Zaniac Greenwich Bids Farewell to Beloved Instructor with Generous Scholarships

Flavia Naslausky, Scholarship winner George Ridgway, Laura Finn, Camilla Gazal Credit: Hannah Karlan

Zaniac of Greenwich said goodbye to its 2015-2016 Graduating Instructor Class on Thursday night and celebrated the class’s tremendous work as mentors to children interested in learning skills in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).

At the end of the celebration, George Ridgway, 18, of Greenwich High School was awarded a $1,000 scholarship toward his college education. Ridgway will be attending University College of Dublin next year.

Zaniac is a franchise dedicated to teaching children from kindergarten to 8th grade the joys of STEM using creativity, games, and state-of-the-art technology. Integral to this mission is a group of dedicated, intelligent teenage instructors that can engage and connect with the students.

Every year at the mini graduation celebration, one instructor receives a scholarship in order to distinguish him or her as an “above and beyond” teacher and employee. For Greenwich campus directors Flavia Naslausky and Camilla Gazal, George Ridgway was the perfect candidate to receive this year’s scholarship.

“George has put in so many hours here,” said Gazal. “The kids just absolutely love him.”

George Ridgway hugs Flavia Naslausky

Upon receiving the award, George said a few words thanking the Zaniac staff and reflecting on his experience as an instructor.

“This is one of the only places that you can do this kind of thing. I feel like I learned a lot from this job from teaching the kids. Confidence is a big deal. When you walk in here, the kids are looking to you to tell them what to do.”

It was a day of celebration for all of the graduating instructors, each of whom are off to exciting new adventures at college next year.