Mr. Paul Irvin
Social Studies Teacher
AP U.S. History/AP U.S. Government & Politics/Civics
Welcome! I've been teaching since 2002, first as an adjunct professor at Catholic University in Washington, D.C. and then as a high school social studies teacher. I started here at NDA in 2015 (its second year) where I've taught Honors American History, Honors Civics, AP U.S. History, U.S. Government & Politics, and Economic/Personal Finance. I grew up in D.C. and lived in Annapolis, Maryland near the Chesapeake Bay prior to moving to the mountains of western North Carolina. I earned my undergraduate degree in social studies/history and later my masters of education/adolescent behavior at the University of Maryland. Prior to teaching, I worked in TV news and before that as a firefighter/EMT - both in Washington, D.C.. I'm married to a special educator and have three daughters. Outside of school, I enjoy global travel with students (Costa Rica 2016, Galapagos 2018, Italy 2022, Greece 2024, and now Italy 2026!), time with my family, escape rooms and exploring all that Asheville and WNC has to offer.
2024-2025 School Supplies
Honors Civics
All you need is either a dedicated section in a three-ring loose leaf binder or a single binder (no more than 1 1/2"). Whatever works best for you..... and sheets of loose-leaf lined paper. Also, you'll need a pen/pencil and highlighter.
AP US History/AP Government & Politics
You will need a composition notebook for note taking, a 3-ring loose leaf binder (1 1/2"), pens/pencils, highlighter and lined notebook paper. You will also want to have sticky page flags (smaller sickies) to separate certain notebook content.
Venezia, Firenze, Roma!
Coming June 2026
I'm excited to be returning to Italy with NDA students in June 2026. Our trip will include two nights in Venice, three nights in Florence and two nights in Rome. The additional day in Florence will also allow for a day trip to Pisa where we'll climb the infamous leaning Tower of Pisa. This will be my second student trip to Italy and 8th overall in the past 16 years.. It should be a very full and rich Italian experience. Passports is offering a $300 discount for those who sign up before October15th. Please email me if you would like further information (paul.irvin@bcsemail.org)
Greece Trip - June 2024
We traveled to Athens - the “cradle of western civilization” and the home of ancient Greek mythology, explored the ancient sites of the Acropolis, Parthenon, Temple of Apollo, cruised the Saronic Islands of Hydra, Poros and Aegina, and traveled to Meteora - a rock formation in central Greece hosting one of the largest and most precipitously built complexes of Eastern Orthodox monasteries and home of the Theopetra Cave - occupied by human beings as early as 130,000 years ago.
Student Travel - Italy 2022
