The dynamic duo of special education teacher Anjana Iyer and science teacher Cathy Zavacki lives on here at HHS. The two chemistry teachers recently published an article that they have been working on for the past two years.

The article is about how about how to kinesthetically learn a difficult concept in chemistry. For those who do not know what kinesthetically means, it is a learning style in which learning takes place by the students carrying out physical activities rather than listening to a lecture or watching demonstrations. The topic Zavacki and Iyer tackle in their article was understanding how intermolecular forces influence the difference in melting or boiling point of a substance.

Zavacki has been a teacher for a total of 19 years; all of those years of teaching here in Hillsborough. Iyer has been a teacher for the past eight years. With influence from her father and mother, who were both teachers, Zavacki knew she was going to be a chemistry teacher right after taking the course in high school.

Iyer’s took a different path to teaching. “I volunteered in a program called “Project Bookworm” at my district, and I loved seeing small successes in students,” Iyer said. “I wanted to make a difference. I love science. Hence, I decided to combine both of my passions in one job.”

Although the two were able to collaborate their ideas, they both went to different colleges. Iyer attended The College of New Jersey, while Zavacki graduated from Bloomsburg University. At the end, they both got teaching jobs at Hillsborough High School, where they have been working together for a couple years now.

Both of them have been collaborating their ideas for the past two years in order to achieve their access. Once they had all their ideas in place, it took around five months to put their ideas into words.

Both agreed it is easier to write an article with someone they have been working with for years. Also, with this being their second article published, they knew the process better.

The pair both picked science as their subject for similar reasons.

“I love to understand how things work around us,” Iyer said. “I also enjoy problem solving.”