By Derrick Smith 

Teachers are a vital part of the community. They do more than just teach various subjects to students, they also make an impact on the lives of their student and help them grow into solid members of society. Kevin Zamborsky teaches at Stillwater High School and says that his decision to become an educator was influenced by one of his high school instructors. 

“I was tremendously inspired by my high school band director, John Baker,” Kevin said. “When I was in high school, he pushed us to be an incredible ensemble that was highly successful in marching band, concert band, and jazz band, and I was fortunate to be a member of each of those groups. When I was a freshman, our wind ensemble performed at the Midwest Clinic, widely regarded as the highest honor a group can be invited to attend. Two years later, our jazz band was also invited to Midwest. I loved making music and working together with others, so I knew that being a music educator was what I wanted to do.” 

Zamborsky is beginning his nineteenth season as a teacher at Stillwater Public Schools. He is the primary teacher for the high school wind ensemble, the seventh grade beginning band, and the beginning secondary brass instruments. He also team teaches the Pioneer Marching Band, beginning trumpets, and seventh grade band. His wife Lindy is a couselor at Stillwater High School. They have two children, Connor is a freshman at Northwestern University and Emma is a senior at Stillwater. 

There are many part of teaching that Kevin enjoys, but he says that impacting the lives of his students is at the top of the list. 

“I love the look on a student’s face when they figure out how to do something they previously thought they couldn’t,” he said. “I enjoy watching them achieve great things and pushing themselves outside of their comfort zones. I love to reconnect with former students after they’ve graduated and hear how they’re doing. Beyond the students, I really enjoy working with my colleagues. I am fortunate to be a part of several amazing teams in Stillwater. Our group of band directors is the finest in the state, in my opinion. We work incredibly well together, and our strengths really balance each other out and help create some amazing opportunities for our students.”