Mr. Solis-Vitale
Fifth Grade Teacher
Seven Hills Classical Academy, Burnsville Campus
Mr. Solis-Vitale
Fifth Grade Teacher
Seven Hills Classical Academy, Burnsville Campus
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Fifth Grade Teacher
Seven Hills Classical Academy, Burnsville Campus
Hello! My name is Zachary Solis-Vitale, but my students call me Mr. S.V. This is my first year teaching not just at Seven Hills, but in any classroom setting.
Before joining Seven Hills, I worked as an Archaeologist throughout the Midwest. With the companies I worked for, I traveled through the region digging and surveying various sites, and I've found a lot of cool things and made many close friends while doing it.
However, archaeology is limited by the seasons, and when Winter rolled around in 2025, I found myself looking for work. A friend had recommended that I get my teaching license, which seemed like a good idea. Well, one thing led to another, and I found myself falling in love with teaching, even just as a substitute.
Seven Hills was one of the first places I found myself in, and I knew immediately that it was where I wanted to work. In just a day, this community rewrote my plans for the future and put itself right in my path.
Hello! My name is Zachary Solis-Vitale, but my students call me Mr. S.V. This is my first year teaching not just at Seven Hills, but in any classroom setting.
Before joining Seven Hills, I worked as an Archaeologist throughout the Midwest. With the companies I worked for, I traveled through the region digging and surveying various sites, and I've found a lot of cool things and made many close friends while doing it.
However, archaeology is limited by the seasons, and when Winter rolled around in 2025, I found myself looking for work. A friend had recommended that I get my teaching license, which seemed like a good idea. Well, one thing led to another, and I found myself falling in love with teaching, even just as a substitute.
Seven Hills was one of the first places I found myself in, and I knew immediately that it was where I wanted to work. In just a day, this community rewrote my plans for the future and put itself right in my path.
A little bit about myself:
I graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in Anthropology and a minor in Classical Religious Studies.
I'm engaged to my wonderful fiancée, Tori, and we have a dog named Beemo.
My main teaching philosophy is all about preparing my students for what comes next in life. Fifth grade is a huge stepping stone in a child's life, and it can often be scary; for both child and parent.
My goal is to set each child up so that they leave my class not as fifth graders, but as students ready to take on the great changes that come with middle school.
My Travels
My Travels
In 2018, I spent 3 months in Greece doing volunteer work. I helped out with the olive harvest, cleared underbrush to guard against wildfires, and built flood barriers for the rainy season. It was an incredibly impactful and unforgettable experience for me. The time I spent there helped solidify my obsession with all things ancient into an actual career goal, and it is no understatement to say that the time I spent there, and the experiences I had, are the reasons I am here today. With that in mind, I want to share a few photos from my time there, and some short stories associated with each of them. I hope these can give you a better idea of who I am.
The Temple of Zeus with the Acropolis in the background
It is one of my greatest regrets that I did not find the time to climb the acropolis and visit the Parthenon. What I did see of it though, even from afar, inspired a wonder and appreciation for the ancient that was unique from my childhood obsessions.
The Temple of Zeus in Athens, Greece
My partner and I spent around two weeks total in Athens while we bounced between host families, and one of the most amazing places we stayed was right in front of the Temple of Zeus. Every morning, for five days, I would step out onto the balcony of our hotel and watch the sun rise over the ruins.
Nafplion, Greece
Early on in our travels, we found the time to visit a port town called Nafplion. It was stunningly beautiful, and held a storied history that leapt from every corner with each step through the cobblestone streets. The city finds it origins in the heroic age of Greece (1600 - 1100 BCE), said to be founded by Nafplios, a son of Poseidon, and supposedly took part in the Trojan war.
Nafplion, Greece
The city changed hands many times throughout history, being occupied by the Byzantines, Franks, Venetians, and Ottomans. During Venetian rule (1388 - 1715 CE), and built a great castle atop the city's acropolis. It served as a stronghold against Ottoman encroachment and piracy until finally being taken by the Turks in 1715.
The Mountain I got lost on
Near the end of my first month in Greece, I hiked up a mountain alongside one of my hosts. It took 4 hours to reach the summit, and when I did I was rewarded with a view that I will never forget. I will also never forget the experience of stupidly losing my way on the descent, and finding myself alone without food or water, and a twisted ankle. When I did finally reach the bottom, it was dark, and I had managed to emerge on the opposite side of where we went up. I would say I learned my lesson on making rash decisions then, but it took a few more dumb and impulsive mistakes before I truly did. I'll never forget the exhasperation in my best-friend's voice as I called him to tell him what had happened. That he has remained by my side all these years, putting up with the worst of me, is a testament to his patience and virtue. For all that I learned and came away with from this trip, the value of someone to hold you to the highest expectations while giving you a boost so you can fulfill them is the greatest lesson I learned.
My Family
My Family
Like I said above, I'm engaged to my wonderful fiancée Tori, and we have a dog together. We met in my first semester in college, and were friends initially. That semester, I wasn't sleeping much, and when she found out I was nodding off during my commute, she started calling me every morning to keep me awake until I got to class, greeting me with a coffee and a smile. She's always been my biggest supporter, and my best friend, and she drives me to be the person I see in my future.
In 2022, we got our dog Beemo from the pound. He was only 35lbs, and they said he wouldn't get much bigger but....
He quickly grew to be over twice as big, and has been terrorizing our lives ever since.
Most days at home are spent lounging around with him, taking him on walks and grading with him in my lap. I don't know where I'd be without him, though I'd certainly be a great deal richer 😂!
My Hobbies
My Hobbies
I'm still a kid at heart, so I play a lot of video games and read and watch all sorts of different books and shows that I loved when I was a kid. As childish as it might seem, it keeps me connected with my younger self, and it also helps me connect with my students. The looks on their faces when they find out I not only know what they're talking about, but that I've been playing/reading/watching the same thing since I was their age is always a treat, and it always results in a stronger connection of trust and rapport.
I love to work out, and make a point of going to the gym to keep myself healthy and in shape as often as I can.
I love to sing, too. From six to about fourteen, I was classically trained for theatre, and I have always been passionate about music. I've always said that my one gift is my voice, and the rest was earned. I'm always humming or singing something under my breath. When I was a kid, my friends would get so annoyed by me singing or humming the same song over and over as I tried to get the tune just right. My favorite musician is Amy Winehouse, who I grew up listening to before she passed away. My favorite song is her remix of Valerie! If you haven't given her music a listen, I highly recommend it.
I love to read and write. My favorite genres are fantasy and fiction, though that is only half of it. I read countless books on ancient history and mythology as part of my undergraduate studies, and I own an embarassing number of different translations of the Iliad and the Odyssey. My experience studying these things as well as human culture as a whole as helped me write my own stories and helped me better enjoy my other hobby which is....
Dungeons and Dragons! I've been playing D&D since I was 13 years old, and it has always been such a fun way to engage with story and character writing, as well as just being a great thing to do with friends. A lot of people might see it as a silly game and not look twice, but it is an excellent way to develop writing and reading skills, as well as to develop a sense of empathy and understanding as it puts each player in the shoes of a character that is wholly unlike themselves. I'm glad to say that I'll be running the D&D club at the Richfield Campus this year, and I can't wait to help spread the hobby to a new generation!
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