Dear Parents of the Class of 2020, 

I would first like to thank Mrs. Aimee Dyrek for asking me to return as the 7th Grade homeroom teacher this coming school year. As someone who is still in my twenties, I hope to bring to my students an enthusiasm for reading and writing (the old school way) during this era of digital media. I also hope to be a source of positive energy and youth perspective for the faculty and staff of Holy Angels. Simply put, I see it as my duty to be a strong role model for the students and a teammate with my students’ parents and their teachers at Holy Angels.

It is also fun to note some of my alma maters. La Salle High School is one of them. Like a number of the shareholders in this community, so I feel a sense of “coming home” in becoming a member Holy Angels school. My name is Elijah Ziomek. I have been born and raised in and around the Mt. Washington neighborhood in Northeast Los Angeles. My alma maters are as follows: St. Bernard School (Glassell Park, '04); La Salle High School (Pasadena, ’08); Occidental College (Eagle Rock, ’12); and Mount St. Mary’s University (DTLA, ’18). Since graduating Occidental, I have been involved in teaching for five years. Prior to coming to Holy Angels, I taught two years of Sixth and Seventh Grade English at St. Anastasia school, fulfilling a very similar role as to the one I am serving now for Holy Angels.

As for my credentials in teaching, in June of 2017, I acquired my Preliminary Credential in Secondary English Education from MSMU. More importantly, I just recently obtained my M.S. in Education from the Mount in March of 2018. I also plan to begin a Clear Credential program to cement my qualifications as a teacher in the new year. Ultimately, I am a Catholic school student turned Catholic school teacher, and I am humbled to be an educator of your children. It will be my pleasure getting to meet you all in the upcoming weeks as partners in your children’s education. 

Thank you all once again for having me as a part of the Holy Angels family.

Sincerely,

Elijah Ziomek

Academic Profile

Attended: Occidental College; Mt. St. Mary’s University

Degrees: B.A. English; M.S. Education

Credential: California Preliminary (Secondary English Instruction)

Experience: 

Substitute Teacher (Immaculate Heart H.S. 2012-13); 

4th Grade Teacher (St. Malachy, 2013-15); 

7th Grade Teacher (St. Anastasia, 2015-17);

7th Grade Teacher (Holy Angels, 2017-Present)

I have been teaching in some capacity since I graduated from Occidental College in 2012. One of my greatest passions for as long as I’ve known has been reading books and writing stories, so I decided that I could probably become a decent teacher of the unique, wonderful language that is English. My time making that dream a reality has been nothing short of a Blessing. In this 5-year career, thus far, I have found that my greatest joy comes from the knowledge that my students feel safe and excited to come to school every day to learn and live in community with one another. It is my foremost goal to ensure that when they leave each day, they’ve felt heard by either myself or one of their peers; that they’ve learned something about themselves or the world around them. As a 7th Grade teacher, I expect students to listen to and engage the voices of the people we study—in the forms of novels, primary texts and sources, or their very own classmates. In this way, I expect them to develop a sense and a structure for their own individual voices before they become the leaders of their school a year later, and representatives of their families in the years that follow. 

On a personal note, I love to read, to write, and to play music or sports. Aside from spending an abundance of time with family and friends, I enjoy games of any and all kinds, especially the outdoor kind. I have just moved into my first apartment in Glendale, and I am also a former member of the San Gabriel Valley community as a graduate of La Salle High School (’08).