COVER STORY New Principal Jason Zazyczny ’90 brings a strong work ethic and a belief in cura personalis to his position at the helm of his alma mater. BY BILL AVINGTON ’90
day the same way. He wakes up, gets ready and leaves his Port Richmond house, the same house where two other generations of his family have lived, to drive to the Prep. It is roughly the same drive he has made since 1986, when he and his twin brother Justin began their St. Joseph’s Prep journey. It is a drive that is just a few miles but it is a journey that has spanned more than a quarter of a century, 25 years of exploration, of change and, most of all growth. During that quarter century, Zazyczny has gone from a nervous freshman to the man in charge, starting as Principal in June 2012. In some ways, those who know him best are not surprised.
It is still dark when Zazyczny enters his car, the morning dew forming a thin sheet of ice on his windshield. Zazyczny admits, with a smile, that he doesn’t see the sunlight too often in his job. He arrives between 6:30 and 7 most days and does not arrive home before 7 in the evening. In between, Zazyczny’s day is filled with meetings, both informal and formal. The hours are also not a surprise. Zazyczny brings a lunch-pail attitude to his job. That’s who he is, where he comes from. Hard work is a given for him and his family. His father, Joseph, was a member of City Council and active in local politics. Long hours were part of the job description for him and his kids saw that. “We had people knocking on our door all the time, day or night,” says Zazyczny, who is one of six children. “My dad was never off duty and my mom was a big part of what he did. So were we, as his family.” Zazyczny remembers collecting newspapers from the neighbors to bring to the local rag shop where he would get a few dollars. At the time, 5 or 6 years old, it felt like a fortune and it instilled in him the value of work. The city, too, seems to be a part of his blood. Port Richmond is not just where he comes from, it is where he lives. The people of his neighborhood seem to reflect him. “I like the constant flow,” he says. Zazyczny lives in the house his maternal grandmother lived in. He is the third generation of his family to live there.
Just down the street is the church, St. Adalbert’s, where he served as an altar boy and worked as a sacristan and with the maintenance staff. It is here where the value of hard work was reinforced, no matter the job. “I worked just as hard mopping the floor then as I do now developing policy,” he says. “I strive to bring the same dedication, attention and time to the job no matter what.” While a student at St. Adalbert’s, Zazyczny brought his work ethic to his studies. He would get home, pull out his homework and put hours of time into it. He says that is the only way it worked for him, the “only way to keep it in my brain.” School for him did not come easily. “I had to work extremely hard for every grade I received,” says Zazyczny. “In order to do well, I had to put the time in.”
Zazyczny is meeting with a member of his staff. Though the corner office is big and somewhat impersonal, Zazyczny has managed to make it feel smaller. He sits in a chair just a few feet away from the staffer with whom he is meeting. Often during the meeting, he leans forward, bridging even that small gap between them. “If there are concerns, I need to be told about them,” he says, his eyes making contact with hers to emphasize the point. He is supporting her now in this discussion, asking her to make sure he is in the loop as she moves forward. He offers this advice, “don’t take it personally, but let the discussion happen.” As the meeting moves to a conclusion, he ends by saying, “send it to me and then we’ll have a follow up meeting.” As soon as his guest leaves the office, Zazyczny heads to his computer to record his notes. “I have to do this,” he says. “Otherwise, it’s too much and something will get missed.” While he types, he is surrounded by reminders of his priorities. On the bulletin board, in line of vision beyond his computer screen, sit four different photos depicting St. Ignatius, plus one of WWW.SJPREP.ORG/PREPNEWS
7