“It’s a friendly department,” said Jessica Barzilai, a new physics teacher at HoVal Central High School. During her first year at the high school she is dealing with some of the same issues new students have dealt with. Although she is new, she feels our school provides a friendly atmosphere and that her coworkers are taking the time to get to know her on a personal level.

“One of the first things they asked me was when my birthday was,” said Ms. Barzilai, referencing the science department’s tradition of making treats for a colleague’s birthday.

Ms. Barzilai came to our school district this year after teaching at Hamilton West High School for one year and at a school in Northern Virginia for five years. She currently teaches both Physics and AP Physics in our school but has also taught Engineering and Math courses in other districts.

Prior to teaching, Ms. Barzilai lived in California’s Silicon Valley and was a mechanical engineer. As an engineer she designed machines to make computer chips and analyze biological samples. The reason she became a teacher is that as a teacher she feels she’s “doing people good.”

Ms. Barzilai attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. She also holds a Master’s of Science Degree in engineering from Stanford and a Master’s of Education Degree from George Washington University.

During both her graduate and undergraduate experiences, Ms. Barzilai has had the opportunity to perform research on numerous topics and has acquired five patents with one pending.

“They’re pretty cool,” said Ms. Barzilai of her patents. One patent she has obtained is for synthetic bones. These are replacement bones for cancer patients. When the cancerous area is removed, the synthetic bone is implanted and then releases Chemo-Therapy drugs. After a period of time the synthetic bones disintegrate allowing for the growth of new bone.

Instead of working on research, now Ms. Barzilai enjoys fixing up an old 1978 Volkswagen Beetle with her husband in her free time. She is also avid biker and runner. Ms. Barzilai is happy to be here as she enters her seventh year of teaching.