Alamo Heights Junior School School PE Coach Olivia Tacker is the 2026-27 EXCEL Award winner for Alamo Heights ISD.

Tacker was surprised in the girl’s gym and presented with an apple trophy and $2,000 check. She has been teaching for 9 years and currently serves as Girls Athletic Director, PE Coach, and department chair.

“Coach Tacker represents what we want an educator and campus leader to be,” says her Principal Dr. Stu Guthrie. “Her impact extends well beyond the classroom, gym, or playing field because she takes the time to know students, listen to them, encourage them, and help them recognize their own potential. As her principal, I see the steady influence she has on students, coaches, and colleagues every day. She leads without needing attention or recognition, and she consistently puts students first.”

Coach Tacker is an Alamo Heights HS graduate and attended the Junior School, making her work deeply personal.

“The opportunity to give back to the community that helped shape me has made the greatest impact on me as a teacher,” says Coach Tacker. “It is meaningful to now serve the same community and help students grow into confident, responsible young people.”

Her teaching philosophy is “Students don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

“I believe relationships are at the heart of teaching and coaching, and when students know someone genuinely believes in them and wants them to succeed, they are more willing to take risks, learn from mistakes, and push themselves,” says Tacker.

The EXCEL Award is sponsored by KENS 5 and Credit Human and representatives from both organizations came to celebrate Tacker along with her Principal Dr. Guthrie, and Superintendent Dr. Dana Bashara.

The story aired on KENS 5 on September 29 at 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.