Math teacher Cristina Irimie was one of two teachers killed by a student with an assault rifle on Sept. 4 at Apalachee High School in Barrow County, Georgia. Photo Credit: CNN
Today we remember Cristina Irimie, a math teacher from Georgia. She was one of two teachers killed on Sept. 4 at Apalachee High School in Barrow County, Georgia, by student Cole Gray, who was armed with an assault rifle. Her funeral was held on Sat., Sept. 14.
Two students were also among the slain. One other teacher and eight other students were wounded in the attack.
Cristina immigrated to the United States more than 20 years ago from her home country of Romania. After she established herself in this country, Cristina completed the requirements to become a teacher. She inaugurated her career as an educator in 2012. At Apalachee, she taught Algebra. In addition, she was active in Atlanta’s Romanian community and taught classes in traditional Romanian folk dance.
Students described the 53-year-old as caring and patient, and fellow educator Edward Yoon remembers his colleague fondly. “She will be dearly missed. I remember she and I would talk about how our students were doing in math, and she had understanding for the students and helped them succeed,” Yoon continued.
On the day she was killed, Cristina decided to celebrate her birthday with her students. She brought pizza and cake for her class and was in the midst of telling them corny jokes, they said, when she heard a commotion in the hallway and went to investigate.
At her funeral, Cristina was honored with a Romanian Orthodox service conducted in both English and Romanian. “We gather today to offer prayers for a noble soul,” observed the priest conducting the service. “Family members, friends, colleagues, and, in fact, many people throughout this nation and beyond are mourning the loss of a dear wife, daughter, sister, aunt, friend, parish member, colleague, teacher, and fellow citizen,” the priest continued.
