Local private school teacher Jane Zagajeski has always been the adventurous type, ever since she attended summer camp in New Hampshire as a little girl.
“It was when I first backpacked,” said Zagajeski, who grew up in Massachusetts has called Weehawken home for the last two years. “I just got hooked.”
Zagajeski’s adventures afoot have taken her on hiking trips to Montana, throughout a good portion of the Appalachian Trail and back to New Hampshire, where it all began.
“I go on day trips as often as possible, whenever I can find time,” Zagajeski said. “I also go on overnight trips, perhaps three times a year.”
Her love of nature first led her to pursue career in medicine, enrolling in the pre-med program at Columbia University. However, after a while, she realized that medicine was not the road she wanted to hike.
“I was working in a research lab after graduating, but then I took six months off to hike the Appalachian Trail,” Zagajeski said. “I was looking to apply to med schools, but I needed a job, so I thought I could teach until I got into med school.”
Zagajeski was fortunate enough to land a position as a seventh and eighth grade teacher at the prestigious Montclair Kimberley Academy in Montclair.
She’s been there for five years and it seems like she’s going to stay for a while.
“I really enjoy it,” Zagajeski said. “We teach multi-disciplinary science, doing a bunch of different things. Not only do we teach earth science, but we do chemistry, biology, and physics and mix it up. It’s very exciting and interesting.”
The 27-year-old Zagajeski is ready to take on her next challenge. In August, she will head to the Pantanal region of Brazil, in the southwestern part of the country, to take part in field research sponsored by the international ecological organization EarthWatch.
Zagajeski was able to participate in the research sojourn thanks to a grant from the Parents’ Association of the academy she teaches at. Every year, the PAMKA Faculty Trust Grants are designed to provide teachers with “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunities that are both personally stimulating and benefit the school’s community. PAMKA awarded five grants totaling more than $20,000 so teachers can participate in these various trips during the summer.
The teachers at MKA have to apply for the available grants, proving that their respective trips would be worthwhile to the students.
“You have to explain how what you’re planning to do applies to what you teach,” Zagajeski said. “I applied because I always wanted to go to Brazil. EarthWatch is co-sponsored by National Geographic, so it’s a well-respected group. The Pantanal is the largest freshwater wet land region in the world, with a huge drainage basin. There are a bunch of projects on tap, like saving the endangered river and giant otters.”
While in Brazil, Zagajeski will collect data and research that will show how the organisms and other inhabitants are able to survive if development takes place in the region.
“They want to see how much development can take place there without disturbing the eco-system,” Zagajeski said. “Everywhere is susceptible to development.”
Zagajeski said that she became aware of EarthWatch from other members of the school’s science department. She said that she was interested in Brazil because she is in the master’s program for biology at Rutgers and finds ecological field studies to be “interesting.”
“I’m also interested in learning Portuguese,” Zagajeski said. “I want to improve my Portuguese before I go.”
Zagajeski said that she was aware that some of the EarthWatch projects are more cultural or economic based, but hers will be strictly scientific.
“I’m really excited about it,” Zagajeski said. “I’ll probably be gone for the entire month of August.”
Chances are, Zagajeski will get some hiking in as well while in Brazil.
“You can count on it,” Zagajeski said. “I’m already making plans.”