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Award-winning teacher Victor Lamas gives all the credit to his team and students.
Victor Lamas, the platinum winner for “Most Inspiring Teacher” in the Best of Roanoke 2017 reader poll, is one of the most humble people I’ve ever met. It’s no surprise, as teachers certainly don’t choose their profession for the money, but it’s inspiring to meet people who would rather focus on the tide that raises all ships rather than just their own.
Lamas has been at North Cross School for almost 20 years. He has won multiple awards, including platinum in the 2016 Best of polls for the same category; gold in 2015 for “Best Teacher,” and the 2014 Morris Award for Excellence in Teaching. Originally from Pittsburgh, he received his bachelor’s degree from Washington & Lee University, and earned his master’s from UVA through Roanoke’s Higher Education Center. Now director of the lower school at North Cross, he also teaches ninth grade and AP history.
“This is my first year as director and in some ways, it’s like starting over again,” he says. “My administrative assistant, Jenna Alcorn, is so important. She is such a knowledgeable person and has a cheerful attitude. Maybe the best part of my new role is seeing her in action.”
Lamas credits many other faculty and teachers who have helped him along the way. Elizabeth Holt, former lower school director, was and is a great mentor and friend, while Linda Wright is perhaps the best teacher Lamas has ever worked with.
“Linda and I taught fifth grade together and were like Starsky and Hutch,” he says. “North Cross has so many good people. It’s really a family there. The teachers at our school do an amazing job. They’re asked to do a lot, but in return we’re given autonomy to try things and experiment to make the classroom fun.”
They’re family outside of the classrooms, too. Lamas and colleague Betsy Cook even went skydiving together!
Lamas enjoys teaching different subjects, including math, but lights up when we discuss history. During lunch at Full Moon Cafe, he often returns to the conversation of teachers being passionate about their class subjects.
“Kids can tell if you like them,” he says. “You care about them, of course, but they know if you like them and your subject. That’s the first and easiest way to capture them and get them involved.”
He credits the North Cross parents as extremely supportive. Many of them help with events and fundraisers and enjoy being involved with special projects.
When Lamas started the “Fifth Grade Battle,” an elaborate mock tournament with students participating in Roman battles, parents came together in droves to make it fun and educational. They made gear, including the fake shields and swords, and even a large Trojan horse where students could fit inside to reenact the historical moment of the Greeks sneaking into Troy.
He and his wife, Roxana, have been married almost nine years, and have three children. Their youngest, Joaquin, is a second-grader at North Cross, and the school has been like a second home to him, which Lamas loves as it only reinforces those familial relationships.
Roxana is a Spanish interpreter and translator by day, and is interested in photography, which means many of the recent family outings include trips to the park or other fun spots for her to practice her craft. The family lives in southwest county, often frequenting the Grandin area for movies or trips to the Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op.
A self-described “nerd,” Lamas loves movies as well as binging on Netflix shows. His list includes several historical shows (some fiction, some documentary), though he believes most Roman-era movies are “terrible.”
Before we part, he adds that he wants to give credit to teachers at other schools, too.
“There are so many teachers doing amazing things,” he says. “I recognize how lucky I am at North Cross to have support from faculty and parents!”
… for more from our May/June 2017 issue, Subscribe today, view our FREE interactive digital edition or download our FREE iOS app!
