Teacher Feature:
Mr. Z 

by Cameron Landolfi

Meet Mr. Zopatti, a well known "Pembroke Legend" here and a new addition to the PHS staff. Mr. Z is not only a new teacher here, but he is also one of the coaches for cross country. Mr. Zopatti has been a teacher with Pembroke schools and a coach for a total of nineteen years. He has left his science classroom behind but can now be found in the language hallway helping students as a new Academic Resource Center teacher (ARC) .

Here is the Q/A with the “Pembroke Legend,” Mr. Z: 

Q: How is it being one of the very well known coaches of Pembroke and even a "Pembroke Legend"?

A: Legend!! I don’t know about that…I think I’ve been lucky enough to have some success as a coach, while really enjoying working with both high school athletes and middle school students. I’ve been able to form some really strong, long lasting relationships throughout my 19 years at Pembroke. Winning is fun and makes things certainly easier…but my hope is that when I am done coaching and teaching, that I feel like I made a difference for kids, as they’ve made a difference in my life.

Q: How has the transition from being a middle school science teacher to a highschool extra help teacher been?

A: It's so different, each student is obviously older and mature, but their willingness to accept help, have deeper discussions, and self reflect has been a really cool change. Sometimes in seventh and eighth grade you're not really ready for that so it's been cool but I miss things about the Middle School too. I was there for a long time, and very comfortable with the students and the exceptional staff! So far though, this place has been an electric factory!

Q: What made you decide to switch to the highschool?

A: It's hard doing the same thing for a long time. It starts to feel like groundhog day a little bit. I've been kind of doing the same thing pulling into the same parking spot, and while I loved it, it felt like the time was right. High School is the age level of kids I always wanted to teach and it’s really nice to go to practice after building those relationships in the classroom and hallways throughout the day. It feels like I'm coaching eight hours a day instead of transitioning from one thing to the next.

Q: What made you pick to be a science teacher or just a teacher in general?

A: Through a few really good friends at UMASS I found a great major called Natural Resource Conservation (along with a minor in both Environmental Science and Wildlife/Fisheries). This really brought out my love of science. I'd always been around kids starting in high school. I volunteered with vacation bible school, the Special Olympics, DARE, Peer Facilitation, and our local youth group. I quickly realized that even though I enjoyed working for the DCR during the summers, that I'm not going to really be a park ranger, as I enjoyed people too much, so the coaching/teaching was what I pursued.

Q: How has your welcome to the highschool been as a teacher?

A: Awesome. A lot of people so far, especially the population of students I have, have been great. I'm trying to talk to as many teachers as I can to understand their curriculum and understand the work that needs to get done. The Admin team, along with every teacher, have been awesome in making the transition super easy for me.

 Q: Why did you choose cross country over everything else? 

A: I did it growing up and had some solid success. I think it's a really team oriented sport. It's really difficult but it’s also really really simple and I think anyone can be good. That's why I really enjoy it and I think it's the ultimate kind of team sport even though we don't pass a ball we have to do a lot of things together in order to be successful. The lone wolf dies but the pack survives as we like to say…we work together everyday to accomplish a common goal.

Q: What are some of your favorite things to teach?

A: I taught science and computer programming in Middle School. I really like it all and in teaching/coaching…no matter what the subject is. That’s why I think this job fits really well. I just like coaching kids to be better versions of themselves…to have grit…and to be able to give their maximum effort without fear of failure. I’d love to teach a class someday on how to be a better human…

Q: How long have you been coaching and teaching?

A: This spring will be my 20th year in Pembroke. I was a substitute and coach for 2 years in Weymouth prior to starting Pembroke… time seems to be moving pretty fast lately!