For all but eight years of his life, when he was busy attending college and setting up his post-graduate career, John Zack has resided in Portage Township. He and his wife moved back to the Portage area when they decided to start their own family. Feeling they would be best served if they were near their families for this important milestone, they moved back to Portage after being gone for those eight years and have never left.
Currently, Zack is the assistant principal at Portage High School, a position he has held for the past four years. Prior to that, he taught the Work Study Program, which is a Career and Technical Education Program offered to seniors in order for them to gain experience in the work field of their choice. Before that, Zack was a special education teacher at Portage High School as well as doing a one year stint at Paul Saylor Elementary back in 2000-2001. Back in 2000, when he and his wife decided that they wanted to come back home, Zack reached out to a good friend and coach, Ralph Mundt, inquiring about any possible teaching/coaching positions available in the Portage area. It just so happened that Mundt had an open assistant coaching position and found that there was also an elementary special education position available. So, Zack and Mundt worked together to get through the right channels and get Zack and his wife back to the area. Shortly after, his wife was offered a job as the reading resource teacher for South Haven Elementary.
"It was fate," Zack said, "And when there was a special education opening at the high school in 2001, Zack took the job, figuring that it made sense to teach where he coached, if possible, so that he could be there for the students outside of practice time during the day."
As the assistant principal at Portage High School, Zack is responsible for half of the freshman class, teams with the Rotary and Exchange Clubs to identify and honor students who have achieved in their respective club or activity, monitor/supervise the west end of the school building, and many other things.
"I love working here," Zack said. "I love helping the students succeed, giving them someone to feel safe to talk to ad joke with as well as someone who gives them limits and holds them accountable for their behaviors, good or bad."
In his free time, Zack volunteers with the Exchange Club and will be helping with the Knights of Columbus from time to time. Zack especially enjoys helping with the Exchange Club program where they take the money that they raise for the year and spend it on underprivileged students in the district. Families are identified by the Home School Advisors in the Elementary as someone that can be helped, then they are contacted and a formula is used to determine how much money they can spend on new clothes for their children at Walmart.
"Walmart has been great to work with as they designate a couple of cashiers on a certain day in December where we have the parents come in, shop for items the kids need to wear, and purchase these goods tax free. We even go pick them up if they have no means of transportation," Zack said. "It is such a great day each year. Being able to help people shop and to see their faces light up, knowing that this has helped them have a great holiday, is something amazing."
In what remains of his spare time, Zack enjoys reading, running marathons, and spending time with his wife of eighteen years, their son, and the eighteen month Pit Bull they rescued.