Zakary Starr - he/him

Mr. Starr

Guidance Counselor

zstarr@sierraacademy.net

Zak is truly excited to join the SAEL community as the guidance counselor as of Spring, 2023. A Philadelphia native, Zak moved to Nevada City in 2011 through a wild and serendipitous journey that found him learning to farm organic vegetables with the Living Lands Agrarian Network (now Sierra Harvest) here in the foothills. He became fully involved in the agricultural community, working on farms, and eventually serving on the Nevada City Farmers Market board of directors as Vice President, and later as President. 

Zak’s first experience with EL education came during the 2019-2020 school year when he served as the garden coordinator at Grass Valley Charter School. In this role, Zak had the pleasure of combining his love of all things green and growing with his love for education. At the end of his tenure at GVCS, Zak enrolled at Sacramento State to pursue a master’s degree in counseling. While at Sac State, Zak completed two counseling internships at K-8 public schools in Carmichael, CA, serving a wonderfully diverse population of students from 2021-2023. After three challenging and rewarding years or grad school, Zak graduated in 2023, and is delighted to find himself at SAEL.

In his free time, Zak enjoys spending time outdoors – hiking, backpacking, swimming in the river, and gardening. Zak is a player/coach on two adult softball teams, and is also a keen pickleball player, and a devoted fan of live music. As a counselor, Zak believes in a strengths-based attitude, helping students to discover and develop their inner resources with dignity and self-respect. Zak approaches each student with curiosity, believing that every person is the expert in their own lived experience.