Eric Kinne is a 1997 graduate of Falls Church High School who moved from rural Maine to Annandale as a middle schooler—a move he credits with changing the trajectory of his life.

After earning degrees from James Madison University and Harvard University, Eric returned to his roots. He is a proud Teach For America alum and former English and AVID teacher at Fairfax High School. Today, he serves as the Manager of Grants and Program Development for FCPS and Educate Fairfax, a nonprofit foundation dedicated to supporting the school system through grants and community aid.

We caught up with Eric to talk about his favorite 90s memories, his proudest moments, and why his family is "all in" on FCPS.

Q: What are some of your favorite memories from high school? My favorite academic memories stem from classes with some of the greatest and most influential teachers of all time, including Bob Margrave, Lori Bucco, and Barbara Ruff. They challenged my thinking in unprecedented ways and encouraged me to believe in myself.

I also had an awesome friend group. We spent a lot of time together, both inside and outside of school. I’ll never forget that we used to eat lunch together in the hallway by an exit door at the back of the building. North China Cafe had $5 lunch deals on Fridays, so we would order Chinese take-out and have it delivered to the back of Falls Church HS! I also have great memories of going to the HFStival with friends, playing on the tennis team, working at Chesapeake Bagel Bakery in Yorktown Shopping Center and Record and Tape Exchange at Tysons Mall, writing for the school newspaper, and serving as the co-vice president of the senior class. 

Q: How did your experience in FCPS shape the person you are today? One of the most transformational experiences I had was being part of a large and incredibly diverse community at Falls Church. Learning alongside people from so many different parts of the world helped me value people's perspectives and made me want to deepen relationships with others. The diversity of our community—then and now—is a tremendous strength and asset. Ultimately, it's what made me want to become a teacher.

Q: What accomplishments are you most proud of since graduating? I'm proud of the fact that I married another FCPS alum who happens to be my best friend in the world, that we're both educators in FCPS, and that we have two amazing kids who are kind, compassionate, and so much fun to hang out with. Our family is "all in" on FCPS!

Professionally, I'm proud that I started my teaching career with Teach For America in South Texas and eventually found my way back home to teach in FCPS. I’m also proud to currently work for Educate Fairfax. Our organization does so much meaningful work for our community through supply drives, addressing food insecurity, providing grants to educators, and more. I'm proud to be a part of a foundation that continues to support and uplift our community.

Q: Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give your high school self? First, I would tell myself to not buy that used Audi sedan with money I saved from early morning shifts at the Bagel Bakery because it was just going to be a money pit. Second, I'd tell myself to talk more to my teachers, make deeper connections with them, and offer to help them out more often. Teaching is the most important job on the planet; now that I taught for 10 years and my wife is still teaching after 19 years, I see how hard teachers work and how much they care about their students. Finally, I would tell myself to spend more quality time at home with my parents and siblings. You can never get that time back!

Q: Fun Fact? Our family loves to camp and visit National Parks, and we have a fun little teardrop camper that we try to use as much as possible. I'm also an avid cyclist, and I love to compete in gravel bike races. Last June, I drove to Emporia, Kansas, competed in a 110-mile gravel race, and then drove all the way home the next day! Currently, my wife and I are both in the Education Leadership master's degree program at George Mason University.

Q: What made you come back to work for FCPS? I came back to work for FCPS because I believe it's the greatest school system in the country. It provides our students with unprecedented opportunities, and I wanted my family to have access to those opportunities and to grow and learn in a diverse community that truly wants to see everyone thrive.