Iredell-Statesville Schools School & Family Magazine November/December 2015 | Page 9

Corey Mitchell

The community of Harmony and
North Iredell High School have a lot of
which to be proud of in their homegrown
graduate, Corey Mitchell. His stellar
teaching career led him to be the first
recipient of the Tony Award for Excellence
in Theatre Education in June of 2015.
Mitchell, who graduated from the
University of North Carolina at Wilmington,
is in his fifteenth year of teaching at
Northwest School of the Arts in Charlotte.
Enriching the lives of his theater students
seems to just come naturally to this
educator. “Every student has something
they are good at”, he said. “If I have an
athlete who thinks he can’t dance, we work
off his athletic skills until he is comfortable
with dance…you just find what they are
good at and move out from there.”
His theater teacher from North
High, Debbie Miller, was one of the first
to receive a call from him after he won
the Tony. “I was just thrilled for him, she

said. He was always a showman and a
ball of energy. I remember taking Corey
to a statewide event where he competed
in song and dance. In the middle of his
performance he leaped on top of the piano
on the stage, much to the surprise of the
accompanist…and ME!” Of course he won
the competition.”
More than 4,000 entries were
received for the Excellence in Theatre
Education Award. This special honor
recognizes a single K-12 theater educator
chosen from all 50 states who has
demonstrated monumental impact on the
lives of students and who embodies the
highest standards of the profession. The
award was judged by a panel comprised of
the American Theatre Wing, The Broadway
League, Carnegie Mellon University and
other leaders from the theatre industry.
When asked about how to reach into
the talent and heart of students, Mitchell
replied, “You ask them what is honest and
what is truth. That’s the place you come
from in theater.” His acceptance speech
after receiving the Tony encapsulates this
much loved educator. “Thank you for
legitimizing us. Theater Education Matters.
Art Matters.” Corey Mitchell makes sure all
his students know they matter. He provides
a haven from whatever is challenging
his students on the outside. “There are
a lot of kids whose lives I’ve been able
to advocate for and really value. When a
student recognizes their own worth, they
start to apply it to other aspects of their
lives.”
Congratulations to Dr. David Cash
and Corey Mitchell for their many
accomplishments and we are proud
to call them Awesome Alumni!
Iredell-Statesville School & Family 7