History Teacher Brian Zemojtel spends his days teaching students all they need to know about past wars, history and key events in the country one class at a time at Lake Havasu High School.

[pull_quote_center]“I feel like it’s a way of giving back. A way I can serve my country is by teaching kids about our history, country and what it did for them.” said Zemojtel[/pull_quote_center]

Zemojtel grew up in Santa Clarita, California before relocating to Lake Havasu City in 1998. He began his studies at Arizona State University and it was there that he decided to change his business major to teaching instead. In 2004, he began teaching at Lake Havasu High School and has been there since.

In 2014, Zemojtel was awarded the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Arizona Teacher of the Year award for educating students about their history and including veterans in class presentations and lesson plans.

Between the lesson plans and classroom preparations, Zemojtel discussed his passion about history.

Family photo submitted by Julie Zemojtal

How did you get started teaching history did you always want to teach that subject?
“I think my grandfather and father were big influences on me. They both served our country and instilled history in me. I didn’t serve but in a way I feel like I’m giving back by educating students about history. I have always been fascinated about learning history.”

How do you try to keep the kids engaged when learning about history or make it fun?
“I use visuals. I have videos during lesson plans and in between lectures I also have local veterans and survivors speak to the class from time to time so they can learn from them during a specific lesson plan. For example we had a Pearl Harbor survivor come in to our classroom and the students really enjoyed that.”

Before Teaching what were some of the things you did before hand?
“I did a bit of coaching sports here and there right now I’m mostly teaching.”

What are some of the things you like about the community in Lake Havasu City?
“I think we have a wealth of resources for vets here. I also think that veterans are extremely generous with their time. The students really enjoy it when they come in to the classroom. We have a great community.”