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May 13--Erica Chevillar says she found it tough to make ends meet living in South Florida on a $33,000 first year teacher's salary, so she quietly posed in skimpy swimwear to earn extra money.
Little did she know that students from West Boca Raton High School, where she teaches 10th grade world history, would soon discover the photos of a familiar model named "Erica Lee" on the USA National Bikini Team Web site.
Students started e-mailing the photos to friends, posting them on Web sites and bringing them to school on CDs. Suddenly, the 25-year-old teacher became the talk of the school and the subject of a brief disciplinary review. After a one-day investigation, the district's professional standards department determined Thursday she broke no school district policy and would face no discipline.
Chevillar, who lives west of Delray Beach, talked to reporters for the first time Friday at a 5,000-square foot mansion in Boca Raton that serves as the headquarters for the USA National Bikini Team and the site for most of its photo shoots. Chevillar posed at the house in January for the 24 revealing pictures now featured prominently on the team's Web site. Chevillar appears in outfits ranging from cleavage-baring jackets to skimpy bikinis.
On Friday, Chevillar, dressed professionally in a black blouse and gray slacks, said she was surprised at the hubbub her photos created.
"I think it's ridiculous," she said. "I didn't do anything illegal. I didn't do obscene photos."At school, she dresses conservatively, "fully buttoned up, hair up, no makeup," she said. Teachers, staff and students were supportive of her on Thursday, the day after the story broke. A few students asked for autographs, but she tried not to let the incident distract her from her job. Friday was a holiday for students and staff.
After just a year on the job, Chevillar said she is leaving the teaching profession when the school year ends next month, not because of the controversy, but because of the low pay. She plans to continue modeling with the Bikini Team and other agencies. She also will pursue a career in real estate.
Chevillar said she's not ashamed of the pictures. But realizing it could be a distraction, she said she never discussed it at school. When a student asked her three weeks ago if she had appeared on a Web site, she denied it.
It's well known now, as the story has attracted national media attention. The Web site got so many hits on Thursday that it was down for 24 hours, said Cheri Garrison, director of promotions and a model with the team. It's back up now, and links to Chevillar's photos were moved from inside to the front left of the main page.
The Bikini Team, which started in 2004, is an agency made up of about 90 female models from all over the country, about half of whom are in South Florida, Garrison said. The women appear at corporate events and pose for calendars and DVDs. Chevillar has yet to appear anywhere except the Web site, but plans to do more promotional events after the school year ends. She will appear in the 2007 calendar, which will come out this fall. She was paid $250 for her one-day photo shoot in January, Garrison said. Models can earn up to $3,000 for a multi-day shoot, she said.
Modeling and dressing in revealing clothing is nothing new for Chevillar. While a college student at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, she worked as a Hawaiian Tropic model. Before becoming a teacher, she worked at Hooters, a restaurant famous for its scantily clad waitresses.
In addition to modeling, Chevillar supplements her income as a bartender at China White.
"It's not fair to put teachers in this limelight as people who are untouchable and can't do anything," she said. "Yet a teacher makes less than someone who works at Bloomingdale's."
Scott Travis can be reached at stravis@sun-sentinel.com or 561-243-6637.
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