Teaching math at Annandale High School was Michael Mazarella’s first job out of college. He remembers being interviewed during a tornado warning.

“AHS was the first job offer that I received, and since the economy was less than ideal at that time, I took it and I’m glad I did!” Mazzarella said.

Nine years later, he begins a new chapter in his life at the FCPS central office, where he will be working with student testing data.

“I have done this type of work during my Ph.D. program and loved it, so I am looking forward to doing that on a full-time basis,” Mazzarella said.

His favorite memories of his time at Annandale were those spent interacting and having fun with students, from pep rallies to student-faculty games. He fondly recalls how he once took his Applied Calculus classes to Six Flags for a field trip.

During his time at Annandale, he taught everything from Algebra I to IB SL 2 and AP Statistics. He also briefly served as the National Honor Society sponsor.

“Work hard! I have seen many success stories over the years with students who overcome barriers to become model citizens both in and out of the classroom. I believe that every student has that potential,” Mazzarella said as parting advice.