At Apex High School, we constantly have new teachers. Mrs. Orr is our new AP Calculus teacher here at Apex High School. She is very excited to be teaching here, and I had the privilege of interviewing her. Continue reading to learn more about Mrs. Orr.

Q: Where did you go to school?

A: I went to UNC for undergrad and NC state for my masters.

Q: Any pets or kids?

A: I have two  kids, a freshman in high school and a freshman in college. I have two  pets: a dog named Finley and a hamster named Theo. 

Q: What did you do before coming to Apex High?

A: I taught at Riverside High School in Durham and at Broughton High School in Raleigh.

Q: Why did you become a teacher?

A: In high school I got the Teacher fFellow scholarship, which is a full scholarship to college and you pay it back by teaching for four  years in a North Carolina school. Once I started teaching, I really loved it.

Q: Is there a reason why you choose math?

A: I think I was just good at it in high school, and I had decided I would do something with math. I am definitely not an English person.

Q: What are your thoughts about Apex so far?

A: I really love it! What I like about it is that the whole town rallies around the school, and there is a lot of school spirit.

Q: How does Apex compare to the other schools you have taught at?

A: It is less diverse than the other schools I taught at. However, my classes are more diverse than the other schools I taught at.

Q: What is your favorite movie or book?

A: I love Harry Potter; I’ve watched it a million times. My favorite year is the Order of the Phoenix.

Q: What are your hobbies outside of school?

A: I like to read, paddleboard, and hang out with my family.

Q: Any pet peeves in your classroom or in general?

A: My number one pet peeve is when students are disrespectful to each other.

Q: Have you received any awards?

A: Last year, I was voted favorite teacher at Broughton by the senior class. I have been nominated for Teacher of the Year a few times. 

Q: What were you like as a student?

A: In high school, I was that student who did everything right and was a goody two shoes. 

Q: Any advice you would give students?

A: You never know you can do it until you try.

Q: If you hadn’t been teaching what would you be doing now?

A: I think I would have done something in math, like accounting. I would have been bored to death behind a desk crunching numbers.

Q: Who was your biggest inspiration?

A: My grandmother was a kindergarten teacher and she was beloved; She was my inspiration.

Q: Would you ever teach at a college?

A: I thought early on I might enjoy that, but I would lose the relationship I would have with students, so I don’t think I would enjoy it.

We wish Mrs. Orr the best this year!