by Anna Turlington (Updated on October 21 @ 10:10 a.m.)

Coach Olivia Tacker received the Excel Award from KENS 5 News on Sept. 16. The award, presented during her first-period athletics class in the girls’ gym, recognizes her outstanding teaching and dedication to students.

The Excel Award, run by KENS 5, recognizes educators for outstanding leadership and dedication to students. Nineteen teachers receive the award each year, and Coach Tacker was selected as one of this year’s recipients. Tacker has been teaching physical education at Alamo Heights Junior School for nine years. KENS 5 selected Tacker for the award, which has recognized outstanding educators across San Antonio for 27 years. Along with the recognition, Tacker received a plaque and a $2,000 check. She is the first AHJS teacher to receive the Excel Award. Approximately 100 girls were in Tacker’s first-period athletics class when the KENS 5 news crew arrived. Students cheered and clapped as reporter Olivia Dance presented the award.

According to KENS 5, Tacker was selected because she leads without seeking attention and consistently puts students first in her teaching and coaching.

When asked about receiving the award, Tacker pointed to her students as her motivation. “Y’all are the reason why I do this, so it matters because if you guys are having a good day, I want to continue that and I want to continue teaching you the skills you will need to know in life, and just overall just help shape you guys to be the best,” Tacker said.

Coach Tacker did not know she was receiving the award until KENS 5 reporter Olivia Dance and the news crew walked into her first-period athletics class Sept. 16. Tacker was touched and humbled. “It’s always a true gift to be recognized for the work that you do,” Tacker said. The award acknowledges her nine years of dedication to building confident, skilled students at AHJS.

For Tacker, the award represents more than personal recognition. It means more to her that her students understand how much she cares. “I hope that my students and athletes recognize it and that they genuinely see that I really care about them,” Tacker said. For Tacker, building that trust and connection is central to her teaching philosophy. She believes students perform better and grow more confident when they know their coach genuinely supports them. That approach has defined her nine years at AHJS.

Tacker also explained how her students’ energy and support motivate her daily work. “You guys make the hard days better and the good days ok,” Tacker said. That connection to her students is what colleagues say makes her teaching stand out.

Despite the recognition and celebration, Tacker’s focus remains on her students and her daily work. When asked what comes next, Tacker kept her answer simple, “I’m going to just go back to being Coach Tacker and just keep coaching y’all.” For Tacker, the Excel Award may recognize her past work, but her priority remains the students she teaches every day.