A new friendly face in the high school: Mrs. Sarah Tzakis has taken over the Science Resource Center and calls it her own. The Science Resource Center (SRC) is a place where students can bring anything science-related and get one-on-one help with their work. their work.
“I’ve spent my whole life loving science. I was exposed to it at such a young age growing up on a farm in the middle of nowhere. I would always be in my backyard playing in the waterways with the crawfish and frogs,” Tzakis said.
Tzakis’s family also played a big role in her early love for science, “My dad always made sure we had books to understand how the ecosystems at our farm worked,” Tzakis said. “We would walk around the forests and he would teach me about the trees, plants, and natural life in our backyard,” said Tzakis. Meanwhile, her mom was always baking and explaining the chemistry behind food to her.
From these moments on, Tzakis knew she wanted to spend the rest of her life around science (and a few other secret passions). Not only did she receive a degree in biological sciences at Illinois State University but she also studied classics at the University of Illinois and studied fashion design at Harper College.
Tzakis has taken her fashion interest to the next level. She has studied it for 20+ years and has a costume sewing business!
“I attended an artisanal weather-making workshop in Florence and took up a passion for making handbags,” said Tzakis.
Tzakis is creative in so many ways. “I have many random hobbies. When I’m not spending time with my husband and two kids, I read a lot and I’m a big crafter,” said Tzakis.
Tzakis has always had a dream of becoming a teacher and sharing her love of science with other children.
“For my first real teaching position, I taught biology, life science, physical science, anatomy, physiology, biological applications and architecture. It was a lot for my first time teaching. After that, I spent 10 years teaching preschoolers art and science to get young kids to realize how much science is in our life daily,” said Tzakis.
Although Tzakis is new to our school community, she has already made a difference for students. “At first, I went in the SRC to get help on my lactase lab but Mrs. T took it to the next level and related it to my summer job at an ice cream shop which helped me understand the concept more and it connected us on a personal level,” said junior Cate Lee.
Adjusting to a new school and job can be difficult but Mrs. Tzakis seems to have mastered it. Science is an important part of Lake Forest High School curriculum so having someone students can go to for help on any level of science will improve class experience for all students.
