The monthly series began with students on the Education Pathway hearing from Dr. Michael Zackon, QCSD’s Supervisor of Secondary Programs.
By Gary Weckselblatt
Quakertown Community High School kicked off its
Career Pathways Speaker Series Friday as Dr. Michael Zackon, QCSD’s Supervisor of Secondary Programs, spoke with students taking the Education Pathway.
The monthly series will include a variety of career options for students with Academic Pathways that include Arts and Humanities, Business, Marketing and Finance, STEM and Computer Science. Pathways Coordinators Laura Neilson, a world language teacher, and George Banas, who teaches Project Lead The Way pre-engineering courses, said the schedule has not been finalized but STEM will highlight the October discussion.
“The Speaker Series is an opportunity for students to interact with real-world professionals and ask questions about a specific industry before spending time and money to get involved with that profession,” Mr. Banas said. “The Pathways team consistently highlights that it’s as important to find out what you don’t like as it is to find out what you do like.”
Dr. Zackon comes from a family of educators and he engaged students with examples of his nearly 20-year career in QCSD that began as a seventh-grade science teacher and included terms as an assistant principal, elementary and middle school principal, and administrator.
“Change is the only constant in our lives that we can anticipate,” he said.
He explained that the highlights of his career involve “helping students and their families succeed during challenging times.” He also gave students statistics that illustrated the need for teachers.
Kiera Gallagher, a junior, said the school’s speaker series “really gives you a head start. The things he spoke about were really meaningful. The fact that he’s moved around gives a student hope that there are many opportunities for us.”
Dr. Zackon appreciated the time to sit down and discuss a career in education with students. “It’s another opportunity for me to further support our students who have a vested interest in this life’s work,” he said.
Gary Weckselblatt, QCSD Director of Communications, writes about the people and the programs that impact the Quakertown Community School District. He can be reached at 215-529-2028 or [email protected].