Zajic Bio
by Dennis Zajic
December 22, 2004
I graduated from Chadron State in 1974 with a B.S. degree in Earth Science and Sociology. Since then I have added a middle school general education and science endorsement. A natural science endorsement was added later
Schools I have taught at include my current duties and Hemingford High School along with several years at St. Agnes Academy, and several years at local rural schools.
My responsibilities a Hemingford include four different units of integrated science which are taught to six different classes. Students taught in these classes can be students who grades range from 7-12. The integration consists of physical, earth, and life sciences every year for three years. Added last year was Integrated Science IV. This is a class that emphasizes lab techniques with a primarily hands on approach. My duties have included assistant wrestling coach and science club sponsor. This year I will be 9th grade sponsor along with Susanne Neefe.
I am married to Nancy Zajic who teaches 2nd grade at Hemingford Elementary. We have 3 children and 4 grandchildren. I have lived in the Hemingford area all my life.
My outside interests include woodworking, collecting rocks, minerals, and fossils, which I use in earth science classes. My summers are kept busy taking classes to update and enhance science teaching. I also have a summer lawn care business.
Much of my time has recently been devoted to concept mapping my classes and aligning them to the Nebraska Science Standards. I am also reviewing and using different assessments to see if the standards are being met.
My daily goal is to excite students about science by showing them how it can be used in their every day life to solve problems, enhance learning, and even be a stepping stone to a lucrative and challenging career.
