irving was part of premiere casts of both the Hamburg, Germany production and U.S. National Tour of Disney’s “The Lion King” for six years.

Irving’s students praise her as teacher who gives her all for both her craft and her students, “I love Ms. Irving because she always keeps me motivated to dance and I know that I can learn a lot from her,” said Manuel Portillo.

Growing up, Irving said teaching was something she was exposed to since her mother taught in Atlanta schools for more than 30 years. The process of imparting her craft to young people is what keeps her motivated to do her best each day, she said, “I love to view the whole process, seeing students understand what they’re doing and then perform in front of their peers. It’s always a thrill to see them grow and develop.”