Erika Allen, an audio/visual technology and film teacher at Tucker High School, has been chosen as this year’s High 5 for Teachers winner.
High 5 for Teachers is a contest hosted by Fox 5 in partnership with Montlick Injury Attorneys, honoring exceptional high school teachers in Metro Atlanta. Teachers are nominated by the public, and five finalists are chosen by Fox 5’s Good Day Atlanta producers. The winner is chosen by a public vote.
Allen has worked at Tucker High School since 2019. There, she teaches audio/visual technology and film, coaches girls’ track and cross country, and runs Tucker High School’s SkillsUSA chapter. Allen said she wasn’t expecting to be a finalist out of the 200 nominees, let alone win the competition.
“It was a shock at first, then after that [I felt] just thankfulness,” she told Rough Draft. “I was just very thankful that the public, people who don’t even know me, could see me worthy of winning such a title.”
Allen is a new mother to a one-year-old daughter, and she said winning this award during what she called the most challenging year of her career was an honor.
“I’ve been doing a lot of this stuff off little to no rest,” she said. “For me to still be able to prevail through all of that shows that hard work does pay off… This [award] means that even though it may not be said and shown daily, what [teachers] do matters and makes a difference in the community.”
Along with the title, Allen won $2,500 for Tucker High School. She said all the money will go toward her programs, covering needs like equipment and gear, competition planning, and an end-of-season banquet for her track and cross-country athletes.
